Syracuse basketball legend Carmelo Anthony is on board with another 'Cuse icon, Gerry McNamara, leading the Orange program beginning with the 2026-27 campaign.
Earlier this week, GMac was named as the next head coach of Syracuse basketball, replacing Adrian Autry, who went just 49-48 overall in his three seasons leading the 'Cuse following the March 2023 retirement of the Hall of Famer Jim Boeheim.
“It was the right thing to do”
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) March 26, 2026
Watch @7PMinBrooklyn Carmelo Anthony’s full take on Gerry McNamara’s hire as Syracuse head coach 🔥 https://t.co/VTXpUqC7ku
In a recent episode of his 7PM in Brooklyn podcast, Anthony discussed the hiring of McNamara as well as his son, Kiyan, who is a freshman shooting guard on the Orange roster. Melo and GMac have a ton of history together, as they played a pivotal role in leading Syracuse basketball to its first and only national championship in 2003.
During the 2025-26 season, some of Melo's comments went viral on social media as the 'Cuse struggled. Ultimately, the Orange went 15-17 overall, its second straight losing term. SU hasn't made the annual NCAA Tournament since 2021.
Carmelo Anthony thinks Gerry McNamara will turn Syracuse basketball around.
McNamara, in two seasons at Siena, did a wonderful job leading the Saints. The year before he arrived, Siena won just four games. In his first term there as head coach, the Saints claimed 14 victories. In the recently completed 2025-26 stanza, Siena sported a 23-12 overall mark and nearly stunned No. 1 seed Duke last week in the NCAA Tournament's first round.
Melo praised GMac for his work ethic, both as a player at SU and during his tenure as a coach. He was an assistant coach at Syracuse basketball beginning with the 2011-12 season, and that included one campaign as associate head coach after Autry was promoted to the Orange's head coach. McNamara then departed for Siena.
March has been a whirlwind month on the Hill. J. Michael Haynie was appointed SU's new chancellor. Bryan Blair, the athletics director at Toledo, was named the next AD at Syracuse University. And McNamara was hired as Syracuse basketball's head coach.
In his podcast, Anthony gave props to the decision-makers for making these appointments, recognizing that SU is "one of the prominent institutions out there," and the bar was set high by these new hires.
As it relates to GMac, Melo says it's time to build the 'Cuse back up. "Will we (Syracuse) win it next year? Hopefully. But the plan is ... to get the program back."