Syracuse Basketball: Gerry McNamara will shine as Siena but it's tough loss for 'Cuse

Not too long ago, Hall of Famer and former long-time Syracuse basketball head coach Jim Boeheim said that his former star player and assistant, Gerry McNamara, was ready to be a head coach.

Well now, GMac is.

On Friday, leaders of Siena announced that the 40-year-old McNamara would be the program's next head coach. Earlier this month, the Saints parted ways with head coach Carmen Maciariello after he had led the team for five campaigns but went just 4-28 overall during the most recent 2023-24 stanza.

First and foremost, Orange Nation sends a huge congrats to Gerry. What's more, I want to personally thank him for his years devoted to the Syracuse basketball program, first as a player and then as an assistant coach.

McNamara, who helped guide the Orange to the 2003 national championship and ended his SU career as a top-five scorer in the program's history, is beloved by 'Cuse fans and will be tremendously missed.

So now GMac will get to work at the helm of Siena, a school located in Loudonville, N.Y., near Albany, that is a member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference ("MAAC"). By the way, he will be officially introduced as the program's new head coach at a press conference this coming Tuesday at 1 pm, per a press release from Siena's athletics department.

Losing Gerry McNamara is a rough blow for Syracuse basketball, but I'm so happy for him.

On the Hill, head coach Adrian Autry is now tasked with finding another assistant coach to round out his staff. In 2023-24, when the Orange won 20 regular-season games for the first time in a decade, Autry had promoted McNamara to associate head coach of the 'Cuse.

McNamara became a full-time assistant at Syracuse basketball in 2011-12. He had been working with the team's guards over the years, and he excels in player development. GMac is also a stellar recruiter with deep AAU connections, and I'll be curious to see how his departure could impact the Orange's current recruiting efforts in the 2025 and 2026 classes, for example.

Syracuse basketball does have two other excellent assistant coaches in Allen Griffin and Brenden Straughn, and I'm in no way suggesting that the 'Cuse is going to fall into shambles because McNamara is gone.

That being said, replacing GMac won't be an easy task, although I have full confidence in Autry. I figured that at some point sooner rather than later, McNamara would move on to take over another program, and that time has come.

Between Boeheim retiring a year ago and GMac off to Siena, the Syracuse basketball coaching staff has lost two giants. However, Autry fared well in his first year as the Orange's head coach, and I'm excited to see who he will tap to replace McNamara on the 'Cuse bench.