The departure of Dusty May for the NBA is another reminder that college basketball has a problem.
And strangely enough, it should make Syracuse fans feel better about where their program is headed.
May is exactly the type of coach every school wants. He resurrected Florida Atlantic, took the Owls to a Final Four, landed one of the premier jobs in college basketball at Michigan, and quickly led the Wolverines to a natty.
Yet he’s gone to the NBA.
Why?
Because the job of being a college basketball coach barely resembles coaching anymore. Recruiting never stops. The transfer portal never stops. NIL fundraising never stops. Roster management never stops. And there are no guardrails or consistent rules enforcements.
The profession has become so exhausting that some of the sport’s best coaches have either retired, walked away, or openly questioned how long they want to keep doing it.
May himself recently admitted recently to CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander he wasn’t sure he’d be coaching for another decade. And he had one of the best jobs in the country.
A coach in the prime of his career, winning at a high level, already contemplating how long he wants to stay in the profession.
That says everything. Which brings us to Syracuse.
For years, Orange fans have worried whether the program could survive in this new world. Adrian Autry admitted near the end of his tenure that Syracuse “was not ready” for NIL, the portal, and the changing realities of college athletics.
The concern was legitimate. But the arrival of Gerry McNamara has changed the conversation.
Because unlike so many coaches who sound exhausted by the modern game, McNamara sounds energized by it.
Every public appearance has featured a coach eager to attack the challenge. He’s recruiting relentlessly. He’s embracing fundraising. He’s leveraging alumni. He’s talking openly about roster construction.
He’s hiring young coaches who understand modern players.
Most importantly, he sounds like somebody who wants to be here.
That’s an underrated advantage.
Dusty May can leave Michigan for the NBA because Michigan is a job.
For McNamara, Syracuse is something different.
It’s his alma mater. It’s the place that changed his life. It’s the place where he became a legend. There is no NBA job that can replicate that connection.
There is no professional franchise where McNamara will ever mean as much as he means at Syracuse.
At a moment when college basketball is driving accomplished coaches away, the Orange may have found someone who actually wants to fight for the future.
And that could end up being one of Gerry McNamara’s biggest advantages.
