“I love this place. I love what Syracuse means: to the fans, to the players who have worn this jersey, to the people of Central New York. This program has given me everything, and I am ready to give everything back to it,” says McNamara. “College basketball has changed. How you build a program, recruit talent, compete for resources and win looks different than it did even five years ago. I know that. I’m ready for it. What hasn’t changed is what Orange Nation expects, and what this place deserves. We are going to build something special here.”
McNamara, 42, played four years for the Orange, helping them to the NCAA tournament four times, including a national title in 2003 and a Sweet 16 berth the following season.
Before taking the head-coaching job at Siena, McNamara had spent the entirety of his college coaching career at Syracuse. He returned to the program in 2009 as a graduate manager, and was an assistant before becoming the team’s associate head coach for the 2023-24 season.
This story will be updated.