Gerry McNamara thinks Syracuse can be good at 2-3 zone, but how much will he play it?

Don't expect a ton of 2-3 zone defense under first-year head coach Gerry McNamara during Syracuse basketball's upcoming 2026-27 campaign, he told CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein in a wide-ranging interview that aired on Tuesday.

That being said, McNamara believes the 2026-27 roster that he and his assistants are currently constructing would be well-suited for a zone defense, even if GMac says the zone won't be SU's primary defense next season.

For years, Syracuse basketball's vaunted 2-3 zone was absolutely spectacular. One of the more recent - and potent - versions of it came back in the 2012-13 season, when the Orange would ultimately finish at 30-10 overall and reach the Final Four.

SU, that term, gave up a mere 50 points to No. 1 seed Indiana in the Sweet 16 and just 39 points to No. 3 seed Marquette in the Elite Eight (I was at that game in Washington, D.C.). I yearn for those Syracuse basketball defensive showings.

Syracuse basketball head coach Gerry McNamara dishes on the zone defense.

In the last few years of the Jim Boeheim era, SU struggled on defense. In the three years where Adrian Autry served as the Orange's head coach, the 'Cuse primarily played a man-to-man defense, but Autry would utilize the zone at times.

Another former Syracuse basketball standout guard, McNamara, is now at SU's helm. So will GMac use the zone? He was asked that question by Rothstein.

This past term, when McNamara led Siena to a 23-12 overall record, he said that he used the zone on occasion when he wanted to change the flow of a game and give the opponent a "different look."

The Saints, as a No. 16 seed, nearly stunned No. 1 overall seed Duke in the 2026 NCAA Tournament's first round, and Siena employed the zone late against the Blue Devils to provide the Saints' depleted line-up with some rest.

McNamara says that he'll likely follow a similar logistical and procedural blueprint with the Orange, noting that he would take a few days over the summer and then again in the fall during practices to go through the zone with his roster and make sure the team would be effective in this defense if and when it's employed next season.

Certainly, if an opponent isn't shooting well from beyond the arc, the zone can be lethal, because it entices more attempts from deep. But then rebounding out of the zone can sometimes be tricky, as Syracuse basketball has experienced over the years.

McNamara acknowledged to Rothstein that the roster he's building out would be good in the zone, given all the players' athleticism and length. Here are the 11 main rotational players for the Orange in 2026-27, at it presently stands:
•Ryan Moesch, a 2026 four-star point guard from Central New York (6-foot, 170 pounds)
•Mark Morano Mahmutovic, a 2026 four-star wing from Slovenia (6-foot-7, 230 pounds)
•Abdramane Siby, a 2026 center from Mali (7-foot, 210 pounds)
•Freshman guard Kiyan Anthony (6-foot-5, 185 pounds)
•Freshman forward Sadiq White Jr. (6-foot-9, 195 pounds)
•Sophomore guard Aiden Tobiason, a four-star transfer from Temple (6-foot-5, 200 pounds)
•Junior guard Garwey Dual, a four-star transfer from McNeese State (6-foot-5, 205 pounds)
•Sophomore guard Gavin Doty, a four-star transfer from Siena (6-foot-5, 190 pounds)
•Junior power forward/center Tasman Goodrick, a three-star transfer from Siena (6-foot-10, 230 pounds)
•Redshirt sophomore center Luke Wilson, a four-star transfer from Appalachian State (6-foot-9, 255 pounds)
•Freshman forward Francis Folefac, a three-star transfer from Siena (6-foot-7, 245 pounds)

Other than Moesch, every other player noted above is at least 6-foot-5. Yeah, I'd say that's ideal for the 2-3 zone defense.

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