9 potential candidates to replace Adrian Autry at Syracuse

There’s change in the air in western New York as Syracuse has announced that Adrian Autry will be relieved of his duties as head coach. The former Syracuse point guard had been at the helm for the Orange for the last three seasons after many years working under Jim Boeheim, leaving Syracuse thrust into a national coaching search for the first time in half a century.

Born in North Carolina before later growing up in Harlem, Autry arrived at Syracuse was back in 1990 and was a guard for the Orange for four seasons. He would spend more than a decade playing professional ball largely at the international level before taking a few high school jobs in the mid-2000’s. Autry’s reintroduction to college ball came on staff at Virginia Tech, but he returned home to Syracuse on Boeheim’s staff in 2011.

Following twelve seasons on the bench, including seven as associate head coach, Autry was promoted to head coach in 2023 after Boeheim’s retirement. The recent work out of the Orange had been far from impressive and unfortunately that trend continued these last few years. Autry’s debut saw 20 wins and a tie for 5th in the ACC, but his Syracuse teams finished under. 500 and in 14th place each of the last two seasons.

Prior to Autry’s promotion, Boeheim had been head coach for 47 years, meaning this truly is the first wide-scale head coaching search in half a century. The Orange simply have not competed on the level many expected since joining the ACC over a decade ago and will look for the new blood that can push them over the hump in this challenging league. We’ll run through a few names that immediately pop up as potential candidates.

Joe Gallo

Thanks to his recent work, Gallo is a rising name you’ll see mentioned for many prominent openings especially on the east coast. The former Merrimack guard and assistant has done marvelous things as the program’s head coach over the last decade. His Warriors did great at the D2 level and have had a fantastic first taste at D1 as well, already winning regular season crowns in both the NEC and MAAC. Gallo is a winner and program builder, though that’s quite the leap to an ACC program that hopes to contend nationally.

Bryan Hodgson

While Hodgson’s name is coming up for several power conference openings, this Syracuse opening is one that honestly makes a ton of sense for both sides. He’s a native of western New York, and spent much of his playing and early coaching career in that part of the country. Hodgson really caught on at nearby Buffalo on Nate Oats’ staff before following him to Alabama. What’s followed has been great and quick rebuilding success at both Arkansas State and South Florida, including the American regular season crown this year. Could Hodgson produce that similar quick turnaround with the Orange?

Mike Hopkins

Certainly a wild card in this search, Hopkins lived and breathed Syracuse basketball for nearly three decades. A shooting guard for the Orange in the early 90’s, Hopkins spent 22 years on Boeheim’s coaching staff, including a 9-game stint as interim head coach during the 2015-16 season. It was around that time he was designated as Boeheim’s successor before bolting for his first head coaching shot at Washington. Ups and downs followed with the Huskies, including a Pac-12 title, but you have to wonder if Hopkins is even on the radar, especially since he’s been in the NBA the last two seasons.

Matt Langel

Every year Syracuse plays nearby Colgate and they get a good look at what Langel means to that basketball program. He cut his teeth under the great Fran Dunphy, playing for him at Penn before joining his coaching staffs both there and with Temple. Langel took the head coaching gig at Colgate way back in 2011 and got to work, turning the Raiders from an afterthought into a dominant Patriot League program. Langel recently took the Raiders to five straight NCAA Tournaments and has a few upset wins over Syracuse during that stretch and could be an intriguing breath of fresh air to this program.

Gerry McNamara

Quite possibly the favorite in many peoples’ eyes, McNamara spent nearly two decades at Syracuse and certainly knows a lot about winning basketball in western New York. He was a guard for the Orange in the early 2000’s and was back on campus as a graduate manager not too long after. He was an assistant coach for 13 years, overlapping briefly with Autry for his first season at the helm. Skipping over last time for the top job, McNamara left town for his first chance with Siena and just took the Saints to the MAAC Tournament title and his first trip to the NCAA Tournament as head coach. Is it time to bring him home for similar success?

Luke Murray

Seemingly destined to someday become a college head coach, Murray has picked up a ton of experience on D1 staffs over the years. He’s bounced around nine different schools, notably spending many years with Chris Mack and Dan Hurley, including the last five on the UConn bench. Murray has really come into attention for his work constructing a pair of national championship teams and seems ready to spread his wings and run his own program. If Syracuse is fine with another head coach without any previous experience, then Murray is one of the most appealing assistants out there.

Josh Schertz

Schertz is one of those notable mid-major head coaches that will come up for all of these types of openings and there are clear reasons for that. The Brooklyn native was already fantastic coaching Lincoln Memorial at the D2 level but has spent the last few years building marvelous teams at both Indiana State and Saint Louis. His Sycamores nearly won the NIT in 2024, while this year’s version of the Billikens is one of the top mid-majors this season. He certainly looks ready for the next step and hopes are he could have Syracuse turned around pretty quickly just the same.

Takayo Siddle

The immediate attention might fall on other names but Siddle could be a sneaky good hire for the Orange. Early coaching experience came for him under names like Kevin Keatts and Chris Holtmann, including a three-year stint on Keatts’ staff at NC State. Siddle’s first head coaching job has come at UNC Wilmington and it’s been impressive, winning 132 games, a CBI title, and making an appearance in last year’s Big Dance. Siddle does have those few years working in the ACC in his pocket and is an intriguing young name in the mix at just 38 years old.

Tony Skinn

Over the last decade, Skinn has had quite the collegiate coaching experience, but we can’t ignore what he did on the basketball court. He was a big part of George Mason’s unforgettable run to the Final Four in 2006 and he’s trying to match that as their head coach two decades later. After solid work assisting and recruiting for Seton Hall, Ohio State, and Maryland, Skinn took the Patriot’s head coaching job three years ago and already has won 70 games. Skinn’s team is in fantastic shape and if he wishes to leave his alma mater than Syracuse might be the exact kind of job that lures him away.