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Gerry McNamara arrived in Syracuse as a freshman guard in 2002 and left Friday as a program legend. McNamara was named the head coach at Siena after spending the previous 15 years as an Orange assistant coach.
After being hired as a graduate manager in 2009, McNamara climbed the Syracuse coaching ranks under Jim Boeheim and rose to assistant coach in 2011 then associate head coach in 2023 after Boeheim’s retirement and Adrian Autry’s promotion.
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McNamara is credited with the development of star Syracuse guards over the years, including Buddy Boeheim, Cole Swider, Michael Carter-Williams, Tyler Ennis and Dion Waiters.
He’ll now take over a Siena team that is coming off a 4-28 season, the most losses in program history. The Saints haven’t made the NCAA Tournament since 2010, when Fran McCaffery was coach, though they’ve traditionally been one of the more competitive teams in the MAAC. Denver Nuggets guard Jalen Pickett spent three seasons at Siena before transferring to Penn State and emerging as a star in the Big Ten last season.
As a player, McNamara was recruited to Syracuse by longtime assistant Mike Hopkins, who became the Washington coach in 2017. McNamara was a four-year starter, helping Syracuse win its first NCAA Championship in his freshman year with his clutch shooting, then growing as a scorer after Carmelo Anthony’s departure in 2003-04.
After four seasons and 135 starts, McNamara left Syracuse with the fourth-most points in program history, the most minutes played, the second-most steals and the third-most assists. His No. 3 jersey was retired in 2023.
McNamara’s departure creates a hole on staff for Autry after a 20-12 campaign in his first season. McNamara was the longest-tenured assistant on staff; Allen Griffin — another SU alumnus — has been an assistant since 2017, and Brenden Straughn just completed his first season with the Orange.
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(Photo: Rich Barnes / Getty Images)