Top Siena guard Gavin Doty follows McNamara to Syracuse

Siena guard Gavin Doty has committed to Syracuse out of the transfer portal. The sophomore will follow his former head coach, Gerry McNamara, west on I-90 from Albany to Syracuse.

A Central New York native himself, Doty played basketball just 30 minutes away from Syracuse, at Fulton High School. He also featured on the EYBL team, Albany City Rocks. During that year, he was recruited by just a handful of schools, including Siena, Bryant, Coastal Carolina, North Kentucky, Le Moyne, Buffalo, NJIT and Binghamton.

Ultimately, he chose to commit to McNamara and Siena. When he signed, McNamara was excited to have the 6-foot-5 guard on board.

“Gavin has incredible potential. He is a big-time athlete that makes winning plays.” McNamara said. “His talent is obvious, but he plays with a relentless motor on both ends, and values winning above everything. He lays it on the line every time he steps on the floor. I’m really excited about Gavin!”

During his first season in green and gold, Doty started in 17 games, averaging 11.3 points and 6.1 rebounds. That season, Siena lost its first MAAC tournament game. Just ten days later, Doty announced that he would return to the program for his sophomore year. Doty stated on Instagram that his relationship with McNamara was a key reason for his return.

“I fully trust coach McNamara’s vision, and I believe we have a real chance to compete for a championship together,” Doty said.

His trust paid off. His sophomore season was a stark improvement for both Doty and the team. The guard started every game and averaged 18 points and seven rebounds. Doty’s performance was a key factor in Siena taking home its first MAAC tournament championship since 2010.

Winning the tournament gave Doty the chance to play in March Madness. 16-seeded Siena was pitted against No. 1 Duke. On paper, the game was predicted to be an easy win for Duke as the 28.5-point favorites. But Doty and Siena had other ideas.

At halftime, Siena held an 11-point lead on ACC champions Duke. But the Saints couldn’t hold onto the lead in the second half, ultimately losing to Duke 71-65. But Doty proved to a national audience that he could play with the best, scoring 21 points, the most on his team.

After the loss, according to Times Union reporter Mark Singelais, Doty said: “I plan on playing for GMac through my whole career.”

Now in Orange, Doty will compete for the starting shooting guard spot with returning sophomore Kiyan Anthony. Even with the addition of Doty, Syracuse still has many spots to fill after players Naithan George, Tyler Betsey, Tiefing Diawara and Aaron Womack all entered the portal.

Doty’s commitment is a good addition by McNamara as he tries to bring Syracuse back to being a winning team.