Gerry McNamara isn’t walking into Syracuse with a nostalgia act in mind. He’s coming home with a job to do, and the job is plain enough: get the Orange back where they used to live, in the middle of the national conversation.
That’s the standard McNamara knows best. The former Syracuse star, now set to begin his first season as the program’s head coach after reshaping Siena over the last two years, said this week at ACC Tipoff in Charlotte, N.C., that he wants Syracuse basketball to matter again on the biggest stage.
"I'm going to try to bring this program back into national relevance," McNamara said this week at the annual ACC Tipoff event in Charlotte, N.C. "I believe that can be done because I have been part of it. So that's the goal - to be back on that national stage."
For Syracuse fans, that’s the kind of statement that lands hard because it comes from someone who’s lived the high end of this program. McNamara helped deliver Syracuse basketball’s first and only national title in 2003, and he did it as a freshman alongside Carmelo Anthony. Now Anthony’s son, Kiyan, is a sophomore guard/wing for SU in the upcoming 2026-27 season.
The challenge in front of McNamara is a real one. Syracuse has not been to the NCAA Tournament since 2021, and the program has dropped into back-to-back losing seasons. The Orange were once a model of stability under Hall of Fame coach Jim Boeheim, who posted just one losing season in 47 years while stacking up a national championship, multiple Final Four runs and a long line of March appearances.
But the old routine has been gone for a while. Syracuse also hasn’t been a major force in the Atlantic Coast Conference outside of its first ACC season after the move from the Big East in 2013-14. McNamara takes over with the assignment of restoring a proud program in a college basketball world that keeps shifting under everyone’s feet, from eligibility litigation to rev-share, third-party NIL deals and conference realignment.
The roster he inherits is built differently, too. Syracuse’s 2026-27 group has athleticism, depth and length, but it’s also been heavily rebuilt from the team Adrian Autry coached a year ago. McNamara brought three players with him from Siena, and he’s made it clear what kind of team he wants: one that plays hard, plays physical and empties the tank every night.
"There is a demand given how hard winning is, and there is a price that has to be paid. If you're not willing to pay it, you're not going to get the result that you're looking for," McNamara says.
That same standard carries into recruiting, where McNamara is looking for more than talent alone. He wants players who actually want the grind.
"You have to make sure you are recruiting guys that love basketball and want to be competitive," McNamara says. "Those are the guys we are after."
In Other News...
Syracuse Faces A New Quarterback Test Fran Brown Couldn't Avoid
Fran Brown had little choice but to reshuffle the quarterback picture this week, with Syracuse set to turn to Malachi Nelson against Virginia after injuries knocked Amari Odom and Steve Angeli out of the mix. Odom is listed as doubtful with a shoulder injury, while Angeli is already out, leaving the Orange to pivot to a passer with plenty of pedigree but still a lot to prove in this setting.
Nelson arrives with the kind of rsum that keeps coaches intrigued, a former top recruit who has already moved through multiple schools before landing at Syracuse. Now the Orange need him to stabilize a position that has suddenly become fragile, and the timing makes this more than just another lineup change. For Brown, it is a quarterback decision he could not dodge, and for Nelson it is another chance to show he can handle a stage that has been waiting for him. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuse Faces A Sudden QB Twist Ahead Of Virginia
Syracuses quarterback picture took a sudden turn heading into Virginia, with Amari Odom downgraded to doubtful and Steve Angeli ruled out. That leaves Malachi Nelson expected to take the first snaps for the Orange, a significant shift at a position that had already been under the spotlight as the team prepared for a key ACC matchup.
The changes do not stop there. Running back Shavane Anderson Jr. has been ruled out, while linebacker Antoine Deslauriers and defensive back Nazir Ward are both listed as questionable, adding more uncertainty on both sides of the ball. For a Syracuse team trying to steady itself before kickoff, the injury report has turned into a major part of the story. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuse Heads Into Virginia With A New Question At Quarterback
A week that already carried plenty of uncertainty around Syracuses offense now seems set to put Malachi Nelson back in the spotlight. With Amari Odom listed as doubtful and Steve Angeli ruled out on the latest injury report, the Orange are expected to turn to Nelson at quarterback when they visit Virginia, giving the former top high school recruit another chance to steer the attack.
It will be Nelsons seventh collegiate start, a reminder of how much experience he has picked up even as the search for stability continues at the position. Syracuse has been navigating injuries at quarterback all week, and the trip to Virginia now brings a fresh layer of pressure, with the Orange needing Nelson to settle in quickly and give the offense a workable rhythm. [Read more 🡒]