20 years removed from his own March Madness legacy, Gerry McNamara is back in the NCAA Tournament, this time as the head coach of Siena basketball.
Talk about a turnaround for the Siena basketball program. Two years ago, the Saints went 4-28 for the worst record in program history. But once G-Mac got to town, things changed immediately, with a 10-win improvement in year one, followed by a return to March Madness here in year two.
Of course, the Saints are a 16 seed and have to play the top overall team, Duke, on Thursday. But McNamara is a fiery head coach who seems to get the most out of his guys.
How they got there:
After going 13-7 in the MAAC regular season, Siena got the 3-seed in the MAAC Tournament. And if you know anything about this conference tournament, it’s that it gets pretty wild. The last time the 1 seed won it was in 2023, when Rick Pitino took Iona to the big dance. More often than not, it’s someone you’d least expect cutting down the nets in Atlantic City, N.J.
Of course, no shame in Siena doing that. The Saints put together a very good regular season and reached a new level defensively in the MAAC Tournament. They shut down Mount St. Mary’s, Fairfield, and Merrimack, each to below 65 points, playing their brand of basketball to the highest level possible. And it paid off.
General information:
Team: Siena
Location: Loudonville, N.Y.
Record: 23-11 (13-7)
Head Coach: Gerry McNamara (2nd season overall, both at Siena)
What to know about Siena basketball:
The Saints have a defense-first identity, allowing just 65.7 points per game. And that’s partially due to not being able to rely on the three. They only hit 30.4% of shots from outside, so they don’t try to force them, attempting roughly 18 per game. And if you know anything about coach McNamara, that style was not him as a player.
But he’s coached this team up to 23 wins and can thank star guards Gavin Doty and Justice Shoats. Both players can hit the three-point shot at reasonable rates, while Doty also leads the team with 7.0 rebounds per game (once Tasman Goodrick went down).
It’s a Siena team that’s had to deal with injuries and eligibility issues, with Goodrick and Antonio Chandler both out for the NCAA Tournament – two of the team’s top six scorers.
But somehow, this group hasn’t lost sight, and they find themselves in the main field of 64 teams heading into Thursday.
NCAA Tournament prediction for Siena basketball: Round of 64 Exit
Seed: 16
As much as an upset pick would be fun to make here as a Syracuse alum, I have to be realistic. Duke has Cameron Boozer, Isaiah Evans, and Patrick Ngongba, and I’m not sure if Siena’s defense will be able to hold a team led by them to under 80 points, let alone 65.
But, McNamara is a player’s coach, and from watching Siena, he clearly has a belief that they can get the job done. And I do know one thing – I’ll be watching games in Tampa, FL, sporting my McNamara ‘Cuse jersey all the way.