Gerry McNamara needs to be the next coach

[dwilmont44]

Season tickets would go crazy if he was named HC

I hope the higher ups don't take that into account

 

[llandz]

Here is what I did see tonight. And this is not because it is Gerry. But I saw a coach that was incredibly engaged every second of that game. Who was constantly directing plays and instructions into his players. He even walked onto the floor a few times (we know we hated that guy at Notre Dame doing that) but still did it to relay important info to the players. I also saw the players going over to the coaches family and hugging them, his parents and wife after they won the MAC.
So in comparison, I do not see the family engagement from our current coach, but remember how Julie was like the team mom. Gerry's wife is that team mom. Our coach is not nearly engaged.
Now to further the comparison, I watched S. Florida the other night, and Hodgson was shouting instructions into his players, and using set hand signals to call in plays. Also something I do not see from our current coach.
Bottom line is I watched two games with coaches who are constantly involved, engaged and LEADING their team.
I see a very bright future for Gerry, which I did not before. I know he might not be ready yet for SU, but I might say that we picked the wrong guy 3 years ago. And that is a huge admission for me.
I also see what we will get in many of the candidates that we have discussed. I forgot what a real coach looks like, and was reminded in both the Siena and the S. Florida games.

 

[hungrychuck]

Really, really happy for Gerry.

But let’s move outside the JB shrub.

 

[bballbeadle]

Season tickets would go crazy if he was named HC

I hope the higher ups don't take that into account

By the way, my two season tickets are. $500 less next season.

 

[Sherman20]

Here is what I did see tonight. And this is not because it is Gerry. But I saw a coach that was incredibly engaged every second of that game. Who was constantly directing plays and instructions into his players. He even walked onto the floor a few times (we know we hated that guy at Notre Dame doing that) but still did it to relay important info to the players. I also saw the players going over to the coaches family and hugging them, his parents and wife after they won the MAC.
So in comparison, I do not see the family engagement from our current coach, but remember how Julie was like the team mom. Gerry's wife is that team mom. Our coach is not nearly engaged.
Now to further the comparison, I watched S. Florida the other night, and Hodgson was shouting instructions into his players, and using set hand signals to call in plays. Also something I do not see from our current coach.
Bottom line is I watched two games with coaches who are constantly involved, engaged and LEADING their team.
I see a very bright future for Gerry, which I did not before. I know he might not be ready yet for SU, but I might say that we picked the wrong guy 3 years ago. And that is a huge admission for me.
I also see what we will get in many of the candidates that we have discussed. I forgot what a real coach looks like, and was reminded in both the Siena and the S. Florida games.

Great points! I’ve been saying for awhile that Red is a poor communicator and not a dynamic force and seems overwhelmed at times during games. If you’re a poor communicator to the media and offer up word salad, it’s probably gonna be the same thing with your team in a lot of instances when you’re coaching. I think it starts with not having a strong vision and schemes but also not being able to communicate those concepts either. Red’s a good guy but he doesn’t have Hop or Gmac’s communication and engagement skills.

 

[OttosShoes]

Siena is a side team for me now. I'm invested in Gerry's career and that was a fun game. He's (still) going places.

And yet. I do not want nor expect Gerry to come here. It's not a fit for anyone, not right now.

 

[OttosShoes]

Great points! I’ve been saying for awhile that Red is a poor communicator and not a dynamic force and seems overwhelmed at times during games. If you’re a poor communicator to the media and offer up word salad, it’s probably gonna be the same thing with your team in a lot of instances when you’re coaching. I think it starts with not having a strong vision and schemes but also not being able to communicate those concepts either. Red’s a good guy but he doesn’t have Hop or Gmac’s communication and engagement skills.

Super insightful.

It's one thing to have the right thoughts. It's hard to make thoughts concise, and it's *extremely* difficult to make thoughts concise and convey them verbally in a way that someone can quickly unpack and act on.

Also. Adjustments at the half. Over and over and over we're in it at the half and let the other team go on a run straight out of the locker room.

 

[rocfan44]

What makes him qualified and why he should be our next coach if he wants to come here, is in year one he improved Siena’s win total by 10. Year two he improved on year one by 9 wins and a conference championship. Oh and he did all of this with seven scholarship players. Their defense has been top 25 all year. He also has that determination and drive that is not seen in many people. I’m so tired of the lame ass excuse not to hire him because we need to get away from Boeheim shadow. He needs to be seriously looked at and hired cause he has proven he’s a man of his word and WILL turn this train wreck of a program around.

 

[CooperCuse]

Nobody is saying there’s no chance of him being successful. They are saying Hodgson has a significantly better chance.

Why? He's been a head coach for only a year longer than Gerry. Same amount of time as assistant coaches with various titles. The Sun Belt and the American conference aren't anything special. Gerry's team is dancing after a significant two year turnaround, first time in the tourney in sixteen years. I don't see how this Hodgson guy is the hands-on favorite over McNamara. Because he recruited for Nate Oats at Alabama? So what?

 

[JJReddawg]

Preseason polls had Siena finishing 2nd in the MAAC (w/ 3 first place votes). They ended up finishing 3rd. Yes, they won the MAAC tourney and got the bid, but technically finished lower than predicted. It’s not like they were predicted to finish in the lower half and overachieved. If GMac was just a John Doe at Siena with no Syracuse ties, not one person would be clamoring for him to come here.

Strength of Schedule
South Florida - #106
Siena - #359
Syracuse - #53

Scoring Margin
South Florida - #23 - 11 PPG
Siena - #122 - 4 PPG
Syracuse - #201 - 1 PPG

Scoring Offense
South Florida - #10 - 88.4 PPG
Siena - #289 - 70.7 PPG
Syracuse - #197 75.2 PPG

Turnover Margin
South Florida - #28 - +3.1 PG
Siena - #122 - +1 PG
Syracuse - #108 - +1.2 PG

Rebound Margin
South Florida - #46 - +5 PG
Siena - #132 - +2 PG
Syracuse - #291 - -2 PG

 

[jncuse]

1. Disqualifying G-Mac for his Syracuse ties doesn't seem fair to me.
2. But at the same time, lets not give additional credit to GMac for his Syracuse ties either in making a decision.
3. Let's focus our decision on coaching abilities and accomplishments. (to me this leads to Hodgson)

If the Siena coach turning things around was named Jim Adams, nobody on the board would be clamouring for Jim Adams as a future coach. But at the time, the AD should at least be considering what Jim Adams did.

 

[Brooky03]

I’m okay with either hire, Hodgson or Gerry. Both would bring in a new staff, both have equally proven themselves to be capable coaches.

The differentiator is NIL money. If it’s actually true that Hodgson can get donors to fork over more dough and can recruit better players, then he should get the job. But that has to actually be true, with some tangible proof as a condition of the hire. That can’t be speculation.

That’s the only differentiator, as I see it. Hodgson’s HC record is no more impressive than Gerry’s. On a personal note, Gerry’s defensive coaching is something I gravitate to more than Hodgson’s high volume offensive strategy.

 

[Millhouse]

Really, really happy for Gerry.

But let’s move outside the JB shrub.

He coached for nine thousand years and his tree has not been very successful. That wasn't jb's job so I didn't hold it against him. But it's true