Syracuse men’s basketball officially introduced Gerry McNamara as its new head coach Tuesday, bringing one of the program’s most accomplished former players back to lead the Orange.
McNamara addressed a crowd of more than 2,000 at the Miron Victory Court, outlining his vision to restore Syracuse to national relevance.
“I’m here to win,” McNamara said. “That’s who I am, and it’s who I will always be.”
The Scranton, Pennsylvania, native takes over a program that has missed the NCAA Tournament in each of the past five seasons, its longest drought since 1966 to 1972.
“I came back to change that,” McNamara said. “Part of being a student at Syracuse is the basketball team needs to be good. That should be a non-negotiable.”
McNamara replaces former head coach Adrian Autry and returns to Syracuse after two seasons at Siena, where he posted a 37-30 record. He led the Saints to the 2026 MAAC Tournament title with a win over Fairfield, earning the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance in more than 15 years.
In that tournament, Siena faced top overall seed Duke and led by 11 points at halftime. The Saints controlled the game for more than 28 minutes before falling short of a historic upset.
Before his time at Siena, McNamara spent 15 seasons on the Syracuse bench. He served 13 years as an assistant under Jim Boeheim and one season under Autry.
As a player, McNamara remains one of the most decorated guards in program history. He is Syracuse’s all-time leader in 3-pointers made with 400, free throw percentage at .888, and minutes played with 4,799. He was also a key contributor on the program’s 2003 national championship team.
Monday’s event drew several prominent figures from across Syracuse athletics, including women’s basketball head coach Felisha Legette-Jack, men’s lacrosse head coach Gary Gait, and football head coach Fran Brown.
McNamara now turns his attention to building a staff and reshaping the roster. Syracuse’s coaching staff from the 2025-26 season is no longer listed on the team’s website, with the exception of Peter Corasaniti, who remains listed in a director of operations and assistant coaching role.
Roster construction will be a priority with the transfer portal set to open April 7. McNamara said the coaching staff will be finalized and announced by that date.
The hiring comes during a period of significant transition at Syracuse. In the past month, the university has named Mike Haynie as chancellor-elect and Bryan Blair as the next director of athletics, succeeding John Wildhack.
