Wednesday has been a chaotic day for Syracuse University Athletics, to say the least.

First off, the Orange fired head men's basketball coach Adrian Autry after three seasons and a 49-48 record. Then word came out that SU has also fired its entire staff and its GM, Alex Kline.

Then, we heard that the Orange already have already identified six candidates for the job, despite not having a new athletic director in place to make the hire.

One of those candidates is former Syracuse guard Gerry McNamara, who just led Siena University to the NCAA Tournament by winning the MAAC title on Tuesday night. He's spent two years at the helm of the Saints after previously spending 15 years on staff with the Orange. 

He played four years at Syracuse as well, helping SU win its lone national title in 2003. He had his number retired in 2023.

However, if the Orange want him, they are going to have competition.

Per Steve Infanti of Cuse Sports Talk on social media:

Jim Boeheim just said on our “Orange Nation” radio show that Gerry McNamara has been contacted by BC and Georgia Tech about their head coaching openings since winning the MAAC title last night.

And McNamara's list of suitors will only grow over the next two weeks or so, especially if Siena is able to pull out an upset win in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. 

First off, as a Syracuse graduate, he has a passion for the university. He also has an understanding of the area, the expectations, the university and he would get along well with the alumni base.

Furthermore, as someone who coached for 15 years on both Boeheim's and Autry's staffs, he knows what it's like to recruit to Syracuse. 

Thirdly, as an excellent player himself - and as someone who is younger - he can relate to today's modern player, and he can do it in an NIL world, having had success navigating both NIL and the transfer portal.

Some people might be turned off by the fact that he's "only" been a head coach for two years, while others might be turned off by the fact that he's connected to Boeheim.

Some fans want a clean break and want to hire someone "outside the family." Autry was an "in the family" hire that backfired, and some fans want someone totally new with fresh ideas/perspectives.

Also, it has to be tough for the athletic department to fire Autry, who was a former player and a longtime coach. Do they want to take that risk with McNamara, who is beloved in the campus community?

McNamara is absolutely going to have offers from big-time programs. If Syracuse doesn't hire him now, they may never get another chance. Just food for thought.

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