The Syracuse men’s basketball coaching search is a pulpy mess.
A once-proud program seemingly is struggling to lure top candidates in a development that would have once been considered unthinkable.
Saint Louis coach Josh Schertz agreed to a six-year extension worth at least $20 million in a move that, in parts, signaled his lack of enthusiasm about the current openings — like Syracuse.
In an unfathomable development, Bryan Hodgson, a Western New York native and the coach of South Florida — yes, South Florida — reportedly told the Orange: “Nah, I’m good.”
It’s possible Hodgson could instead land with Providence, which, again, is not something that should be happening in men’s college basketball (sorry, Friars fans).
However, the reality is Syracuse has not adapted to the Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) era like other programs and is not as flush with financial resources as the sport’s heavyweights.
The Field of 68’s Jeff Goodman said that even Providence has more NIL funding than Syracuse.
“Syracuse is not the job people think it is, at least not right now. Not with the way it is currently funded,” CBS Sports’ Adam Finkelstein said Tuesday night.
“People have delusions based on the history of this program based on when Carmelo Anthony was there and they were winning national championships (sic; Syracuse has one title from 2003) under Jim Boeheim. But they do not have the level of funding that is a requisite to compete at this level right now.”
It’s possible the Orange can still find an exciting candidate, with UConn assistant Luke Murray an intriguing option, but if they keep striking out on external options, then Syracuse will have to turn to program legend and fan favorite Gerry McNamara.
There are some potential issues with such a move.
McNamara has only spent two seasons as a head coach with Siena, which means he’s short on coaching experience and has not led a power program.
The Orange also just tried turning the program to someone with program ties in Adrian “Red” Autry, and he had a disastrous stint following Jim Boeheim.
Staying with the family can have disastrous results, resulting in the awkwardness of the program having to fire a fan favorite, with Georgetown’s failed Patrick Ewing era, St. John’s miserable Chris Mullin time and even UConn’s Kevin Ollie tenure — despite the national title — standing out.
Whoever lands the job will try to return the program to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2021, but will have the benefit of not being Boeheim’s direct successor.
The Orange are competing with Arizona State, Cincinnati, Georgia Tech and Providence, among others, in the coaching market.
