McNamara talks vision for SU, next year’s roster in radio interview
In his first radio interview since being named Syracuse men’s basketball head coach, Gerry McNamara discussed his vision for the program. Meghan Hendricks | Daily Orange File Photo
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Gerry McNamara left Syracuse two years ago thinking he’d “never see the place again.” Now, after spending two years revitalizing Siena’s program, he’s officially SU’s ninth head men’s basketball coach.
In his first public comments since being named the Orange’s head coach, here’s what McNamara said during a Cuse Sports Talk interview on Wednesday:
Vision for Syracuse
After Siena’s season ended with a first-round NCAA Tournament loss to No. 1 overall seed Duke, McNamara met with new Syracuse athletic director Bryan Blair. He said Blair “spoke his language,” emphasizing a simple expectation: winning.
“We need this thing to look a certain way, get back to a certain way,” McNamara said. “And that, to me, is as exciting as coming home and getting a chance to do this to another program.”
McNamara inherited a four-win Saints program and left with a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championship and March Madness appearance. With the Orange, who haven’t made the NCAA Tournament in five years, McNamara will look for a similar reinvigoration.
He said his confidence stems from that experience and the people around him.
“I’m not coming back emotionally this time, I’m coming back with a job to do,” McNamara said. “And I’ve just done a job, and I’ve done it at a high level.
“So that’s my intent: to come back more confident because I just did it. Come back with the intent of getting it back on the map because I know I can do it. I’m more confident in it because I’ve got people around me that have the same intentions, they got the same job, the same fight.
“This is by no means a one-man effort.”
Next year’s roster
On his first official day on the job, McNamara explained that he popped into the facility on Tuesday, trying to gain an understanding of how everything was operating behind the scenes. He said he did the same thing when he first got the Siena job before talking to any players.
“There’s a certain demand that I have in terms of how things are done off the court that are not negotiable for you to get on the court,” McNamara said. “So I do that dive before I do the dive with the players.”
The dive with the players will happen on Thursday, McNamara said. SU’s remaining players from the 2025-26 season that still have eligibility are Donnie Freeman, Naithan George, Sadiq White Jr., Kiyan Anthony, Tyler Betsey, Luke Fennell, Akir Souare, Calvin Russell III, Tiefing Diawara, Aaron Womack and Noah Lobdell.
McNamara noted he watched every SU game last year, because he loves Syracuse.
“I’m really looking forward to a lot of these conversations,” he said. “I feel like I have a better view of kind of what went on behind the scenes, and I always had my own view of what happened on the court.”
“I’ll have a much better feel in terms of retention, the direction we’re going with current guys after tomorrow,” McNamara later added.
McNamara said the Orange will then need to piece everything together in terms of role, responsibility and fit to round out his roster. He added that he wants to make sure Syracuse gets enough of everything, in terms of guard play, shooting ability and length and athleticism defensively.
“It helps you build your roster out depending on what the future looks like in terms of retention,” McNamara said. “So, if I have player X, it might impact how I go out and recruit the next guy, because you’re trying to piece together the puzzle and do it the right way.
The head coach said he anticipates a mix of freshmen and transfer portal additions joining the Orange’s roster. SU doesn’t have any freshmen commits, but Adam Zagoria reported Wednesday that four-star Siena commit Ryan Moesch will likely follow McNamara to Syracuse.
Meanwhile, Gavin Doty, the Saints’ leading scorer from last season, announced his intention to enter the portal on Wednesday.
"I wouldn't want to play for anybody else."
As the focus shifts to potential roster fallout, for both the Saints and the Orange, following Gerry McNamara taking the Syracuse job, here's what sophomore sensation Gavin Doty (@DotyGavin) had to say about G-Mac after the season. pic.twitter.com/fuBavMMvfC
— Griffin Haas (@Griffin__Haas) March 24, 2026
Coaching staff, GM
McNamara said Syracuse is “almost there” in building its coaching staff behind the scenes before adding, “You’ll see it in the next few days, being rolled out.”
“We’ll add some new pieces and new faces, and get some really top-level coaches and recruiters in here, and there’ll be some familiarity as well,” he said.
Former SU players Ryan Blackwell and Arinze Onuaku were on McNamara’s coaching staff at Siena. Meanwhile, former Syracuse manager, graduate assistant and video coordinator Ryan Beaury was the Saints’ director of basketball operations.
After Adrian Autry was fired, the Orange wiped out their entire coaching staff and general manager Alex Kline. Pete Corasanti and Rob Harris are still listed on SU’s website as staff members, but that’s, at least for now, to help the new staff with the transition.
In terms of a new general manager, McNamara said the role will “absolutely be filled.”
“We’re in a state of college basketball where it’s pretty non-negotiable at the level we’re coaching at, and that guy has to have incredible relationships with a lot of different people,” he said of the GM position.
“I’m a believer in that position needs to have relationships at the grassroots level as well, not just agents and that sort. But I like guys that have had experience, either in recruiting or covering recruiting, knowing a lot of these kids, a lot of the availability of them, their people, their families, all that stuff, plays a factor in the job that they’re able to do.”
Reflecting on Adrian Autry
After he was hired, McNamara said he talked briefly with Autry and exchanged a few text messages. From 2011-23, the pair worked together as assistant coaches on Jim Boeheim’s coaching staff.
Autry was then elevated to head coach following Boeheim’s retirement in 2023, while McNamara assumed Autry’s former title of associate head coach. McNamara spent one year in the position before becoming Siena’s head coach. In 2024, McNamara told The Daily Orange that he and Autry lived a few houses apart.
“I talk to Red all the time. I love Red,” McNamara said. “It’s just unfortunate that it kind of didn’t pan out in terms of the way that he envisioned. I don’t want to get too far into that, to be quite honest, I think that my relationship with him is always going to be based on love and respect.”
