Gerry McNamara emerges as frontrunner for Syracuse job, per report

Siena men's basketball coach Gerry McNamara might be headed to his alma mater.

With USF's Bryan Hodgson now out for Syracuse, new AD Bryan Blair will likely focus on McNamara, according to Field of 68's Jeff Goodman. The former Orange guard is in the midst of leading Siena on a NCAA tourney run for the first time since 2010.

McNamara had a previous stint as assistant coach at Syracuse. He's on a short list and rumored to replace Adrian Autry, who was fired by the Orange after three seasons.

Autry ended his tenure with a 49-48 record, including a 86-69 loss to SMU in the first round of the ACC Tournament. The program has hit a serious crossroads with lack of resources, along with needing to break into the NIL era. If McNamara passes on his alma mater, it would be a major blow without another clear option ready to emerge.    

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Syracuse was once considered a college basketball powerhouse under Jim Boeheim, but those days are gone. Trying to compete in a stacked ACC with Duke and Virginia has proven to be more difficult. 

We'll see in a short period of time if McNamara is interested in returning for a second stint with the Orange or not. Siena will face top-seeded Duke on Thursday. 

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