Syracuse hires former star guard Gerry McNamara as coach

Syracuse has turned to its past in hiring former star guard Gerry McNamara in a bid to guide a fading men’s basketball program back to prominence. The 42-year-old McNamara, nicknamed “G-Mac,” is returning to where he and Carmelo Anthony led the Orange to a national championship in 2003. McNamara then spent 14 years as an assistant under Hall of Fame coach Jim Boeheim and an additional season under his successor, Adrian Autry. Now he replaces Autry, who was fired after three largely disappointing seasons in which the Orange went 49-48 and extended their NCAA Tournament drought to five seasons.