Syracuse Basketball: Siena is finalizing a deal for Gerry McNamara to be head coach

Siena is "close to finalizing a deal" for Syracuse basketball associate head coach Gerry McNamara to be the Saints' next head coach, according to a media report.

That's according to a post on X, citing sources, from Rodger Wyland, who is the sports director at WNYT, a television station in Albany, N.Y.

Other reports earlier on Monday had indicated that GMac had emerged as a leading candidate to fill the head-coaching vacancy at Siena, a school located in Loudonville, N.Y., near Albany, that is a member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference ("MAAC").

Last week, Siena parted ways with head coach Carmen Maciariello, saying he would not return as the team's head coach next season after five campaigns guiding the program. In 2023-24, the Saints were 4-28 overall.

Syracuse basketball associate head coach Gerry McNamara could soon be departing the Hill.

On March 20, the X account Trilly Donovan first reported that McNamara could emerge as a candidate for the Siena head-coaching position.

Naturally, if GMac leaves the Orange for Siena, I'd wish him nothing but good fortune and success moving forward. His potential departure from the 'Cuse, though, could prove a bummer for the Syracuse basketball program.

In his playing days in Central New York, McNamara was undeniably beloved by Orange Nation. As a freshman, he helped guide Syracuse basketball to the 2003 national championship, and his SU tenure ended with him being a top-five scorer in the program's history.

During the 2011-12 season, McNamara was promoted to a full-time assistant coaching post. For the 2023-24 stanza, when the Orange would end up winning 20 regular-season games for the first time in a decade, first-year head coach Adrian Autry promoted GMac to the No. 2 spot as the team's associate head coach.

McNamara excels in player development, primarily working with 'Cuse guards, and on the recruiting trail. Hall of Famer and former long-time Syracuse basketball head coach Jim Boeheim, in a recent article, said that McNamara is well-prepared to be a head coach, whether at Siena or elsewhere.

In his recent interview with Mark Singelais of the Times Union, Boeheim said in part regarding GMac, "Gerry has unbelievable contacts in the AAU world because he's a great guy and he works at it. I've never had anybody work harder at being a coach."

Assuming that McNamara is headed to Siena, Autry will have a spot to fill on his staff. Other current assistants are Allen Griffin and Brenden Straughn, who joined the Orange in 2023-24 after most recently serving as an assistant at George Washington.