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03/24 08:59 CDT Syracuse hires former star guard Gerry McNamara to take over as
men's basketball coach
Syracuse hires former star guard Gerry McNamara to take over as men's
basketball coach
By JOHN WAWROW
AP Sports Writer
Syracuse turned to its past by hiring former star guard Gerry McNamara on
Tuesday in a bid to guide a fading men's basketball program back to prominence.
The 42-year-old McNamara, nicknamed "G-Mac," is returning to where he and
Carmelo Anthony led the Orange to a national championship in 2003. McNamara
then spent 14 years as an assistant under Hall of Fame coach Jim Boeheim and an
additional season under his successor, Adrian Autry.
Now he replaces Autry, who was fired after three largely disappointing seasons
in which the Orange went 49-48 and extended their NCAA Tournament drought to
five seasons --- the school's longest since 1967-72.
"I love this place. I love what Syracuse means to the fans, to the players who
have worn this jersey, to the people of central New York," McNamara said in a
statement released by the school, which plays in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
"This program has given me everything, and I am ready to give everything back
to it."
McNamara returns to Syracuse after spending the past two seasons at Siena,
where he went 37-30. That included a 23-12 finish this year in which the Saints
won the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament and clinched their first
NCAA berth since 2010.
The 16th-seeded Saints then nearly knocked off Duke in an eventual 71-65
first-round loss on Thursday.
Incoming athletic director Bryan Blair referred to McNamara's hiring as "a
critical moment for Syracuse basketball."
"At every stop in his playing and coaching journey, he has elevated those
around him --- student-athletes, staff and the broader community --- through
his energy, his standards and his ability to connect," said Blair, who was
hired on March 12. "He honors our past, but he is driven to build for the
future. ... We welcome Gerry home and can't wait to see where he takes our
program."
In McNamara, the Orange hire a coach who has name recognition and connections
to a program's proud past in which Syracuse was an established basketball power
over Boeheim's 47-year tenure that featured 35 tournament berths and five Final
Four appearances. During McNamara's time as an assistant, the Orange made nine
tournament appearances, including Final Four runs in 2013 and 2016.
From Scranton, Pennsylvania, McNamara has a strong track record for recruiting
and developing players. Working under Boeheim, he was credited for having a
primary role in mentoring eventual NBA players Michael Carter-Williams, Dion
Waiters and Tyler Ennis.
Boeheim, whose name graces Syracuse's home court, remains a fixture with the
team as a special assistant.
"Gerry McNamara's story is as authentically Syracuse as they come," said the
school's chancellor-elect, J. Michael Haynie.
"He came here from Scranton with something to prove and became one of the
greatest players this program has ever seen and one of the most trusted coaches
to sit on our bench," Haynie said. "Now he's coming home with a singular
mission: to return Syracuse basketball to where it belongs, among the elite
programs in the country."
McNamara's hiring comes with Syracuse in transition with Blair replacing John
Wildhack, who is retiring in July following a 10-year tenure.
Under Blair, Syracuse is expected to place an emphasis on increasing its
financial commitment to recruit players --- something the program lacked under
Wildhack.
"College basketball has changed. How you build a program, recruit talent,
compete for resources and win looks different than it did even five years ago.
I know that. I'm ready for it," McNamara said. "What hasn't changed is what
Orange Nation expects, and what this place deserves. We are going to build
something special here."
As a player, McNamara finished fourth at Syracuse in career points (2,099), and
remains the program's career leader in minutes played (4,799) and 3-point
baskets (400). His No. 3 jersey was retired in 2023.
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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and
coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
