Every Syracuse basketball fan’s top 15 Gerry McNamara memories (as a player)

The new era of Syracuse basketball will be led by a familiar face. In the end, Syracuse made the right choice by choosing Gerry McNamara to be the new head coach of the Orange. Of course, as a player, McNamara had one of the most storied careers in Syracuse history. As a four-year starter, McNamara was responsible for some of the most iconic moments in program history. Before McNamara starts to make new memories as the Orange’s head coach, let’s take a trip down memory lane at 15 of McNamara’s finest moments as a Syracuse player.

15. Senior Year Homecoming

For McNamara’s senior season, Syracuse was nice enough to schedule a homecoming game for him in Wilkes-Barre, close to his hometown of Scranton. Playing Towson, Demetris Nichols tried to steal the show with a game-high 25 points. But McNamara didn’t disappoint the 8,209 fans in attendance (5,000 of whom he claimed to know), scoring 20 points in a lopsided Orange win.

14. Gerry Scores 38 Against Davidson

This was a classic McNamara game, as he was locked in as a shooter. Making eight of his 12 shots from three-point range, McNamara scored 38 points, one of the highest scoring games of his career. Even in the pre-Steph Curry days, Davidson put up a fight, scoring 80 points. With only one other Syracuse player scoring in double figures, the Orange needed a 38-point effort from McNamara to avoid the upset.

13. One Big Shot vs. Pitt in 2004

This game during McNamara’s sophomore season was one of the worst of his career. He didn’t make a single field goal in regulation, which is part of the reason the Orange and Panthers went to overtime tied at 42. In the overtime session, McNamara was still unafraid to take the big shot. On an assist from Hakim Warrick, McNamara nailed a three-pointer for his only basket of the day. That shot ended up being the difference in a 49-46 win, handing the Panthers their first-ever loss at the Petersen Events Center.

12. 2005 Notre Dame Comeback

As we’ll see later in the list, this wasn’t the first time McNamara got the better of Notre Dame. During his junior season, College GameDay came to the Dome, resulting in a record-setting crowd of 33,199 fans. Unfortunately, the Orange trailed for most of the game, facing an 11-point deficit with six minutes left. But McNamara made a three to spark a 9-0 run to begin the comeback. He also went 11 for 11 from the free-throw line, including six in the final two minutes to put the Orange ahead and finish off the 60-57 win.

11. 2006 Big East Finals

It’s funny how the finals of the 2006 Big East Tournament are the game people remember the least. At that point, McNamara must have been running on fumes, perhaps explaining why he only scored 14 points. Of course, his six assists were also helpful in leading Syracuse to a 65-61 win over the Panthers to complete one of the greatest conference tournament runs ever seen and secure a second straight Big East Tournament title.

10. 2003 Oklahoma State Comeback

If not for the giant welt on McNamara’s head, most fans would probably remember the efforts of the Syracuse bench that pulled the Orange out of the fire during the Round of 32. At one point, Syracuse trailed 27-10, nearly ending the run to the national championship prematurely. A head-on collision with Oklahoma State’s Victor Williams helped to light a fire under McNamara and spark the comeback. In between getting medical attention to address the gash on his forehead that required six stitches, McNamara made multiple three-pointers to give Syracuse a lead that they wouldn’t give up. Billy Edelin led the way with 20 points, but McNamara’s 14 points were also crucial in the 68-56 win.

9. Gerry’s Senior Day

For those in the building (as I was), this was an emotional game. It was yet another record-setting crowd in the Dome, with 33,633 people in attendance to say goodbye. Unfortunately, the result against No. 4 Villanova wasn’t a favorable one. The Wildcats were absolutely loaded that season and looked in control for most of the game. McNamara led a furious second-half comeback, scoring 29 points in his Dome farewell, bringing the Orange within five points with three minutes left. But Villanova proved to be too much in a 92-82 Syracuse loss, despite McNamara playing one of his best games.

8. 43-Point Game Against BYU

The defending national champion Orange opened the 2004 NCAA Tournament against BYU, which was playing a de facto home game in Denver. Syracuse was up against it early after Hakim Warrick got himself into early foul trouble. With his running mate on the bench, McNamara took over. While Warrick would eventually chip in 20 points, mostly in the second half, McNamara knocked down nine of his 13 three-pointers, while converting 12 of 16 free throws. In the end, McNamara scored 43 points in one of the best individual performances of his career.

