SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Growing up in nearby Fulton, wearing the Syracuse Orange uniform was a lifelong dream for Gavin Doty. On Monday, he'll do so as he takes the floor of the JMA Wireless Dome for the first time as a member of his hometown team. Syracuse opens the regular season against New Haven, the first game of the Gerry McNamara era.
He's been looking forward to this for a while.
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"I'm so excited, man," Doty said on Syracuse men's basketball media day on October 9. "I can't wait. I'm counting down the minutes. That November 2nd game is gonna feel quite special."
If McNamara could create a player in a lab to play for him, it would look a lot like Gavin Doty. He basically said as much after Siena won the MAAC Championship last March, saying he's as close, in terms of competitiveness, to himself as any player he'd ever coached.
Loyal, local, and laborious, he came to Siena as a young freshman two seasons ago after playing 17U EYBL for Albany City Rocks over the summer. He was considering taking a prep year, but decided to attend Siena and play for McNamara. Doty made impressions in practices leading up to that 2024-25 season, McNamara's first as a head coach.
"By the third day," McNamara said after winning the MAAC Championship. "He was everywhere. I was like 'jeez, he's gotten like five offensive rebounds every day in this segment'."
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Yet, he didn't start the year in the rotation, as the Saints relied on veteran guards. He quickly made it known that he would need to be part of the mix. By January, he entered the starting lineup. A few weeks later, he was in Rookie of the Year talks.
There was no adjustment period.
"I watched him go from sixth man to starter to arguably the best and most consistent player in the league in the span of five weeks his freshman year," McNamara said on media day.
He didn't take home Rookie of the Year, nor would he take home Player of the Year as a sophomore. But the trophy he did win means more. Doty was the MVP of the MAAC Tournament, leading the Saints to victory over Merrimack in the championship game. He then scored 21 points against Duke in Siena's near-upset of the Blue Devils the next week.
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McNamara left for the Syracuse job, and it was a foregone conclusion who his first commitment would be.
"There was no thought at all," Doty said. "I didn't even think about going anywhere else. I'm sure people were trying to get after me, but I was really just focused on helping GMac get this program back."
Doty averaged 18 points and 6.9 rebounds per game for the Saints last season. He shot 45.8% from the field. He loves to go to his spin move, and he is adept at hitting shots while falling down. Doty began shooting threes more as last season went on — something that McNamara emphasized between he and Siena point guard Justice Shoats.
Over the summer, that was a clear emphasis.
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"I've got a lot of hours in the gym with Coach (Ben) Lee," Doty said. "I don't know the amount of hours, but it's a lot. I'm really focusing on that three-point shot and seeing significant growth."
Doty was less gun-shy from deep in a few of the exhibitions. He attempted 11 triples against Siena, and an additional six against Niagara. He'll need to make more than five of the 17, though, as Syracuse's outside shooting is a major roster weakness.
However, for all that Doty can do on the offensive end, it's his trademark hustle that made him a special player. He grabbed 21 rebounds between SU's last two exhibition games. At Siena, Doty would throw his body around like he was invincible. He certainly didn't treat his body like the 177 pounds that he was as a freshman. Since then, he's put on weight. Doty says that he's up to 200 pounds for his junior season.
Regardless, he'll be doing the same things.
"Definitely the same role in terms of leadership and how hard I play," Doty said. "In terms of shot creation and going to get a bucket, still the same stuff. I'm really looking forward to just coming together with these guys. Same thing we did at Siena, just pour our heart and soul into each other and flip another program around here at Syracuse."
The start of that flip begins tonight in the JMA Dome.
