What Does McNamera Bring To The Orange As A Head Coach?
While McNamera is seen as a rising coaching star, he wasn’t Syracuse’s first choice. According to James Szuba of Yahoo Sports, the Orange also pursued St. Louis’s Josh Schertz, Stanford’s Kyle Smith, and Bryan Hodgson, who has taken the job at Providence this season.
McNamara is one of the most beloved figures in Syracuse history, and his return instantly re‑energizes the fan base. He also has a long track record of developing guards and recruiting high‑level talent.
McNamara is expected to install a guard-centric offense emphasizing pace and space. McNamara prefers his offense to “read and react”, which is the best basketball strategy against defenses, rather than using set plays. His preference at Siena was early offense, with heavy use of ball screens and dribble handoffs.
Defensively, McNamara is expected to play man-to-man while throwing in a zone defense to disrupt an offense’s rhythm. He also wants to put pressure on opposing offenses by pestering the ball handler and switching on the perimeter.
“McNamara has only given Syracuse everything — both metaphorical and literal blood, sweat, and tears. He gave his loyalty and servitude as a graduate assistant all the way up to assistant and associate head coach,” Szuba said. “Is there any reason to believe he wouldn’t do the same as Syracuse’s head coach? You won’t find a soul in Syracuse that has a bad thing to say about McNamara. Ever the competitor, there’s no question the steely-eyed coach can motivate and get the most out of his players. There will be no communication breakdowns. Dialogue from McNamara will be clear, concise, and direct.”
Can McNamara Be Successful At SU?
McNamara will have to replace three starters, but if Donnie Freeman and Kiyan Anthony return, he should have plenty of talent. Naithan George had some great games, while Sadiq White and Tyler Betsey showed signs of development late in the year.
Syracuse has no commitments from the class of 2026. But Siena star guard Gavin Doty, who entered the NCAA transfer portal today, has been linked to the Orange. Doty is from Fulton (NY), a Syracuse suburb.
“I plan on playing for G-Mac through my whole career,” Doty told reporters after Duke defeated Siena in the NCAA Tournament.
Syracuse is expected to increase its NIL spending, per Szuba. The Orange reportedly hopes to have a $9 million NIL budget next year.
Depending on how the roster looks this fall, SU projects to win 17 to 22 games next season.
