Syracuse fans want replacement basketball coach for Adrian Autry, but are torn on Orange legend originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Syracuse Orange men’s basketball program is a long way from its glory days.
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SU just had a bad loss on Saturday to Boston College, then couldn’t bounce back at home on Wednesday night against Virginia Tech.
Barring a change in direction, it seems Syracuse will miss the NCAA Tournament yet again, and it has fans calling for a change from head coach Adrian Autry.
And there are really two groups of fans here: Those who want Gerry McNamara, and those who want nothing to do with the Orange legend.
G-Mac is currently coaching at Siena, his first head coaching gig after being a long-time assistant at Syracuse.
You have lists like these, topped by Gerry:
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And then you have stats like these which push back against the idea of McNamara:
It’ll be a tough situation either way. Syracuse isn’t one of the best high-major jobs at this point.
But it’s still a proud program with a strong history that should be able to compete for March Madness spots on an annual basis, at least.
The real McNamara argument may come down more to whether SU wants to stay with someone who has been with the Orange for a long time, or wants to get away from the Jim Boeheim tree.
Boeheim led the program for so long that it was always going to be tough to transition away. SU went to Autry, a former player and long-time assistant, and that’s what a potential move to G-Mac would be, too, albeit with a small detour for the sharpshooter.
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There’s certainly a case to be made that it’s time for Syracuse to look outside the Dome for its next leader.
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