Syracuse hires former player Gerry McNamara as coach

Gerry McNamara, who led Syracuse to its lone national title in 2003 as the point guard, was named the school's head coach on Tuesday.

McNamara, 42, was the head coach at Siena the past two seasons, guiding the Saints to the NCAA Tournament this season after winning the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament. As a No. 16 seed, Siena gave top-seeded Duke a scare in the first round on Thursday before losing 71-65.

Before taking over at Siena, McNamara served as an assistant coach...