Three Syracuse men's basketball coaching candidates

Adrian Autry's tenure is nearing its end. Syracuse is headed for a fifth straight season without an NCAA tournament appearance. The Orange nearly missed the ACC tournament this season as well. It was an abysmal season for a team that had hopes of finally turning the program around with the most talented roster it had assembled in several years.

Who will replace Autry will be the first true coaching search for the program in over 50 years. The list of potential candidates is going to be long. Too long to put in one piece, so let's start with some coaches that will unquestionably be linked to the opening.

Gerry McNamara, Siena head coach

Let’s start with a very familiar name in Central New York. McNamara was a freshman on the national championship-winning Syracuse squad. At the end of his four years with the program, he was one of the best players to don orange and white. His jersey hangs in the rafters of the Dome. He returned to Syracuse in 2009 to become a graduate assistant and served on Jim Boeheim’s staff until he retired in 2023. He was Autry’s associate head coach in 2023-24 before leaving to become the head coach at Siena.

While there are plenty of fans and alumni who feel that bringing in another former player and assistant would lead to more of the same. The difference here is that McNamara has head coaching experience, even if it is limited. Siena finished 4-28 the year before he took over. Heading into the conference tournament, McNamara has compiled a 34-29 record, leading the Saints to their first 20-win regular season since Fran McCaffrey was the coach in 2010. The jump from the MAAC to the ACC would be massive, but McNamara has shown he knows how to turn around a program. Ultimately, it would be nice to find someone with more high-level experience, but Syracuse would be hard-pressed to hire a coach who understands the culture and history of the program more than McNamara does.

Mike Hopkins, New Orleans Pelicans assistant

The man who was supposed to take over for Jim Boeheim may finally get his chance. Hopkins played for the Orange from 1989 to 1993 and later joined the Syracuse staff in 1995. He was long considered the coach in waiting, ready to take over when Boeheim retired. But then the legendary coach did not retire, and Hopkins finally jumped at the opportunity to run his own program.

After a strong start, eclipsing the 20-game mark in each of his first two seasons. He peaked that second year, reaching the second round of the NCAA tournament as part of a 27-win campaign. Things went south from there, as Hopkins hovered around .500 for the next five seasons, never reaching the postseason. He was ultimately fired.

After two seasons spent as an assistant on NBA staffs, it seems like Hopkins is ready to return to the college ranks. He knows the program like few others and has tons of recruiting ties in the area. However, his lack of success at Washington is going to stand out. It’s hard to imagine Hopkins being the top choice for the job, but he will be in the mix if the Orange strike out on their first selections.

Kimani Young, UConn associate head coach

It will be hard to sell Syracuse fans on the idea of hiring another coach who has no prior head coaching experience. However, if there was going to be anyone qualified for the shot, it would be Young. The Queens, New York native played college hoops at UTEP in the 90s. He was an assistant coach at FIU and Minnesota before landing on Dan Hurley’s staff in 2018. Young played a crucial role in building the teams that won back-to-back national titles at UConn.

Jumping straight into the ACC would be difficult, but Young has deep recruiting ties in key areas and a winning resume to point to when selling recruits and transfers on joining his program. He is an up-and-coming coach who will be linked to jobs around the country. Feels like a similar move to the Orange hiring Fran Brown from Georgia.

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