David Hale
Multiple Authors
GREENVILLE, S.C. — Siena head coach Gerry McNamara known as rumors tying him to the vacant Syracuse job “inevitable,” however insisted his solely focus this week is on the Saints’ opening-round matchup in opposition to No. 1 Duke within the NCAA match.
“My situation with that right now is I’m here at the NCAA tournament for the first time as a head coach, and I get an opportunity to coach Siena University, and the kids in that locker room deserve that opportunity,” McNamara mentioned Wednesday. “That’s where my focus is. These kids have given me everything they’ve got every day this season, and they deserve my full attention, and they’ve got it.”
McNamara, a Syracuse alum and member of the 2003 nationwide championship group, spent 15 years working as an assistant coach with the Orange earlier than touchdown the Siena job final 12 months. He has led the Saints to a 23-11 report this season, together with successful the MAAC match championship.
That success at Siena, alongside together with his shut ties to Syracuse’s program, put McNamara’s identify on the brief checklist of logical candidates to replace Adrian Autry, who was fired after a second straight dropping season.
“The reality is because of [Siena’s success], my name is coming up,” McNamara mentioned. “That’s the way I look at this. You get good players, you coach them right, you win, everybody gets recognition. I think the situation with the job opening and what we’ve done in the last week, there was obviously going to be some speculation.”
Syracuse has not been to the NCAA match since 2021 — a steep fall from this system’s heyday with McNamara operating level for Carmelo Anthony, Hakim Warrick & Co. within the 2000s. McNamara was a four-year starter, main the Orange to 4 straight match appearances.
He adopted his taking part in profession with greater than a decade along with his former coach, Jim Boeheim — first as a graduate assistant and, in the end, as assistant head coach.
McNamara mentioned the teachings realized from Boeheim will inform his strategy to Thursday’s recreation in opposition to Duke, as Siena appears to develop into the third No. 16 seed to knock off a No. 1 seed in match historical past.
“When I was at Syracuse with Coach Boeheim, we always prepared the same way,” McNamara mentioned.
“I’ve talked about what’s the biggest thing I’ve taken from him all these years is how consistent every day was. There was a lot of the same things every day, repetitive, over and over and over. That’s what I’ve done quite a bit. Now, in a different way, I do it in my own way, but very, very normal this week to prepare them just like we did for [MAAC tournament].”
Of observe: McNamara confirmed, the Saints should do with out Antonio Chandler, who was dominated ineligible by the NCAA over an “institutional mistake” by the varsity.
