Siena tabs longtime Syracuse assistant Gerry McNamara as coach - ESPN

Gerry McNamara has signed a deal to take over as the men's basketball coach at Siena, deciding to leave Syracuse after two decades as a standout player and assistant before eventually ascending to associate head coach for the Orange.

McNamara's signing was announced by Siena on Friday and makes him a collegiate head coach for the first time. He replaces Siena alum Carmen Maciariello, who was fired after going 68-72 in five seasons at the school, including a 4-28 mark this season.

McNamara has been on the Syracuse staff since 2009, first as a graduate assistant and then more than a decade as an assistant under Jim Boeheim. Last season he became associate head coach for the Orange when Adrian Autry took over as head coach.

The 40-year-old McNamara remains the fourth-leading scorer in Syracuse history behind only Laurence Moten, Derrick Coleman and John Wallace. He started on Syracuse's 2003 national championship team that was led by Carmelo Anthony; McNamara had 18 points, all on 3-pointers, in the Orange's 81-78 win over Kansas in the NCAA title game.

«I am so honored and excited to lead Siena College as the new head men's basketball coach,» McNamara said in a statement. «My family and I can't wait to get started and embrace Siena and the Capital Region.»

McNamara started all 135 games of his playing career at Syracuse and remains the school's all-time leader in 3-pointers made by a wide margin. His total of 400 stands well ahead of Buddy Boeheim (309) and Joseph Girard III (297). McNamara also tops Syracuse's all-time lists for free throw percentage (.888) and minutes played (4,799).

He played in what is now called the NBA G League and in Europe before returning to Syracuse to coach.

Siena, a member of the Metro Atlantic