With South Florida's Bryan Hodgson out of the running as a candidate to be the next Syracuse basketball head coach, attention will shift to others who may be in the mix for the job.
Time is of the essence, as a new Orange head coach, assistant staff and general manager, ideally, need to be in place before the transfer portal opens on April 7.
New SU athletics director Bryan Blair, who was officially hired last week and is currently the AD at Toledo, has said that he understands the importance of getting this hire - the next Syracuse basketball head coach - right. The process will move forward efficiently, but it won't be rushed, Blair says.
Speculation is growing that with Hodgson off the board (and also, last week, Saint Louis head coach Josh Schertz), the frontrunner for the Syracuse basketball head coaching vacancy could be Gerry McNamara, the former Orange star player and assistant coach who is currently Siena's head coach.
The Saints (23-11 overall) are in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2010. Siena is the No. 16 seed in the East Region. On Thursday, March 19, in Greenville, S.C., the Saints will battle No. 1 seed Duke (32-2 overall), which is the No. 1 overall seed in the 2026 Big Dance.
So who could be the main candidates for Syracuse basketball's head coaching vacancy?
There are likely several candidates under consideration at this juncture. One is GMac. I've confirmed this. Who the other couple of candidates are, I haven't been able to nail that down. A lot of names have been floated out there in the public domain by national observers and 'Cuse fans alike.
Here are some possible candidates (beyond McNamara), or coaches whom SU leaders could potentially consider:
•Former Washington head coach and former 'Cuse head-coach-in-waiting Mike Hopkins
•George Mason head coach Tony Skinn
•UConn assistant coach Luke Murray
•Seton Hall head coach Shaheen Holloway
•Merrimack head coach Joe Gallo
•Utah State head coach Jerrod Calhoun
•Miami (Ohio) head coach Travis Steele
•UConn associate head coach Kimani Young
•New Mexico head coach Eric Olen
•VCU head coach Phil Martelli Jr.
•College of Charleston head coach Chris Mack
•Iowa State head coach T.J. Otzelberger
•Akron head coach John Groce
•Former Arizona State and Buffalo head coach Bobby Hurley
Let's remember that Blair wasn't named in media reports as a candidate for the SU athletics director post before he was appointed to that position; so it's possible that the next Syracuse basketball head coach could be GMac or one of the other guys noted above.
Or it could be someone completely out of left field, so to speak.