The Syracuse University men's basketball team hasn't been to the NCAA Tournament since 2020-21 and is coming off back-to-back losing seasons.

So why should Orange fans have optimism under new head coach Gerry McNamara in 2026-27?

Because of recent history - and a changing college landscape. As noted by Matt Norlander of CBS Sports, there were 57 coaching changes before the start of 2025-26, and...

Among that group of 57, there were 13 teams (23%) that reached the NCAA Tournament with their new guy. The 13 first-time coaches in the tournament set a record, breaking the previous mark of 11 in 1987 and 2008.

Clearly, it's easier for a first-time coach to make an impact than ever before, but why?

We used to think that head coaches needed at least four years to try to turn a program around. Why?

Two reasons:

1) Transfers were not immediate things. You used to have to sit out a year when you transferred, which meant that transfer players could not impact a program right away. They had to sit for a year, and then they often had to get a rhythm back on the floor. It could take a transfer player a full season of playing to get full ability and comfort in a new program, meaning that transfers could need two years since the day they committed to become impact players. It took time.

2) You had to recruit a higher percentage of high school players. Almost your entire roster used to be made up of players that you recruited and cultivated. When a coach got hired previously, he had to play with the leftovers from the previous regime, and then he needed time to recruit new players and have them grow in a program. That meant that a coach usually needed one full recruiting cycle to see his original class matriculate into seniors before we knew if the new coach was going to be a success or not, and for the team to drastically improve.

Transfers are immediate. Players are eligible from day one. The portal, and NIL, has players willing to go to schools with immediate playing time or immediate financial opportunity. If you can find the right players, you can contend right away, which is something that McNamara is working on right now.

Our own Tom Goslowski took a look at where Syracuse's roster stands at this moment. It features a high volume of transfers and international recruits, and only one traditional high school recruit for next season.

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