Coach Search Options after Autry

[CooperCuse]

Yet JB advocated for Gerry to take over not Red.
He truly believed that Gerry had the it factor to build a successful team.
So Red has one winning season, with Gerry, and 2 losing seasons without him.
Gerry moved on to Siena where he took a 4 win team to the MAAC title game tonight.
Seems to me JB knew who was the better head coach material.

This is where I'm coming from. Gerry was Jim's pick to succeed him as head coach. So why did the school essentially ignore Boeheim's wishes and hire Red instead? It seemed at the time, and now still, to be deliberately disrespectful. The team this year hasn't lost because they're not talented. It's because of coaching. I know people on here don't want to hear it but Jim was right.

 

[FrancoPizza]

So why did the school essentially ignore Boeheim's wishes and hire Red instead?

We can't speak the real reasons. But quite frankly it doesn't matter anymore if it's Hop. University might as well rent out more Turning Stone tarps for the upper deck.

 

[RedtheGOB]

I suspect there's a LOT more McNamara support out there in the fanbase than is represented on this board.

No one wants Hopkins.

For real. I usually go by what my parents think about the coach to get an idea what the randoms think.

When my 70 year old mother says GMac over Hopkins by a mile that's where I think most of the fanbase is. They don't understand anything beyond that for who's available.

If it's an outside hire they won't care until they see the new guy talking or winning next year.

Overall though they care about the players more anyway.

 

[Briancuse]

While I don't want Hop, I won't give up on the program. I would never give up on the program. I have been a fan for 50 years. I would have to have faith that Hop can do somethiing he could not do at Washington. I would welcome him back, and support him to the best of my ability. Would I be dissapointed, yes, but not devastated.

Will still watch will have little faith and have little incentive to give to the nil fund.

 

[Dcuse]

This is where I'm coming from. Gerry was Jim's pick to succeed him as head coach. So why did the school essentially ignore Boeheim's wishes and hire Red instead? It seemed at the time, and now still, to be deliberately disrespectful. The team this year hasn't lost because they're not talented. It's because of coaching. I know people on here don't want to hear it but Jim was right.

Nope. It was both coaching and overrated talent. As much as we all love Kyle, he was too small to stop the post scoring from ACC centers. Donnie Freeman was massively overrated by this board. We have 2 shooting guards who can't shoot. The backup center spends more time sprawled out on the floor than on his feet. Trust me, the talent level contributed to the losses.

 

[CooperCuse]

Nope. It was both coaching and overrated talent. As much as we all love Kyle, he was too small to stop the post scoring from ACC centers. Donnie Freeman was massively overrated by this board. We have 2 shooting guards who can't shoot. The backup center spends more time sprawled out on the floor than on his feet. Trust me, the talent level contributed to the losses.

Who recruited the players? Who coaches the players? The responsibility, and whatever blame is assessed, still falls on Coach Autry.

 

[RyanCuse44]

I swear to any and all gods, if Hopkins is the pick I won’t spend a dime on SU basketball.

 

[sweetpea]

Because NIL without a good coach means nothing. We need both.

I misunderstood. You are correct.

 

[OmahaCuse]

Nope. It was both coaching and overrated talent. As much as we all love Kyle, he was too small to stop the post scoring from ACC centers. Donnie Freeman was massively overrated by this board. We have 2 shooting guards who can't shoot. The backup center spends more time sprawled out on the floor than on his feet. Trust me, the talent level contributed to the losses.

Not sure about that. I attended the games in Vegas and watched Kyle against three highly ranked teams. He held down the middle blocked a lot of shots and was elite on defense. We are better on defense with White playing to help down low.

 

[shandeezy7]

While I don't want Hop, I won't give up on the program. I would never give up on the program. I have been a fan for 50 years. I would have to have faith that Hop can do somethiing he could not do at Washington. I would welcome him back, and support him to the best of my ability. Would I be dissapointed, yes, but not devastated.

IMO, hiring Hop would be the program abandoning you and I and everyone else that has put many years of fandom (and $$$) into the program. It would be kowtowing to a small but influential group of people that care about program access and their own personal interests and friendships versus what is best for the program.

 

[RF2044]

While I don't want Hop, I won't give up on the program. I would never give up on the program. I have been a fan for 50 years. I would have to have faith that Hop can do somethiing he could not do at Washington. I would welcome him back, and support him to the best of my ability. Would I be dissapointed, yes, but not devastated.

If it were to play out this way, of course I'd support the program. My #1 passion in sports, across any type of league [NBA, NFL, MLB, etc.] is for Syracuse basketball, football, and lacrosse.

