Gerry McNamara, the legendary basketball player from Scranton who led Syracuse University to a national championship, will return to the school as the head coach of the men's basketball team.
Speculation of the move happened for weeks, only heightening after McNamara coached No. 16 Siena University to a near-upset of No. 1 Duke University in the NCAA tournament. Syracuse announced McNamara's appointment, effective immediately, on Tuesday morning.
"I love this place. I love what Syracuse means: to the fans, to the players who have worn this jersey, to the people of Central New York. This program has given me everything, and I am ready to give everything back to it," McNamara said in the announcement. "College basketball has changed. How you build a program, recruit talent, compete for resources and win looks different than it did even five years ago. I know that. I'm ready for it. What hasn't changed is what Orange Nation expects, and what this place deserves. We are going to build something special here."
McNamara, a 2006 graduate and a member of the 2003 National Championship-winning team, coached Siena for two seasons. Syracuse credits him with engineering "one of the most dramatic turnarounds in Division I basketball" at the school near Albany.
Prior to that, he spent 14 seasons in Syracuse as an assistant coach on Jim Boeheim's staff before serving as associate head coach under Adrian Autry in 2023-24.
Legendary player from Scranton
In Scranton, McNamara led Bishop Hannan High School to the Class AA state title in 2002, his senior year. He finished his high school career with 2,917 points, seventh in career scoring in Pennsylvania, and earned two AP Pennsylvania State Player of the Year honors.
"Gerry McNamara is who our storied basketball program needs at this important moment," Bryan B. Blair, incoming director of athletics, said in the release. "In every conversation, his competitive fire and passion was undeniable — it's simply part of his DNA."
Blair said McNamara is a proven Division I head coach who led a program through a turnaround and back to the NCAA Tournament.
"At every stop in his playing and coaching journey, he has elevated those around him — student-athletes, staff and the broader community — through his energy, his standards and his ability to connect," Blair said. "While Gerry's deep connection to Syracuse is meaningful, it's simply a bonus to what he brings as a coach and leader. He honors our past, but he is driven to build for the future. This is a critical moment for Syracuse basketball, and it will take all of us—everyone connected to Syracuse University, Syracuse Athletics and Central New York—locking arms and supporting this program like never before. We welcome Gerry home and can't wait to see where he takes our program."
A four-year starter from 2002 to 2006, McNamara is the program's all-time career leader in made three-pointers (400), free throw percentage (.888) and minutes played (4,799) and ranks among the all-time leaders in assists, steals and scoring. He hit six three-pointers against Kansas in the national title game as a freshman. He played professionally in Europe before returning to Syracuse to begin his coaching career.
McNamara and his wife, Katie, have four children: sons Gerry and Patrick and daughters Maggie and Grace.
