Carmelo Anthony is happy and excited to see former college teammate, Gerry McNamara, return to coach the Syracuse Orange . He sees his old running-mate having success at the helm with the basketball program deeply ingrained in him.
McNamara replaced Adrian Autry, who handled Syracuse for the last three seasons, but with no NCAA Tournament appearance to show for it. He is coming off a successful two-year stint as coach at Siena University, which included steering the Saints back to March Madness this season after 16 years.
On his "7PM in Brooklyn " podcast, Melo reacted to the hiring of McNamara as the new Orange coach, describing it as a big move towards reviving Syracuse basketball, with "GMAC" checking all the boxes as the coach the team needs right now.
"I mean, as an alumni, it was the right thing to do. I mean, you just think about his history, right? And what he really meant to the university and the community … When you're talking about everybody who's checked the boxes, [it is McNamara]. He's young, 42 years old. He got experience," Melo highlighted .
"[When you look at the other candidates] who were involved, they were all the same. So why not go get somebody who if you cut them open, they bleed orange. Like they bleed orange," the 10-time NBA All-Star added.
Melo and McNamara only played together for one season at Syracuse, but it was historic as they led the Orange to their first and only national title so far.
As freshmen under Hall-of-Fame coach Jim Boeheim, the two helped an unranked Syracuse team at the start of the 2002-03 campaign become one of the top teams at season's end, finishing with an overall record of 30-5, going 13-3 in the Big East Conference.
The Orange capped their campaign by winning the NCAA championship, with Melo and McNamara leading the charge, finishing with 20 and 18 points, respectively, as they defeated Kentucky, 81-78.
After his four-year run at Syracuse, McNamara played in various professional leagues. In 2009, he returned to Syracuse as a graduate student and joined the basketball team as graduate manager.
In 2011, McNamara was named an assistant coach, and in 2023, after Boeheim retired, he was promoted to associate head coach by Autry.
But in 2024, he was hired as head coach at Siena and made huge strides at the helm. This season, his second with the Saints, he led them to the MAAC tournament championship, earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
In the first round of March Madness, they faced top overall seed Duke and pushed the Blue Devils to the limit before losing, 71-65.
At Syracuse, McNamara inherits a team that has been stuck in a rough patch in the last five seasons, missing the NCAA Tournament each time. This collegiate season, the Orange posted an overall 15-17 record, 6-12 in the ACC.
McNamara will try to build things around a group of players, including Melo's son, Kiyan, who averaged 8.0 points as a freshman.
"I love this place. I love what Syracuse means: to the fans, to the players who have worn this jersey, to the people of Central New York. This program has given me everything, and I am ready to give everything back to it," McNamara said of his return to his alma mater.
Given how it has been tough of late for Syracuse, Melo may be right in saying that a true Orange man and a winner like McNamara is what the team needs to turn things around.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Mar 27, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