But I would be incredibly disappointed, because the choice of Hopkins would mean that the powers that be on the Hill learned nothing from the disastrous internal hire made three years ago, and were looking to do the same thing with a similarly underqualified candidate, while crossing their fingers and hoping for a different result. The definition of insanity.

It would also signify to me that instead of trying to hire the best candidate they can, they would be more caught up in looking backwards and trying to recapture past success that went away as the college basketball landscape shifted, but the program / HC did not adapt to the changing times.

And it would also indicate that they are not truly committed to trying to restore the program to its rightful place as a perennial top 25-caliber program / unwilling to invest in the program properly, and are instead focused on more tone deaf considerations, like keeping thing "in the family," and hoping that "excites" the fanbase enough to distract them from the small scale approach they are taking.

Net result, I wouldn't have much patience if the new coach falters [and that will be the case whether it is Hopkins or ANY external hire]. And given the in-person attendance this year, I'd wager that the patience of the fanbase at large is greatly lessened, and that they will vote with their wallets if immediate progress is not evident [and please note, "progress" doesn't necessarily mean we jump right back into the top 25, but the program can't be so god awful on both sides of the ball].

 

[Sbucketball]

IMO, hiring Hop would be the program abandoning you and I and everyone else that has put many years of fandom (and $$$) into the program. It would be kowtowing to a small but influential group of people that care about program access and their own personal interests and friendships versus what is best for the program.

This seems to be the way things have gone for the last several years. And we've had to watch slop. This would be the breaking point where fans will abandon SU and never come back in the same way.

 

[FloridaCuse]

Siena's Gerry McNamara takes spotlight on odd day for Syracuse basketball future | Sporting News

G-Mac has a big night ahead of him.

www.sportingnews.com

 

[Cuse12]

IMO, hiring Hop would be the program abandoning you and I and everyone else that has put many years of fandom (and $$$) into the program. It would be kowtowing to a small but influential group of people that care about program access and their own personal interests and friendships versus what is best for the program.

Bingo. Nail on the head.

 

[CooperCuse]

We can't speak the real reasons. But quite frankly it doesn't matter anymore if it's Hop. University might as well rent out more Turning Stone tarps for the upper deck.

Interesting. I'm not privy to what the "real reasons" might be although I'm certainly curious about the why. I know the idea exists that Red was a "bridge" hire from the JB days to whatever comes afterward. But that always sounded like a flawed plan from the start. You hire the guy that you think will be the best at the job, not someone to manage the decline or transition to a different era. I always believed that Gerry would be a tremendous head coach based on his playing days and his will to win. Competitive fire is a must have trait. Red doesn't have it, Dino didn't have it. Gerry has it.

 

[Cuse12]

I’m just so ready to be talking about what the future holds with whatever HC we hire. And hopefully it’s BH. I think the hype and vibes would be off the charts. I want that badly.

 

[DilemaCuse]

I’m just so ready to be talking about what the future holds with whatever HC we hire. And hopefully it’s BH. I think the hype and vibes would be off the charts. I want that badly.

For some reason i feel BH oozes with swagger, im thinking a young Bob Huggins

There was a time I felt Hopkins had that too but that becomes lost when you are .524 W%

 

[SU Mania]

Sorry, too busy trying to figure out the max sertraline dosage a human body can tolerate. Bracing for Hop.

Edit: it's 200 mg.

Why not just say "Zoloft?" You're too busy? So are we! Who's got time to google freakin' sertraline? FFS!

(This is faux anger)

 

[OrangeXtreme]

https://www.syracuse.com/orangebasketball/2026/03/syracuse-basketball-coach-adrian-autry-isnt-made-for-this-era-sus-next-coach-must-be-carlson.html

 

[Sherman20]

Yet JB advocated for Gerry to take over not Red.
He truly believed that Gerry had the it factor to build a successful team.
So Red has one winning season, with Gerry, and 2 losing seasons without him.
Gerry moved on to Siena where he took a 4 win team to the MAAC title game tonight.
Seems to me JB knew who was the better head coach material.

I would argue that the book on Gmac is still to be written. I still have my doubts about his ceiling. And you can’t compare the situation at SU with Siena.

 

[DilemaCuse]

https://www.syracuse.com/orangebasketball/2026/03/syracuse-basketball-coach-adrian-autry-isnt-made-for-this-era-sus-next-coach-must-be-carlson.html

another reason to support Hodgson, Id think his exposure at Alabama has him prepared and experience what is necessary in terms of this

Hop been out of college for 2 years
Gerry, much smaller scale