According to multiple reports, Syracuse University was turned down by current South Florida men's basketball coach Bryan Hodgson for its vacant head coaching position on Tuesday night.

Hodgson is reportedly in the mix for the Providence job, but he'll put the coaching decisions on hold at least until his USF Bulls play in the NCAA Tournament on Thursday against Louisville. 

SU fired Adrian Autry last week after three seasons and will now need to turn elsewhere as a result of Hodgson's denial.

As of this moment, there are four additional known candidates for the job: Former players and assistant coaches Mike Hopkins and Gerry McNamara, current Merrimack head coach Joe Gallo and UConn assistant Luke Murray. Of course, others could get in the mix, and Dick Vitale weighed in with an outside-the-box suggestion.

So where should the Orange go now? In my estimation, it should be McNamara's job to lose.

Here's why:

At this point, McNamara hits every bullet point you could want.

1) At 42 years old, he's young enough to relate to current college basketball players, which is vital in recruiting and retention.

2) Having been a player, and a good one, is not a pre-requisite for coaching success, but it certainly can help.

McNamara has done everything that every player he recruits could want to accomplish, which goes back to relatability. He's been an All-Conference selection, a national champion and has had a professional career, all valuable experiences that he can sell to players to help them reach their goals.

3) He's been a head coach before, meaning he understands all that goes into the position in this day and age, especially with NIL and the transfer portal.

4) He's won with less before. All we're hearing through this search is how Syracuse doesn't have the NIL money of even Providence. If that's true, having someone who knows how to stretch a budget matters. He's won at Siena, and if you can do it there, you'd like to think you can do it at Syracuse.

5) He has a relationship with the alumni. Alumni relations often go unthought of when hiring a coach, but they can pay big dividends. He played with Carmelo Anthony and Hakim Warrick, two of the best players in program history, and he spent 15 years as an assistant in the program, meaning he can connect to multiple decades-worth of players. He also has a relationship with former head coach Jim Boeheim, which can help bridge generational gaps.

The only thing working against him is that he's not new and fresh. Some people want the program to get away from hires that have Syracuse ties, and while I understand that, don't let that fear take away from your ability to hire the best possible candidate.

And right now? That's what McNamara is.

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