Syracuse closing in on McNamara as next head coach
Syracuse closing in on McNamara as next head coach
Syracuse turns to a program legend to end its longest NCAA Tournament drought in decades.
One of the most beloved players in Syracuse basketball history is coming home.
Syracuse is working to finalize a deal with Siena head coach Gerry McNamara to become the program’s next head coach, ESPN reports.
McNamara, 42, spent 14 seasons on Jim Boeheim’s staff before taking the Siena job in 2024.
He put his coaching credentials on the national stage last week, guiding Siena to its first NCAA Tournament bid since 2010. His 16-seeded Saints built a double-digit lead against No. 1 overall seed Duke before falling 71-65.
Duke head coach Jon Scheyer had high praise for his counterpart.
“I’ve known Gerry McNamara for a long time,” Scheyer said. “He had his guys way more ready to play than I did. He outcoached me.”
McNamara inherits a program looking to rebound from one of its worst stretches in decades.
The school fired Adrian Autry after three seasons and a 49-48 record. Syracuse never reached the NCAA Tournament under Autry and posted back-to-back losing seasons for the first time since 1968-69.
Boeheim handed the program to Autry after 47 years as head coach. He blamed the poor season on a lack of funding and poor player performance.
“I think he got in a situation where his best players just didn’t play the way they needed to play, and it cost him his job,” Boeheim said of Autry on the ACC Network.
The hire will draw scrutiny from those who wanted an outside voice. Autry, like McNamara, played under Boeheim and later served on his staff before taking over the program.
“G-Mac” arrived at Syracuse in 2002 as a highly recruited guard out of Scranton, Pa. As a freshman, he was Carmelo Anthony’s wingman on the Orange’s 2003 national championship team. He drilled six 3-pointers in the title game against Kansas.
Syracuse retired McNamara’s No. 3 jersey in March 2023. He started all four years, scored 2,099 points, was fourth all-time in program history, and leads Syracuse in 3-pointers made, free-throw percentage and minutes played.
His senior season produced one of the most memorable stretches in Big East Tournament history. McNamara hit a buzzer-beater to beat Cincinnati, another to force overtime against Connecticut, then torched Georgetown for five second-half 3-pointers to erase a 15-point deficit. McNamara was named tournament MVP.
After a brief professional career, McNamara returned to Syracuse in 2009 as a graduate manager and was promoted to full-time assistant two years later.
When Autry was named head coach in 2023, McNamara was elevated to associate head coach. During his 15 seasons on staff, the Orange made eight NCAA Tournament appearances, including Final Four runs in 2013 and 2016.
He was named Siena’s head coach in spring 2024 and produced a 10-win improvement in his first season before winning the MAAC title this year.
The fan favorite who once had the Dome on its feet will now face a different kind of pressure – winning as a head coach.
is a contributor for The NewsHouse.
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