Gerry McNamara is set to write a third chapter in his storied legacy at Syracuse.
The former Orange star and longtime assistant is finalizing a deal to return to the program as its next head coach following a two-year stretch helming Siena, multiple reports said Sunday.
A deal for the program legend is expected to come together in the “near future,” according to ESPN.
McNamara, 42, will hope to resuscitate Syracuse after leading the Saints to a MAAC title and their first March Madness appearance since 2010 — nearly staging an epic upset over top-seeded Duke in the first round.
They made history as the only No. 16 seed to ever lead a No. 1 seed by double digits at halftime.
Before taking over in Loudonville, McNamara, who helped lead the Orange to a national championship in 2003, served as an assistant on the Syracuse staff for 15 years under Jim Boeheim and Adrian Autry.
Autry, who took over for Boeheim in 2023, was fired after the ACC Tournament with a mediocre 49-48 record — and zero NCAA Tournament appearances — during his three seasons in charge.
Boeheim, 81, offered high praise for McNamara during a recent appearance on Post Sports’ new weekday YouTube Show, “Schein Time,” with Adam Schein.
While stating he was not involved in the hiring process for Syracuse’s next head coach, the Hall of Famer underscored that McNamara has “certainly proved himself” and added “I think he would be a guy you should talk to.”
Not only is McNamara a celebrated former assistant, but he’s also one of the greatest players to ever put on an Orange jersey.
The 6-foot-2 guard, playing alongside Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony, helped lift Syracuse to a national title in 2003.
A three-time All-Big East honoree, McNamara started all of his 135 games played with the Orange and boasts the program record for minutes played and made 3-pointers.
His 400 career triples are nearly 100 more than the next closest player — Jim’s son, Buddy Boeheim, who drained 309 treys from 2018–22.
In March 2023, two decades after winning the NCAA Tournament, McNamara’s No. 3 jersey went up in the rafters.
Following a brief stint in the pros, McNamara returned to Syracuse as a graduate assistant in 2009, rising the ranks under Boeheim before taking over as associate head coach under Autry, another former four-year starter for the Orange.
Syracuse’s newly hired athletic director, Bryan Blair, met with McNamara several times over the last week, and program officials underscored a commitment to NIL that “projects in the top third of the ACC,” according to ESPN.
McNamara, who posted a 37-30 record in his two seasons at Siena, will attempt to revive a Syracuse program that went 15-17 (6-12 ACC) in 2025–26 to mark back-to-back losing seasons for the first time since before he was even born (1968–69).
Syracuse finished in 14th place in the 18-team ACC this season and were ousted by SMU in the first round of the ACC Tournament, ending the year on a six-game losing streak.
They have now missed the NCAA Tournament each of the last five years.
