GREENVILLE, S.C. — Siena head coach Gerry McNamara acknowledged Wednesday that speculation linking him to the vacant Syracuse University men’s basketball head coaching position was “inevitable,” but reiterated his immediate focus remains on guiding the Saints into their first NCAA tournament appearance since 2010, where they will face Duke on Friday.
“My situation with that right now is I’m here at the NCAA tournament for the first time as a head coach, and I get an opportunity to coach Siena University, and the kids in that locker room deserve that opportunity,” McNamara said. “That’s where my focus is. These kids have given me everything they’ve got every day this season, and they deserve my full attention, and they’ve got it.”
The opening at Syracuse arose after Adrian Autry was fired following a second consecutive losing season, a significant downturn for a program that once dominated the Big East Conference. McNamara, a 2003 national champion with the Orange and a 15-year assistant coach under Jim Boeheim, emerged as a leading candidate given his deep ties to the university and his rapid success at Siena.
In just two seasons, McNamara has transformed Siena into a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) champion, posting a 23-11 record this season. The Saints secured their tournament berth with a 64-54 victory over Merrimack on Tuesday night. His hiring at Siena in 2024 marked his first head coaching position outside of the Syracuse program, where he served as a graduate assistant and then assistant coach from 2009 to 2024.
“The reality is because of [Siena’s success], my name is coming up,” McNamara said. “That’s the way I look at this. You get quality players, you coach them right, you win, everybody gets recognition. I think the situation with the job opening and what we’ve done in the last week, there was obviously going to be some speculation.”
McNamara’s playing career at Syracuse, where he never missed a start from 2002 to 2006, included four consecutive NCAA tournament appearances and the 2003 national championship alongside Carmelo Anthony. He later played professionally overseas before returning to Syracuse as a coach. He was named Chip Hilton Player of the Year in 2006 and earned two First-Team All-Big East selections.
McNamara emphasized that the consistent preparation methods instilled by Boeheim will be central to Siena’s approach against Duke. “When I was at Syracuse with Coach Boeheim, we always prepared the same way,” he said. “I’ve talked about what’s the biggest thing I’ve taken from him all these years is how consistent every day was. There was a lot of the same things every day, repetitive, over and over and over. That’s what I’ve done quite a bit. Now, in a different way, I do it in my own way, but very, very normal this week to prepare them just like we did for [the MAAC tournament].”
Siena will be without Antonio Chandler for the tournament opener, after the NCAA ruled him ineligible due to what McNamara described as “an institutional mistake” by the school. The nature of the mistake was not disclosed.
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