The Daily Orange

The first thing to establish when discussing Gerry McNamara is that everything's been established. He's the senior from Scranton who draws a traveling crowd. He's the one who hit six first half 3-pointers as a freshman to help secure SU's only national championship.

Gerry McNamara came to Syracuse in the fall of 2002 after leading Bishop Hannan High School in Scranton, Pa., to a state title the previous spring. He'll play his final game in the Carrier Dome in front of a new NCAA on-campus record crowd when Syracuse hosts No.

Let's get something straight: Gerry McNamara didn't ask for this. No matter how he plays, he's the same broken record after every game, repeating cliché after cliché about how it's always about wins and losses, never himself. And I think he genuinely means every word of it.

Gerry McNamara arrived at Syracuse and has since started every game of his career, hit six first-half 3-pointers in SU's lone national championship, proved clutch with game-winners and dove for every loose ball along the way. And he's done it all with what seems to be a humble, down-to-earth attitude.

Syracuse assistant coach Mike Hopkins calls Gerry McNamara the Mad Hatter, and for good reason. The senior guard has done a little bit of everything in his career at Syracuse. He's nailed six three-pointers in the first half of the 2003 NCAA Championship game to help lead SU to a victory over Kansas.

For three months, Gerry McNamara traded a basketball for a fishing pole. And take it from McNamara - it wasn't a very hard compromise. Not when his leg hurt so badly he felt like he could cut it off. On Jan. 20, McNamara hobbled up and down the court against Seton Hall.

You can hear it in Jim Nantz's voice - dread, disgust, alarm - listen, it's there every time, even on playback, even eight months removed, even though you've seen the replay enough times to know exactly what is going to happen. "Look at this shot!" Nantz screeches incredulously.

SCRANTON, Pa. - Cheers, to Gerry McNamara, from the Guinness line at Cosgrove's Clubhouse & Tavern, where never before could one 19-year-old Irish boy claim so many unacquainted cousins. Cheers from the Carrier Dome upper deck and its 52 busloads of adoring Scrantonians - 2,000 in all - who marched two hours north to flute their support, in a fan club called "McNamara's Band," for a freshman point guard scoring 14.

Local hoops hero Gerry McNamara stood in a crowd at Coatsville High School in Pennsylvania surrounded by fans who had caught wind of his legend. In every direction he looked, pens and papers clamored for attention. Everyone wanted his autograph. Overwhelmed, McNamara paused to reflect on what this meant.