Gerry McNamara
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Gerry McNamara (born August 28, 1983) is a former guard for the Syracuse University men's basketball team, from 2002 to 2006. The 6' (183 cm) McNamara is known for his shooting--especially for his three-point shooting--and his tenacity[1].
McNamara started all 135 games he played in his four years with the Orange and graduated with a degree in Speech Communications in May 2006. After graduating, he signed with Olympiacos BC in Greece, but left the team in November 2006.[2]
In December 2006 McNamara signed with the Bakersfield Jam of the National Basketball Association Developmental League.[3]
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[edit] Early life and high school
McNamara is originally from Scranton, Pennsylvania, where he attended Bishop Hannan High School. In his four seasons at Hannan, the Golden Lancers compiled a record of 109-17. McNamara was named the Lackawanna League Division II Player of the Year for four years in a row, was a three-time Associated Press Pennsylvania Small School All-State First Team selection and was the AP's Pennsylvania State Player of the Year in 2001 and 2002. McNamara finished as Pennsylvania's seventh all-time leading scorer with 2917 points.
Bishop Hannan advanced to the Pennsylvania Interscolastic Athletic Association Class AA championship game in his freshman and sophomore seasons and finished the state runner-up in both 1999 and 2000 to Kennedy Christian High School of Hermitage, Pennsylvania.
In 2001 the Golden Lancers were defeated by eventual PIAA Class AA champion Trinity High School of Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, in the Eastern Final.
In 2002 Bishop Hannan and Trinity met once again in the Eastern Final. McNamara exploded for a career-high 55 points--41 in the first half--as the Golden Lancers advanced to the Class AA championship game, 83-76. Three days later his 32 points led all scorers as Hannan held off Sto-Rox High School and won the Class AA state title, 70-68.
Following his senior season, McNamara was named the 2002 Pennsylvania Gatorade Player of the Year and a fourth-team Parade Magazine All-American.
[edit] College
McNamara was recruited to play at Syracuse by its head coach, Jim Boeheim, and helped capture the school's first ever National Championship in 2003. McNamara started every game his freshman year, helping lead the Orange to a 30-5 record, including a perfect 17-0 at home.
He scored 19 points in the NCAA Tournament semi-final win over the University of Texas and played a key role in the title game versus favored University of Kansas. His six three pointers in the first half and helped Syracuse open up an 18-point lead over the Jayhawks. In the second half Syracuse held off a furious Kansas comeback, eventually winning the game 81-78 behind the stellar play of freshman star Carmelo Anthony and a game-saving blocked shot by sophomore forward Hakim Warrick. McNamara and Anthony were named to the All-Tournament team.
Anthony rode his heralded postseason play into the NBA, leaving Warrick and McNamara to guide the team in the 2003-2004 season. They did not disappoint, leading the Orange to a 23-8 record and a five seed in the NCAA Tournament. McNamara scored 43 points, including a school-record nine three-point shots, as Syracuse outlasted Brigham Young University 80-75 in the tournament's first round. The team advanced to the Sweet 16 before losing to the University of Alabama.
In 2005 Syracuse finished 27-7 and captured the Big East post-season tournament title with a win over West Virginia University. The fourth-seeded Orange suffered a shocking overtime upset in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to the University of Vermont as McNamara struggled through one of the worst games of his college career.
One of only two players left from the championship team, McNamara and Syracuse struggled through the 2005-2006 regular season. Two highlights were the 38 points McNamara scored against Davidson College, the second-most points ever scored by a Syracuse player at the team's home arena, the Carrier Dome, and a 30 point performance against the visiting Louisville Cardinals. Syracuse finished with a losing record in the Big East; the team was in danger of missing the NCAA Tournament unless it secured the conference's automatic bid by winning the Big East's postseason tournament.
Prior to the conference tournament two separate publications, Sports Illustrated and the Syracuse Post-Standard conducted polls of Big East players and assistant coaches. In each poll, McNamara was voted the Big East's "Most Overrated" player.
Fueled by the negative press--and despite an injured leg--McNamara led Syracuse on an unprecedented run to the Big East tournament title. In the first round he hit a three-point shot with less than a second left in the game to spur Syracuse past the University of Cincinnati. The following day he hit a three-pointer in the closing seconds to tie number-one ranked University of Connecticut and eventually led Syracuse to an overtime upset.
