Wildhack, Haynie and Blair speak on Gerry McNamara: ‘He’s the right person’
John Wildhack, Bryan Blair and Mike Haynie detailed what went into selecting Gerry McNamara at the head coach’s introductory press conference on Monday. Zoe Xixis | Asst. Photo Editor
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It’s a rare occurrence when the chancellor, director of athletics or men’s basketball head coach positions open up at any university. Now, imagine all three opening within months of each other.
Syracuse University faced that reality in March. Gerry McNamara’s introductory press conference on Monday marked the third and final one of the month for all three positions, as Mike Haynie was introduced as its next chancellor on March 3 and Director of Athletics Bryan Blair was introduced on March 19.
Haynie, Blair and outgoing Director of Athletics John Wildhack all sat on stage with McNamara in the Miron Victory Court and shared why McNamara was the selection.
“He’s the right person at the right time to meet our goals,” Wildhack said.
The central question throughout the process was who would make the decision on the next head coach, given the rapid change in university leadership. Wildhack slipped, suggesting he took charge of the choice.
“When I met with our team last week, I was very direct and candid when I told them why I hired Gerry. I said, ‘I hired Gerry McNamara,’” Wildhack paused before correcting himself. “We hired — we hired — Gerry McNamara because Gerry McNamara is a winner.”
Wildhack added that, as a member of the NCAA men’s basketball selection committee, he watched plenty of Siena games throughout the season. He said McNamara’s team played smart, hard and tough.
He credited McNamara with turning the Saints from a four-win team into a March Madness participant in two years, commending how he used recruiting and player evaluation. As Wildhack’s last major decision in his director of athletics role, he feels McNamara will lead the program in the right direction.
“If Coach McNamara receives the support from all his constituents, we will flip this program quick,” Wildhack said. “We will make you proud. We will make you proud for years to come and (feel) excited about the future of our men’s basketball program.”
Of course, Blair still played a major role in hiring the coach who could define his tenure. When asked directly by The Daily Orange, McNamara called the coaching search “unique,” citing the time frame of Syracuse’s switch. Blair will take over officially for Wildhack on July 1, but is already getting his feet wet in the SU office.
“A lot of situations would be scary if we didn’t get in at the right time. And I felt like, with how they announced Chancellor Haynie, and then Bryan (Blair) right behind that, with his energy. And then right behind that, they collectively got together to do the interview process,” McNamara said. “Now, here I am. So, to all come through the pipeline together at the same time, it’s neat that we collectively are heading in the right direction.”
Blair said that, as he worked through the interviewing process, he asked a few candidates similar questions: What’s it like to coach when Jim Boeheim is in the building and his name is on the court? What’s it like to stand on the sideline when one of the world’s best basketball players (Carmelo Anthony) is a parent of a player and sitting courtside?
Blair felt many of the candidates were “a little afraid of the moment.” However, he felt McNamara didn’t waver at the questions, instead saying, “Let’s go.”
“He said to me, ‘I need to win, and I need to win now,’” Blair said of McNamara. “And from that moment on, I remember going back home with my wife, telling her, ‘There’s something special here.’”
Haynie said the idea for the event in the Miron Victory Court — where over 2,000 fans welcomed McNamara, receiving T-shirts and posters of the new head coach’s face — was Blair’s vision. McNamara added that after an initial phone interview, the two sat down in person for a second round. Blair leaned in and looked McNamara in the eyes, saying he wants to win.
“We’re in lock step. Same mentality, same goals, same direction. Since then, I’ve learned that he likes to go outdoors and he loves to fish. If this dude listens to Pearl Jam, we might as well go do karate in the garage,” McNamara said of his relationship with Blair, making a connection to a famous “Step Brothers” scene.
Haynie will take over for Kent Syverud on July 1. He’s made it clear — both through Blair and now McNamara’s hiring — that he understands the importance of athletic success for the success of the university as a whole. On Monday, he characterized the McNamara’s hire as “one of the most consequential hires that this program has seen in decades.”
Haynie looked back on late December 2005, when McNamara was a senior at SU and Haynie was just starting out as an administrator. He recalled Syracuse matching up with Kent State and McNamara tallying 10 points and 12 assists. Haynie said 21,000 fans filled the Dome that night, showing him for the first time the importance of basketball in Syracuse.
Now, McNamara is at the forefront for Haynie again. The future of Syracuse men’s basketball depends on the new head coach’s success.
“When Bryan and John walked me through this search and made the case for Gerry, what stood out wasn’t just his resume, which is impressive, it wasn’t just the results that spoke for themselves,” Haynie said. “It was actually something worthwhile. It was that every person who worked with Gerry, every reference that we talked to, whether it was a player, a colleague or a coach, said the same thing. They said he makes people better.”