7. 2006 Big East Semifinals

On the heels of a win over No. 1-ranked UConn, the Orange probably didn’t need to beat Georgetown in the Big East semis to make the NCAA Tournament. But losing to the Hoyas was not an option for McNamara and company, even after trailing by 15 points at halftime. Naturally, he was the one leading the second-half comeback, scoring a game-high 17 points thanks to 5 for 9 shooting from beyond the arc. With 48 seconds left, McNamara hit a three to bring the Orange within a point. Next came his sublime assist to Eric Devendorf on the fast break to put Syracuse ahead for the first time with just 13 seconds left, in what is the everlasting memory from this game.

6. Gerry Mac Drops One on G-Town

Similar to Notre Dame, Georgetown was another team McNamara loved to torture throughout his career. For the Hoyas, nothing could have been more heartbreaking than what McNamara did during his sophomore year. With eight seconds left, a Georgetown basket tied the game at 54. With the Hoyas pressing, it was somehow up to Hakim Warrick to dribble the ball up the court. Desperate to get the ball out of his hands, he found McNamara sprinting to get the ball and shoveled it off to him with time running out. At the buzzer, McNamara drained a three, prompting the line “Gerry Mac drops one on G-Town.” Despite just 13 points in the game, McNamara hit the big shot when it mattered most.

5. 2003 Notre Dame Game Winner

Back when most people thought Carmelo Anthony was the only Syracuse freshman to worry about, Notre Dame learned the hard way that McNamara could be just as lethal. With over 32,000 people in attendance, the Orange and Fighting Irish played a compelling back-and-forth game. A three-pointer from Matt Carroll put Notre Dame ahead 80-79 with 30 seconds left. But with Anthony serving as the decoy, Billy Edelin found McNamara wide open in the corner, where he drained the game-winning shot. They were the last three of McNamara’s 17 points in the 82-80 win.

4. 2006 Big East Quarterfinals

The most improbable victory for Syracuse during the 2006 Big East Tournament may have been the quarterfinals against UConn, which was ranked No. 1 in the country at the time. Even after a win the previous day, the Orange wouldn’t have felt comfortable on Selection Sunday without one more win at MSG. McNamara rose to the occasion with perhaps the best game of his career, scoring just 17 points but dishing out 13 assists to get his teammates involved. Despite leading most of the game, Syracuse trailed late, forcing McNamara to hit a shot from several feet behind the three-point line in the final seconds to force overtime. The Orange prevailed in overtime, sealing a rare victory over a top-ranked team and one of the most important wins in program history.

3. Three-Point Runner

As remarkable as the rest of the tournament was, the Orange’s miraculous 2006 run in the Big East Tournament doesn’t happen without McNamara’s three-point runner. Syracuse led for most of the second half against Cincinnati, only to collapse late and trail 73-71 in the closing seconds. McNamara dribbled the ball up the court, split two defenders, and lofted up a three with another defender closing in on him, draining the shot to give Syracuse a 74-73 win. Sean McDonough let out a primal scream while calling McNamara’s “three-point runner,” with Bill Raftery quickly chiming in with “Onions!” Needless to say, McNamara’s shot is forever a part of Syracuse folklore, having set up everything that would come over the next few days.

2. Not 10 F***ing Games

In the aftermath of Syracuse’s win over Cincinnati, thanks to McNamara’s game-winner, Jim Boeheim used his press conference to defend McNamara following a recent Daily Orange article calling him overrated. It was easily the most memorable press conference of Boeheim’s career (and there were quite a few), claiming that the Orange wouldn’t have won 10 f***ing games that season without McNamara. True Orange fans quickly memorized and repeated Boeheim’s rant ad nauseam while countless others bought “OVERRATED?!!” t-shirts. Perhaps the most amazing part of Boeheim’s tirade is that McNamara was quietly sitting next to him the whole time, listening to his head coach come to his defense.

1. 2003 National Championship Game (at least the first half)

It’s almost impossible to find a more important 20-minute performance in the history of Syracuse basketball than what McNamara did in the first half of the 2003 National Championship Game against Kansas. While Carmelo Anthony ultimately won Final Four Most Outstanding Player honors, it was McNamara who knocked down six three-pointers in the first half. His 18 points matched Syracuse’s biggest lead of the game and played a pivotal role in the Orange building that big first-half lead that it would never relinquish. Ultimately, Hakim Warrick’s block remains the most iconic moment from that game. But McNamara’s six three-pointers in the first half will never be forgotten as one of the most clutch performances in program history, cementing his status as a Syracuse legend just one season into his career.