Gerry McNamara didn’t hide how much this moment means to him. Syracuse’s first-year head coach is finally about to take the sideline for a game at his alma mater, and the countdown ends next week when the Orange open exhibition play against Connecticut.
Syracuse has been practicing since September 21, and its first test comes Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m. ET at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Conn. The game will be available on UCONN Sports+.
McNamara, along with players Aiden Tobiason and Gavin Doty, spent Wednesday in Charlotte at ACC Tipoff after arriving Tuesday evening. The group met with media members, made the rounds on radio row, took part in a little video-game downtime and handled both the main press conference and individual interviews.
One of the biggest developments around the program this week involved the status of Monroe, whose return now appears set after Tuesday’s ruling from an Onondaga County State Supreme Court justice. The decision granted the Quinnipiac transfer grad student a preliminary injunction against the NCAA, opening the door for a fifth year of eligibility to players from the Class of 2022.
McNamara made clear Tuesday that he was thrilled with the ruling, and he doubled down Wednesday on how much Monroe changes the roster. The 6-foot-7, 230-pound power forward arrives with serious credentials, including MAAC Player of the Year honors.
"He helps in a lot of ways," McNamara said Wednesday about Monroe. "He is one of the best defenders over the last few years that I have been around. He's fast, he can rebound, is a two-time player of the year, all-defensive player."
"Now he can kind of fit in with us, he doesn't have to carry the team, " McNamara added. "Right away, he makes us physically imposing, and he really rebounds the basketball on the defensive side."
Doty, meanwhile, is one of the few people in the program who can speak to McNamara from both sides - as a coach and as a former Syracuse player. Growing up in Fulton, he was too young to really remember McNamara’s playing days from 2002-2006, but he knows his work on Jim Boeheim’s staff and remembers being recruited by McNamara to Siena out of Fulton High School.
Doty had plenty of options after deciding to leave the Saints, but he said following McNamara back to Syracuse was an easy call. His message to Orange fans is simple: the program is going to benefit from the move.
"If you show up with respect and maturity as he always preaches and work hard at practice, the coaches are going to coach you," Doty said. "My two years at Siena, I didn't see a player not get better, so it goes to show with the growth and what the coaches can really do for you."
McNamara also spent Wednesday fielding the same big-picture question from multiple reporters: what’s the plan to turn Syracuse around quickly?
He’s been thinking about that since his March interview for the job, and he said the topic has stayed with him through the summer and into preseason practice. There’s no magic formula, he said, but there are ways to get it moving in the right direction.
"A lot of factors go into how to turn it around fast," McNamara preached Wednesday asked about the long NCAA drought. "You can get it right a lot of ways.
Someone coming with you that is a little better and suddenly the pieces jell together. We're never going to have the most money, but we are always going to be a product, with such incredible history, that will always be worth watching."
"I don't have a timeline," GMac added, "but my demand is to win right away."
In Other News...
Syracuse Heads To Virginia With More Than One Problem To Solve
Syracuse heads into its Atlantic Coast Conference matchup at Virginia still carrying the boost of a recent overtime win against UConn, but the bigger picture has not changed much for a team trying to stop a nine-game conference losing streak. The Orange have been looking for a steadier answer in league play, and this trip offers another chance to show the UConn result was more than a brief lift.
Virginia enters with its own issues after recent losses and some defensive struggles, which gives Syracuse an opening if it can handle the details that have undone it in conference play. Both sides have enough uncertainty around them to make this a revealing game, especially for an Orange team that needs more than a single win to change the tone of its season. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuse Defense Suddenly Has A Big Concern Before Virginia
Syracuse is heading into its matchup with Virginia with a few important names hanging in the balance, and the concern starts on defense. Linebacker Antoine Deslauriers was listed as questionable on the ACC injury report, joining Ahmad Miller and Nazir Ward as uncertain for Saturdays game. For a defense trying to stay steady in conference play, that is not the kind of pregame update anyone wanted.
The Orange also had a special teams wrinkle to monitor, with kicker Tripp Woody marked doubtful and wide receiver Darien Williams ruled out. Virginia had its own injury note, with starting cornerback Omillio Agard listed as questionable, so both sides are waiting on final availability as kickoff approaches. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuse Must Build Around Amarri Monroe With His Status Still Unsettled
Amarri Monroes Syracuse future is on hold in the broader legal sense, but the Orange are preparing as if he is part of the rotation right now. The guard remains eligible to play because of a court injunction while he challenges the NCAAs 5-in-5 rule in a lawsuit, and Gerry McNamara has made clear the plan is to use him like any other key piece as the season unfolds.
The problem, of course, is that Monroes standing could shift again with the NCAA expected to appeal and no trial date on the calendar. That leaves Syracuse in a familiar sort of limbo, building around a player it wants on the floor while knowing his availability may still change at some point during the year. [Read more 🡒]