Sources: Syracuse to hire Gerry McNamara as basketball coach

Syracuse is working toward hiring Siena‘s Gerry McNamara as its next head coach, sources told ESPN, with a deal for the program legend expected to come together in the near future.

McNamara just coached Siena to the NCAA tournament, winning the MAAC conference tournament and taking No. 1 overall seed Duke to the wire Thursday before falling in the first round. The Saints were the first 16-seed in NCAA tournament history to lead a 1-seed by double digits at halftime.

McNamara was the head coach at Siena for two seasons, following 15 years as an assistant on the Syracuse staff under Jim Boeheim and Adrian Autry.

Syracuse athletic director Bryan Blair spoke to McNamara multiple times over the last week, including both virtually and in person, according to sources.

Syracuse officials stressed during the process a commitment to NIL that projects in the top third of the ACC, sources said.

McNamara is one of the greatest players in Syracuse basketball history, helping lead the Orange to a national championship in 2003 and having his No. 3 jersey retired 20 years later. He holds the program record for made 3-pointers and minutes played, earning All-Big East honors three times, and he started all 135 games he played with the Orange.

After a brief professional career, McNamara returned to Syracuse as a graduate assistant in 2009 before being elevated to an assistant coach under Boeheim in 2011. After Boeheim retired in 2023 and Autry was tabbed as his replacement, McNamara was promoted to associate head coach.

McNamara landed the Siena head coaching job in 2024, going 37-30 in his two seasons with the Saints.

At Syracuse, he will replace Autry, who was fired earlier this month after failing to reach the NCAA tournament in any of his three seasons in charge of the Orange.

Autry, who also was a four-year Syracuse starter under Boeheim and later his associate head coach, posted a 49-48 overall record. The Orange went 15-17 this season, including 6-12 in ACC play, to finish with consecutive losing seasons for the first time since 1968-69.