SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) 鈥� He became a legend as a player at Syracuse, helping the Orange to the program鈥檚 only national championship as a freshman in 2003.
Now, his alma mater is banking on him becoming a legend on the sidelines.
Syracuse University officials Monday formally introduced former star guard Gerry McNamara as the program鈥檚 ninth head basketball coach at an event befitting the return of a conquering hero.
A standing-room only crowd of more than 2,000 blue-and-orange clad fans and supporters, some wearing No. 3 McNamara jerseys and many sporting 鈥淚n Our McNamEra鈥� T-shirts handed out to attendees, packed the pep-style rally in a hospitality space at the JMA Wireless Dome set up for 500 people.
All of them were on hand to welcome back McNamara, nicknamed 鈥淕-Mac,鈥� who鈥檚 returning to where he and Carmelo Anthony led the Orange to the title. They鈥檙e counting on him to revitalize the once-proud program that has fallen on hard times. Videos featured coach Jim Boeheim, Anthony, alums Mike Tirico and Ian and Noah Eagle, and former players Tyus Battle and Michel Carter-Williams who all hailed the choice.
The size of the crowd impressed the new head coach, whose retired jersey hangs from the Dome鈥檚 rafters.
鈥淭his kind of like looks like a Georgetown game where people couldn鈥檛 see,鈥� McNamara joked, nostalgically recalling the Big East rivalry that routinely filled the Dome with crowds of 30,000-plus.
鈥淭he reality is we have work to do, we really do,鈥� he said.
鈥淎nybody that knows me, knows why I鈥檓 here,鈥� he said in closing, to cheers. 鈥淚鈥檓 here to win. That鈥檚 who I am, and it鈥檚 who I will always be.
鈥淟et get this thing going.鈥�
The Orange has failed to make the NCAA Tournament five consecutive years, the school鈥檚 longest stretch since 1967-72, two under Boeheim and the last three under coach Adrian Autry, who was fired after three seasons. Syracuse has had a losing record two consecutive years.
Many are looking to him as the program鈥檚 savior, a pressure not at all daunting to the gritty McNamara.
鈥淭here鈥檚 no more pressure than what I put on myself,鈥� he said at a news conference following the pep rally. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 magnified here, but you wouldn鈥檛 believe the pressure I felt last year when we lost three in a row at Siena鈥 understand that we need to get back (at Syracuse) but I already put a lot of pressure on myself.
鈥淚 want to be immediately relevant,鈥� he later added.
He said he鈥檚 been assured he鈥檒l have the financial resources to succeed, acknowledged it was a 鈥渂lessing鈥� to be back at the place where he achieved legendary status and where he raised his family of four, but said he never envisioned himself returning as head coach.
鈥淲hen I left here, I was hoping I never came back here because it would mean Adrian (Autry) had success. I was hoping that like, all right, man, get this thing going. Be here 30 years.鈥�
McNamara, who served as an assistant coach under Boeheim for 14 years and one under Autry, turned around the Siena University program in his two years there. In his first season, the Saints won 14 games after just four the previous year. This year, the 42-year-old native of Scranton, Pennsylvania, led Siena to 23 wins, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference title and the school鈥檚 first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2010. His 16th-seeded Saints then nearly knocked off No. 1-seeded Duke in the opening round, a game in which Blue Devils coach Jon Scheyer acknowledged McNamara had 鈥渙utcoached鈥� him.
In McNamara, the Orange hire a coach who has name recognition and connections to a program鈥檚 proud past in which Syracuse was an established basketball power over Boeheim鈥檚 47-year tenure that featured 35 tournament berths and five Final Four appearances.
His No. 3 jersey was retired in 2023. A then-record setting Carrier Dome crowd of 33,633 people, including more than 3,000 fans from Scranton, attended McNamara鈥檚 final regular-season game as a player.
Busloads of fans would regularly make the trip from Scranton to Syracuse to see McNamara play for the Orange.
Now they can come to watch their native son coach on the sidelines.
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