NFL
By: Rick O’Donnell
Gerry Mac is back! Yes, ‘Cuse fans, one of the players you enjoyed watching growing up has made his way back to the Orange. As of Sunday, the Syracuse Orange have hired Gerry McNamara as the new head coach for the upcoming season. Fresh off his March Madness tournament invite and eventual loss to the Duke Blue Devils, the Orange moved quickly to bring their former shooter back in-house. It won’t be an easy road for Gerry, and he’ll have some big shoes to fill. The real question is, was it the right move or just a nostalgia-based decision?
What’s His Vision?
When it comes to the Orange over the past few seasons, it seemed at times they were a rudderless ship. That’s going to be the biggest uphill battle as McNamara takes over. Where does he see the program going? How fast can he get them back on course? If this is a true teardown-and-rebuild, how will he get new recruits in the door?
After all, he is a legend of the program, helping win its only National Championship, but that was 22 years ago. They’re six years removed from their most recent NCAA tournament. They’re not in the Big East anymore. Syracuse moved to the ACC to be taken more seriously on the national stage, and ever since then, they’ve struggled to remain relevant. What’s the plan to return them to former glory?
Defense Wins Championships
One of the biggest questions is what McNamara retained from his time as a player and as a coach that will help him on this big stage. Will he revert back to the staple of his time at Syracuse and go back to a 2-3 zone? If there’s anyone who knows how much getting back on defense means to a championship-caliber team, it’s Gerry McNamara. It was Hakeem Warrick’s block with 3 seconds to go that would secure the program’s national title. Free throws and defense were two of the weakest spots for the Orange this past season. Can Gerry get that magic back in the air at the JMA Wireless Dome?
Big Shoes To Fill
There are many questions about the decision to hire McNamara. He’s still young and has plenty of room to grow. The problem with that is clear. Gerry has the unfortunate honor of joining the program while it is struggling. Not only did he bring prestige while he played, but Syracuse isn’t too far from the Jim Boeheim era either. We’re not too far away from one of the greatest college coaches of all time. Jim was a legend at SU and more than likely is a phone call away if McNamara ever needs advice.
Whatever the case may be, he’s still going to have to rise to the occasion. He’s still going to have to make his mark not just on the program but on the rest of the ACC as well. There will be huge expectations he’ll have to carry with him his entire career at SU. Even if the Syracuse Orange can make strides, the expectations are not just to get back to a tournament, but also to make a deep run.
No matter how the program looks, Gerry McNamara will have huge expectations with the Syracuse Orange from day 1. Will he prove to be the coach that fans want him to be?
