Expectations in Year 1

[Cusefan95]

You have to be lucky sometimes. UConn got the right hire and then had a monster recruit fall into their laps because he was literally right in their back yard. They found a gem in Murray. There was no foresight with all that. The only thing was that Hurley the nut job also was the far more competitive and passionate Hurley of the bunch as it played out.

Gerry is insanely competitive and also another internal hire. My hope and early optimism is that we got lucky that he is getting the nod despite all the other concerns around it being too incestuous. Different path to get there but hopefully a similar outcome in getting someone who is just different. That article by Carlson shared a little more of what I think everyone will see. My hope is we backed into success with Gerry just like we backed into success with bringing him on board 23 years ago. All the other options were intriguing but the guy with the closest drive and push to succeed to that nut over at UConn I think was quite close all this time.

So our expectations should be we win and win a lot and rekindle what should never have faded. As optimistic as I might be getting , I’m going to be just as critical if this flops early as there is no excuse to miss on the opportunity here.

Luck is where preparation meets opportunity. UConn was prepared and saw success when opportunity presented itself. Syracuse has been consistently unprepared for a decade. Even if there was an opportunity, there was no way to take advantage of it. And even if GMac is an “opportunity” - we’re not going to take advantage of it if “more competitive than the 2026 trainwreck” is the bar decision-makers have set.

I think some of the low bar setting is because of how adamant some here were that GMac was “the guy”. Now that the folks that are convinced we should never, ever consider a coach that didn’t play at Syracuse carried the day - the focus has shifted to setting the bar for “success” in year one as low as possible. It’s just a continuation of the loser mentality within the fanbase and administration that has infected Syracuse for years. Losers talk about how winners got lucky while setting their own bar for success as low as possible.

If we don’t make the NCAA tournament in year one, hiring GMac is well on the way to being a massive failure. Period, end of story.

 

[bnoro]

If Gerry doesn't make the tournament with the massive NIL people are saying he's bringing in, he should be fired (But SU will give him another year, and if we don't make the tournament, he'll get one more chance. By then there will be 10 people in the Dome and players will be looking at SU like Depaul).

 

[Cusefan95]

I don't understand why the people really excited for GMAC to be coach would have anything other than high expectations.

Otherwise, what is it you actually want - a competitive program, or just a specific guy in charge?

There’s a contingent that is horrified by the prospect of Syracuse ever being coached by a guy that didn’t also play here. Now that they got their way, they are going to work to set the bar for success as low as possible. They’d rather lose with GMac than win with a guy who didn’t go to SU.

This does not apply to the pro-GMac folks that are saying it’s NCAA tourney or bust in year one. That is a position I can align with.

 

[OmahaCuse]

If Gerry doesn't make the tournament with the massive NIL people are saying he's bringing in, he should be fired (But SU will give him another year, and if we don't make the tournament, he'll get one more chance. By then there will be 10 people in the Dome and players will be looking at SU like Depaul).

Not sure it works that way. Since each year is “new” in today’s world every coach who does not make the tournament despite injuries etc. should be fired? Instead the boosters need to make a long term commitment to a program and growing NIL each year. The hope is you pay a core group of guys that stay a few years and plug some NIL guys in around them for continued succes.

 

[Roc44]

If Gerry doesn't make the tournament with the massive NIL people are saying he's bringing in, he should be fired (But SU will give him another year, and if we don't make the tournament, he'll get one more chance. By then there will be 10 people in the Dome and players will be looking at SU like

 

[81South]

Top 25 by midpoint of season. ACC tournament semi-finals. No lower than 5 seed in NCAA tournament.

 

[Yeti]

I want to not be terrible. Full stop.

 

[AngryOtto]

A product that’s not only worth watching but scheduling your day to watch. Under the last few years of JB and Red I stopped planning my day around the game to watch. Product was unwatchable at times. If the product improves so will the wins.

 

[Knicks411]

Expectations in 2026/27 season.

Team FT % at 72.5% or better.
Siena was 12th in pts. allowed. I want to see CUSE in the top 100.
Speed.
Continued improvement throughout the season.
Average at Christmas...Dome is rockin' by March 1.

The two I bolded are a little at odds; Siena was 162nd in defensive efficiency but played at a glacially slow place.

I do think the tournament should be the minimum, and a pretty reasonable additional goal is something like "considered safely in the field by the middle of February".