After leading Siena to an unlikely turnaround that capped off with a near monumental upset of Duke, coach Gerry McNamara could be finding his way back to where he college basketball career started in Syracuse.
McNamara inherited a four-win Siena team when he took over as head coach two years ago, quickly building the program around strong recruiting classes and leading them to a MAAC title this year despite some major roster setbacks. The Saints nearly took down No. 1-seeded Duke in the first round, losing steam after an injury to star Gavin Doty.
Gerry McNamara Returning to Syracuse?
McNamara is seen as a rising star in the college basketball coaching ranks, and the former Orange star is now rumored to be taking over a wayward Syracuse team.
Many Syracuse insiders had long seen McNamara as a logical target for the team, especially after the team’s failure to maintain the program at the same level after Jim Boeheim’s departure. New York Daily News columnist Dick Weiss reported that the Orange are now closing in on making McNamara their next head coach.
“Here’s a fitting ending to a feel good story. former Syracuse star, Siena coach Gerry [McNamara] is expected to become the Orange’s next basketball coach,” Weiss wrote in a post on X.
McNamara was a star guard for the Orange, joining with Carmelo Anthony to lead the team to its only national title in 2003. Then a freshman guard, McNamara set an NCAA tournament title game record with six three-pointers in the first half, finishing the game with 18 points as the Orange took down Kansas.
There is no official indication that Syracuse is planning to hire McNamara, though Syracuse.com reporter Brent Axe suggested he is a top candidate to replace the dismissed Adrian Autry.
“Gerry McNamara and the Siena Saints didnât beat No. 1 overall seed Duke on Thursday in the NCAA Tournament, but he may have won the Syracuse basketball head-coaching sweepstakes,” Axe wrote.
Gerry McNamara’s Performance Earns Praise
McNamara had already been building buzz in the college coaching world after his rapid turnaround of the Siena program, growing them to conference contenders and leading them on a run to the MAAC tournament title despite a bench that had been depleted by injuries and ineligibility.
McNamara chose to keep his starting five in the entire game against Duke, a gambit that earned him praise. Siena University president Chuck Seifert said he was proud of the coach and the way he led the program.
âI absolutely could not be prouder of the team and of Gerry,â Seifert said, via the Times Union. âNot just how they played, but the way that they played. They exemplified everything that Siena is about; they had character, they had had grace, they had determination.â
Seifert added that McNamara has been an upstanding coach.
âEvery time that I interacted with Gerry, I was absolutely convinced that he was the right person for Siena, without a doubt,â Seifert said. âAnd I knew that he would turn the program around. He had a short timeframe last year in order to go into the portal and get the players. But developing those players, and aggressive and effective recruiting this year, really led us to where we are.â
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