Winning a national championship is hard for Gerry McNamara ’06 to describe. “That’s why we do what we do,” he says. Now Syracuse’s head basketball coach, McNamara is chasing that feeling again, this time from the sideline.

McNamara is carrying the torch for the Syracuse basketball community, playing for something bigger than himself, from the students and players who came before him to Jim Boeheim.

To win, he says, playing hard is non-negotiable, and he expects his players to bring the fight to every possession of every game so the Orange are in position to win when it matters.

Back at the place that shaped him, he’s ready for the task ahead: “This is exactly where I want to be.”

In the latest episode of My Syracuse University Story, McNamara traces his path from recruit to player to assistant coach to head coach.