Syracuse working to hire program legend, Siena coach Gerry McNamara to lead Orange

The next leader of Syracuse basketball has seemingly been decided. The Orange are working to hire current Siena coach, Syracuse alum and former national champion Gerry McNamara as their next head coach, On3’s Joe Tipton confirms.

McNamara is an icon in Syracuse history, but it was his recent NCAA Tournament appearance that put him on the radar of anyone who did not know his coaching abilities. Siena nearly knocked off No. 1 overall seed Duke on Thursday of the NCAA Tournament.

The Saints led the Blue Devils by 11 points at halftime and continued to fight throughout the second half. But the lack of depth for Siena and the talent for Duke proved to be too much to overcome. The Blue Devils eventually pulled away for the six-point win.

“I’m crushed for them because they played well enough to win. They did,” McNamara said. “But we got kind of crushed on the glass in the second half. The free-throw differential really hurt us, and we had a couple chances late to make a shot. We just couldn’t capitalize.

“For me to take this job, to take it over, the goal was always to play on this stage, and I’m really, really proud of how they represented our school, our community, the alumni. Even the way they talked about each other, I think yesterday up here, I said yesterday up here. I said after Atlantic City, I’m a proud coach. I’m still a damn proud coach.”

McNamara returns home

McNamara played at Syracuse from 2002-2006 and was part of the most iconic team in school history. In 2003, alongside Carmelo Anthony, the Orange went all the way and cut down the nets in New Orleans after winning the national championship. While Anthony was the headliner name, McNamara made a huge impact as well.

Against Kansas that night, Anthony led Syracuse in scoring with 20 points but was just 7-of-16 from the floor. Meanwhile, McNamara put up 18 points on 6-of-13 shooting, all of which came from the outside. McNamara averaged 13.3 points and 4.4 assists that season for Syracuse.

After his playing days, McNamara was a graduate assistant and assistant head coach under Jim Boeheim and Adrian ‘Red’ Autry from 2009-2024. He was hired as Siena’s head coach ahead of the 2024-25 season. He accumulated a 37-30 record during his time leading the Saints.

McNamara replaces Autry, who was fired by Syracuse in early March. Autry compiled a record of 49-48 in three seasons with the Orange and never made the NCAA Tournament.