Inside the old Bishop Hannan gym, friends of Gerry McNamara think back and look forward to what’s next in his basketball journey.
SCRANTON, Pa. — A look at the former Bishop Hannan basketball court brings back memories of championship seasons, long practices, and a name synonymous with Scranton basketball culture, Gerry McNamara.
“My position was point guard, so yeah, as I tell everybody, I was the only point guard ever to start over him,” said former teammate of McNamara, Brian Coyle.
A senior point guard when ‘GMac’ was just a freshman at Bishop Hannan. Today, Coyle and former assistant head coach Al Munley get to see McNamara excel on the court again.
Reports say the Scranton native is slated to take the top spot as head coach of the Syracuse men’s basketball team.
“Well, we’re definitely excited for him,” said Coyle. “Gerry has put in a lot of hard work over the years, putting himself in this position to become Syracuse’s head coach.”
“Gerry is about commitment and passion, and those things have carried him from his eighth-grade days over at Holy Rosary to this gym at Bishop Hannan. The next chapter of his life was as a player at Syracuse, which made him an absolute superstar. He brings that level of commitment and passion to his coaching career,” said Munley.
GMac’s success started at Bishop Hannan when the Lancers won a state championship in 2002.
At Syracuse, he became a national champion on the 2003 team. Years later, he served as an associate head coach for the Orange before taking the reins at Siena.
In two years, he led a once-floundering team to the Big Dance, where they lost a close game to the number one seed, Duke Blue Devils, last week.
“Yeah, so if you listen to Gerry talk in his press conferences, especially after the success he’s had with Siena, he tells it how it is. He’s very genuine; he’s a high-character person,” said Coyle.
Both men say GMac’s journey is well-earned and that, hopefully, a career back at Syracuse will be fruitful.
“I think they’re hiring the right guy, and I think some of the Syracuse people are going to be very happy that he’s back,” said Coyle.
So, as the lights go dark on the court where it started brighter lights of the Atlantic Coast Conference may be shining the way for the future of GMac.