New head coach Gerry McNamara has added another former Orange player to his first staff.
Gerry McNamara's new coaching staff at Syracuse continues to grow after the Wednesday announcement of Ryan Blackwell's hiring. He will be the program's "Director of Engagement."
Reminder: The entire previous coaching staff was fired when Adrian Autry was let go following the team's elimination from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Tournament. Syracuse went 15-17 and has missed the NCAA Tournament for the last five years.
McNamara was hired after leading Siena to the NCAA Tournament this past season. The Saints won the MAAC Tournament title. A former Syracuse player, Blackwell worked with him at Siena.
Who is Ryan Blackwell?
A member of McNamara's staff at Siena, Blackwell has connections to both the high school and college levels in Central New York. Before being hired by McNamara at Siena, Blackwell had served as the Liverpool High School (Syracuse, N.Y.) coach for nine seasons. During his tenure, Blackwell helped lead Liverpool to five Section III titles and a New York State championship. Blackwell was named the 2018 New York State Basketball Coach of the Year by the USA Today.
As a player, Blackwell spent four seasons with Syracuse from 1996-2000. Blackwell started his collegiate career as a freshman at Illinois. Due to NCAA rules at that time, Blackwell could not play the following season. After a season away from action, Blackwell became an instant standout player under Hall of Fame coach Jim Boeheim.
In his three seasons for Syracuse, Blackwell started all 100 games and scored over 1,000 points. The 6'7' Blackwell was named third team All-BIG EAST Conference as a senior. Each season with Blackwell contributing, the Orange qualified for the NCAA tournament.
After graduating from Syracuse, Blackwell spent a decade playing professionally overseas.
What is a Director of Engagement?
Blackwell's position for Syracuse University is listed as "Director of Engagement".
According to the Syracuse Athletics post on Blackwell's hiring, the 'Director of Engagement' is:
"The program's primary connector to its extended network of alumni and former student-athletes. He is charged with developing, assisting and supporting a comprehensive alumni and donor engagement strategy in coordination with the athletics development staff that aligns with department priorities.
He will lead in the planning and execution of engagement events, including mentorship and networking opportunities, alumni weekends, on-campus and student-athlete activations. Blackwell will ensure all engagement activities align with institutional, ACC and NCAA guidelines while reinforcing the program's brand and values."
Blackwell's hiring marks the third coach who follows McNamara from Siena. Ben Lee and Arinze Onuaku were previously announced as members of the Orange coaching staff. Other staff members hiring include Jamal Brunt and Ryan Daly.
Other Orange basketball news
As our Brady Farkas covered earlier this week, the Orange have landed another player via the transfer portal. Center Abdramane Siby has committed to Syracuse. The seven-foot big man will bring an aggressive style of play along with much needed height to the roster next season.
Join the Conversation
Remember to join our SYRACUSE on ROUNDTABLE community, which is FREE! You can post your own thoughts, in text or video form, and you can engage with our Roundtable staff, as well as other Orange fans. If prompted to download the Roundtable APP, that's free too!