Syracuse basketball hires Siena’s Gerry McNamara as next head coach

The Syracuse basketball team has its next head coach, and it is a member of the school’s family. Former Syracuse guard Gerry McNamara is returning to the Orange to be the next head coach, per ESPN. McNamara just led a different school to the NCAA Tournament.

“McNamara won a national championship as a player at Syracuse and led Siena to the NCAA Tournament this year,” Pete Thamel posted to X, formerly Twitter.

McNamara’s Siena team almost upset Duke in the Round of 64. He will now be tasked to lead Syracuse back to March Madness. The program has struggled since Jim Boeheim retired following the 2022-23 season.

Syracuse just parted ways with former head coach Adrian Autry. Autry had back-to-back losing seasons with the Orange. He was a long-time assistant to Boeheim.

McNamara is remembered as a star for the Syracuse team. A gritty player, McNamara led the Syracuse offense following the departure of Carmelo Anthony. McNamara played with Anthony on the Syracuse national championship team in 2003.

One of the school’s most-lasting memories with McNamara didn’t even come on the basketball court. Following some negative press about McNamara, former Syracuse coach Boeheim famously blasted his guard’s critics at a press conference in 2006.

“Without Gerry McNamara, we wouldn’t have won 10 f***ing games this year, ” Boeheim said at the time, per NBC Sports. “OK? Not 10. These other guys just aren’t ready. They needed him. Without him there, not 10.”

McNamara played for Syracuse from 2002-2006. He then spent more than a decade at the school working as graduate manager, assistant coach and finally associate head coach. Syracuse fans will surely be excited to see what McNamara can do as head coach.

McNamara served as head coach at Siena for two seasons.

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