Gerry McNamara Still Haunted by 2005 NCAA Loss to Vermont: “It’s the One That Sticks”
Gerry McNamara has moved on in title-he’s now the head coach at Siena, leading a surging squad off to a strong 9-2 start-but part of him is still stuck in Worcester, Massachusetts, on a cold March night in 2005. That was the site of one of the most stunning upsets in Syracuse basketball history, and for McNamara, it’s a game that still lingers.
Now nearly two decades removed from that first-round NCAA Tournament loss to 13-seed Vermont, McNamara still remembers it with crystal clarity. Ahead of Siena’s matchup with Vermont this week, the former Orange star was asked about that infamous game-and he didn’t shy away from how much it still stings.
“It’s the one game of my entire college career that probably haunts me the most,” McNamara said. “We had a really good team. I thought we were Final Four good.”
And he wasn’t wrong. That 2004-05 Syracuse squad had just come off a Big East Tournament championship run.
They were battle-tested, experienced, and anchored by McNamara, then a junior, and senior forward Hakim Warrick. The Orange entered the tournament as a No. 4 seed, with high expectations and a roster that had been through the wars.
But Vermont had other plans.
The Shot That Echoes
The Catamounts didn’t just win-they delivered a moment that’s since become part of March Madness lore. With the game tied late in overtime, Vermont guard TJ Sorrentine pulled up from well beyond the arc and drilled a deep three.
It wasn’t just a long shot-it was the shot. Gus Johnson’s call still echoes: *“Sorrentine!
Hit that one from the parking lot!” *
That bucket sealed Vermont’s 60-57 win and sent Syracuse home far earlier than expected.
For McNamara, the loss wasn’t just about the scoreboard. It was about the end of an era.
“We had just come off winning the Big East Tournament and just laid an egg-and they played really well,” he said. “But the hardest part was knowing I’d never play with guys like Hakim Warrick, Craig Forth, and Josh Pace again.”
All three were seniors. For McNamara, who had already won a national title alongside Carmelo Anthony as a freshman in 2003, that loss marked a different kind of finality. It was the last dance with teammates he’d grown up with in the program.
A Tough Night All Around
McNamara didn’t have his best game that night, shooting just 4-for-18 from the field for 11 points. Warrick led the Orange with 21, but no other Syracuse player reached double figures. It was a grind of a game, and Vermont simply made more plays down the stretch.
That performance, more than the shot or the upset, is what seems to gnaw at McNamara. He knew what that team was capable of. And he knew what it meant to come up short.
Now Wearing the Headset
Fast forward to today, and McNamara is carving out his own path on the sidelines. Siena’s 9-2 start is turning heads, and it’s not going unnoticed back in Central New York.
Syracuse fans, still adjusting to life post-Jim Boeheim, are watching closely. Current head coach Adrian Autry has had a rocky start to the season, with the Orange sitting at 6-4 following a tough loss to Hofstra at home.
McNamara, of course, spent years as an assistant at Syracuse before taking the Siena job. And the better Siena plays, the louder the calls grow from fans who wonder if McNamara might one day return to lead the program he once starred for.
For now, though, he’s focused on the task at hand: keeping Siena rolling and preparing for a familiar opponent in Vermont. The Catamounts may not carry the same weight for his players as they do for him-but for McNamara, that name will always hit a little different.
What’s Next
Siena faces Vermont on Wednesday night in a matchup that carries extra meaning for McNamara, even if it's not circled on anyone else's calendar. Meanwhile, Syracuse will take on Mercyhurst at the JMA Wireless Dome, looking to bounce back from their latest setback.
The past may be behind McNamara, but some games never really leave you.