Carmelo Anthony bullish on Gerry McNamara’s impact on his son, Syracuse

Like many Syracuse basketball fans, Carmelo Anthony believes the hiring of Gerry McNamara as the next Orange head coach is the best-case scenario. Anthony believes his former teammate will not only rebuild the brand but also expedite the development of his son, Kiyan.

As a father, Anthony believes his son is in the best hands with McNamara’s guidance. Kiyan Anthony committed to Syracuse as a four-star recruit and one of the top players in his class, but struggled as a freshman, a trend his father is confident McNamara will help reverse.

“Gerry is one of the hardest-working guys I’ve ever seen,” Anthony said on the ‘7PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony’ podcast. “Gerry’s a guy you got to kick out of the gym. I’m excited because he’s gonna bring something different. He’s gonna bring something out of Ky — there’s a reason why people like Ky. He’s gonna enhance that. The first way he’s going to do that is he’s going to give him the confidence that he needs. So I’m excited about that. Somebody who’s going to hold him accountable, but also, he’s in there with you. I guarantee this summer, Gerry will be training Ky and be with Ky.”

Carmelo Anthony also knows that if there is anyone who will right the ship and bring Syracuse back to college basketball royalty, it is McNamara. Anthony knows results will not come right away and wants McNamara to “build a program.”

“You set the bar, now we got to bring the program back up. Will we win it next year? Hopefully, we do. But the plan is to build a program.”

Kaz: "Do you trust Gerry McNamara to develop your son's game?"

Melo: "I do…He's gonna bring something out of Kiy…I guarantee you this summer he'll be in the gym training Kiy…

"Will Syracuse win it next year? hopefully—but the plan is to build a program, get the program back" pic.twitter.com/24aQsLigHM

— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) March 26, 2026

Syracuse transitions to new era under Gerry McNamara

Syracuse hired McNamara after two seasons as head coach at Siena. McNamara led the Saints to a 23-12 season in 2025-2026, culminating with a MAAC Tournament title.

While McNamara lacks a long track record of success, he turned heads with Siena’s performance in the 2026 NCAA Tournament. The Saints gave No. 1 overall seed Duke a run for its money and nearly became the third-ever 16-seed to pull off the upset in a 71-65 loss.

Before accepting the job at Siena, McNamara spent the previous 15 years as an assistant at Syracuse. He was initially hired by Jim Boeheim, his former head coach, before being retained and promoted to associate head coach by Adrian ‘Red’ Autry. McNamara now returns to his alma mater as Autry’s successor.

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