Syracuse fell behind Georgetown University in the tournament's semi-finals, but McNamara hit five three-pointers in the second half--including one in the last minute of the game--to slash the Hoyas' lead to one. He handed out an assist to freshman guard Eric Devendorf to put Syracuse in the lead following a Georgetown turnover and forced another turnover in the closing seconds to clinch the game.
McNamara had 14 points and 6 assists in Syracuse's 65-61 championship game win over the University of Pittsburgh. Syracuse became the first team to win four games in four days and capture the Big East Conference Championship. McNamara won the Dave Gavitt Award as the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. He donned a tee-shirt with the mocking retort, "Overrated?!!" as he helped cut down the nets.
McNamara's career came to an unceremonious end in the first round of the 2006 NCAA Tournament. Severely hobbled by his leg injury and exhausted from the run in the Big East tournament, he scored only two points in just 23 minutes of play as fifth-seeded Syracuse was upset by Texas A&M University. It marked the only time in his career McNamara was held without a field goal in a game. The Orange finished with a 23-12 record.
[edit] College legacy
McNamara is one of the most beloved players in Orange basketball history; his final regular-season game at the Carrier Dome on March 5, 2006, was the arena's first-ever advance sellout for a basketball game. The final attendance of 33,633, an all-time NCAA record for an on-campus regular-season game, included more than 3,000 fans from the Scranton area (according to media reports more than 60 buses made the two hour trip from Scranton to Syracuse for the game). Syracuse lost the game to highly-ranked Villanova University, but an emotional McNamara led all scorers with 29 points.
A 2006 Associated Press Honorable Mention All-American, McNamara was named by Big East head coaches to the league's All-Freshman team in 2003, to the All Big East second team in 2004 and to the All Big East first team in 2005 and 2006.
His career statistics rank among the greats in Syracuse's school history. He finished fourth in points scored (2099), first in minutes played (4781), second in steals (258), third in assists (648), first in three-point shots made (400) and attempted (1131), and first in career free-throw percentage (89.1%).
In 63 career Big East games, McNamara set conference records for three-pointers made (183) and career free-throw percentage (91.7%). His 400 career three-pointers rank sixth all-time in NCAA history.
McNamara was also named the 2006 winner of the Chip Hilton Player of the Year Award. The award is presented annually by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to a senior Division I men's player who demonstrates outstanding character, leadership, and talent.
He played summer league ball for the Orlando Magic in 2006, but was not offered an NBA contract.
On September 4, 2006, he signed a one-year contract to play for Olympiacos BC, but only for 2006-2007 Euroleague games.[4] After playing just one minute in the team's first five games, McNamara reached a contract settlement and left the team and returned to the United States in November 2006. It is estimated he was paid $90,000 for that one minute.[5]
On December 12, 2006, McNamara signed with the Bakersfield Jam, an NBDL team located in Bakersfield, California.
At the season's halfway point, McNamara was averaging 12.9 points and 6.3 assists for the Jam. He was named as a reserve to the Western Conference's All-Star team and played in the Gillette D-League All-Star Game on February 17, 2007, in Las Vegas, Nevada. McNamara scored 2 points and had 5 assists off of the bench.[6]
[edit] Trivia
Gerry's parents, Joyce and Gerry ("Chiz" to his friends), traveled from their home in Scranton to see every college game in which he played, not just the home games in Syracuse.
The Northeast Pennsylvania Breakers selected Gerry #1 overall in the 2006 United States Basketball League draft held on April 11, 2006. [7]
He was also drafted in the sixth round of the Continental Basketball Association draft by the Albany Patroons on September 26, 2006. The Patroons will hold Gerry's rights for two years.[8]
Gerry has a brother, Timothy, and two sisters, Bridget and Maureen.
Gerry's legions of fans were dubbed McNamara's Band by the media.
Gerry wore number 31 while at Bishop Hannan High School, 3 while at Syracuse University, and is wearing number 4 with the Bakersfield Jam.
Gerry was named the 20th greatest athlete in Scranton-area history by the Scranton Times in 2004.
Gerry can currently be seen in local television advertisements in Syracuse, NY. The most popular ad being for Fernando's Automall.
[edit] Personal Life
Gerry is engaged to be married mid-summer 2007.
