A few days since the initial report of his hire circulated, McMamara's deal is finalized.
On Tuesday morning, the deal became official, as noted by Pete Thamel of ESPN. A formal announcement is expected later on in the day.
He will become the third head coach for the program in the last 50 years, joining Jim Boeheim and Adrian Autry. Autry was fired at the conclusion of this season's 15-17 performance. He failed to make the NCAA Tournament in any of his three seasons.
McNamara led Siena for the last two campaigns, most recently taking them to the NCAA Tournament as a No. 16 seed, nearly knocking off No. 1 Duke last week.
What is McNamara inheriting?
From a general program perspective, McNamara is taking over a program that has fallen from the rank of 'national power.' Syracuse has now missed the NCAA Tournament for five consecutive years and hasn't been to a Final Four in a decade (2015-16).
From a more immediate perspective: McNamara's job is to navigate the transfer portal and find a replacement for graduating guard JJ Starling and big man William Kyle III.
Then, he needs to figure out which of the current players he wants to -- and can retain. Naithan George will be a senior while Nate Kingz is battling for another year of eligibility. Sadiq White Jr. and Kiyan Anthony are both going to be sophomores who may need to be convinced to stay and Donnie Freeman could stay, transfer or head to the NBA Draft.
And that all leads into the NIL discussion. After reportedly being near the bottom of the ACC in NIL contributions, Syracuse has promised to significantly up its game in that regard.
First steps for McNamara?
After conversing with campus leadership? It's likely figuring out the answer to the above question. Which parts of his current roster does he want back, and who wants to come back? How does the NIL fit into those players, and then how much is left over to go and find impact players in the portal?
Siena Saints head coach Gerry McNamara talks with guard Justice Shoats (0) in the first half during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Bob Donnan-Imagn ImagesAlso in the news
The Syracuse women's basketball team ended its season at 24-9 on Monday night, getting blasted by No. 1 Connecticut in the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament. Head coach Felisha Legette-Jack had some pointed comments after the game, and we'll have a much longer piece on all of them coming up later today at Syracuse Roundtable.
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