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Message: [QUOTE="BillSU, post: 5728402, member: 6809"] From the Times Union - a bit more detailed about Gerry's ankle, what he's been dealing with and his plans for surgery: [URL unfurl="true"]https://www.timesunion.com/sports/article/siena-gerry-mcnamara[/URL] GREENVILLE, S.C. — Siena University men’s basketball coach Gerry McNamara wheeled himself out of Bon Secour Wellness Arena after Thursday’s loss, which saw his Saints narrowly miss recording a massive upset of top-seeded Duke in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. [IMG]https://cdn-channels-pixel.ex.co/events/0012000001fxZm9AAE?integrationType=DEFAULT&template=design%2Farticle%2Fplatypus_two_column.tpl[/IMG] McNamara propped his left knee on a scooter while propelling himself with his right leg. He said he’s planning to have ankle replacement surgery. “That’s kind of the route I think I’m going to go,” McNamara said. “I’ve got it all set up, too. Enough’s enough. It’s gotten to the intolerable point.” There was no sign of the scooter during the game. McNamara, the former Syracuse great, dealt with the pain and walked the sideline the same way his five starters gutted through the 40 minutes of [URL='https://www.timesunion.com/sports/article/siena-basketball-falls-short-massive-upset-ncaa-22081542.php']the 71-65 loss[/URL]. The 16th-seeded Saints led by 13 points early in the second half before succumbing to a late Duke run to end their season. “These kids are crushed,” McNamara said. “I’m a little crushed, too.” Still, McNamara expressed his pride in a team that made Siena’s first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2010. A program known for first-round upsets of Stanford in 1989 and Vanderbilt in 2008 nearly pulled off one of the biggest in tournament history. “I've been doing this a long time and I don’t think I’ve ever been more proud of any group of kids I’ve been around,” McNamara said. “I think the college basketball world saw what I’ve been so grateful to be around this season.” As McNamara left the Bon Secours Wellness Arena, it was unclear whether it might have been his finale as Saints coach. [URL='https://www.timesunion.com/sports/article/march-madness-gerry-mcnamara-syracuse-siena-ncaa-22083704.php']The job at Syracuse[/URL], his alma mater, remains open. In just two years, McNamara transformed a 4-28 team into the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference champion with a 23-12 record. The Saints' performance on Thursday couldn’t have hurt his chances of replacing fired Orange coach Adrian Autry. However, the 42-year-old McNamara wouldn’t speculate about whether he’ll be on the Siena bench next season. “That’s the furthest thing from my mind, is next season — anywhere,” McNamara said. “The group of kids I’m going to go have dinner with — it’s testament to them my name is popping up because they won us games. That’s how it goes in this industry.” New Syracuse athletic director Bryan Blair held a news conference on Thursday morning, just a few hours before Siena tipped off. “The reality is that process is well underway,” said Blair, according to a Syracuse Post-Standard report. “We’ve got a great pool of candidates. We’re really excited about the progress, and then I think we’ll have something to share here relatively soon.’’ Duke coach Jon Scheyer praised McNamara after the game and said McNamara “outcoached” him. “Gerry’s a tough competitor who’s won at the highest level,” Scheyer said. “I think the thing that you can say about his guys today, they weren’t afraid at all. We knew that going in. There is a reputation in the league, they were the aggressors, and that’s a reflection on him and their coaching staff. That’s who he’s been his entire life that I’ve known him as a competitor.” McNamara said his biggest concern going into the Duke game was if his team would be overwhelmed by the magnitude of the NCAA Tournament. He told his players they’d earned the right to be on that stage. “They weren’t intimidated by this one bit,” McNamara said. “Just really proud of them that they were able to put the moment on the backburner, and it was about the execution and they were able to put themselves in position to have a chance tonight.” The game’s adrenaline helped McNamara get through that ankle pain. “I feel it more now than I did during the game,” he said. “Screaming and being a little of a psychopath takes a little of the edge off. It’s the first thing I’ll do, is go ice it now.” [HEADING=2][/HEADING] [IMG alt="exp-customer-logo"]https://cdn.playbuzz.com/logos/93bca562-507f-4053-9ced-41b29f2f4e39_1601488454966.png[/IMG] [/QUOTE]

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