On Sunday afternoon, it was confirmed that Syracuse University is nearing a deal with former standout Gerry McNamara to become the next head coach of the program.

McNamara, who helped lead Syracuse to the 2003 national title as a player, spent 15 years on staff at SU before spending the last two at Siena University in Albany. He turned the Saints from a 4-28 program to an NCAA Tournament team in two years, winning the MAAC title this season and earning a No. 16 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Siena nearly beat No. 1 Duke in the Round of 64 on Thursday, holding a 13-point lead in the second half.

Syracuse has missed the NCAA Tournament for five straight years. The program fired Adrian Autry after he led the way for three of those seasons.

In winning at Siena, McNamara has shown the ability to win at a school with fewer resources than its big-conference counterparts. However, at SU, maybe he won't need to worry about that.

Per Pete Thamel of ESPN:

Syracuse officials stressed during the process a commitment to NIL that projects in the top third of the ACC, sources said.

That's certainly big news, considering Syracuse has drawn the ire of former head coach Jim Boeheim for its NIL commitments. Furthermore, Jeff Goodman of Field of 68 recently said that Providence had more NIL money than Syracuse, a shock to some basketball fans across the state.

The biggest question for McNamara in the immediacy of his hiring is what happens to the current SU players? Will Donnie Freeman bolt for the NBA or look to transfer? How about talented freshmen like Kiyan Anthony and Sadiq White Jr.? Will they look to transfer or can McNamara provide them with the development opportunities and playing time they didn't necessarily get consistently this season?

What's the NIL situation to keep those guys if they want to consider leaving? Is Syracuse in a position to give them more money to stay?

The answer to these questions will dictate how aggressive McNamara has to be in the portal himself. Syracuse currently has no high school recruits signed for next season.

How does his relationship with Carmelo Anthony play into things? The two played together on that 2003 title team. Does McNamara call Anthony and want him more involved in the program? Does he want Anthony to keep a distance as to not show favoritism toward a former teammate? Will Kiyan Anthony's presence complicate things for the two of them?

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!