Gerry McNamara, former Syracuse star and current Siena head coach, is raising four kids around the game he loves.
Gerard Thomas McNamara, born August 28, 1983, in Scranton, Pennsylvania, is one of the most decorated players in Syracuse University basketball history.
A guard who never missed a start across his four seasons (2002-2006), he helped lead the Orange to the 2003 NCAA National Championship and finished his career as the program’s all-time leader in three-pointers made (400), minutes played (4,799), and free-throw percentage (.888).
After a brief professional career overseas and in the NBA G League – including a 2008 training camp stint with the Utah Jazz – he returned to Syracuse in 2009 as a graduate assistant and spent 15 seasons working up to associate head coach under Jim Boeheim and Adrian Autry.
On March 29, 2024, McNamara was named the 19th head coach in Siena College men’s basketball history. In his second season, he led the Saints to a 23-11 regular season record and the MAAC conference tournament championship – Siena’s first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2010.
Gerry McNamara and Wife Katie’s Four Children – Sons Gerry Jr. and Patrick, and Daughters Maggie and Grace – Have Been at the Center of Every Major Decision in His Coaching Career
Gerry McNamara and his wife, Katie Marie Stott McNamara, married on July 21, 2007, in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and have built a family of four children together. According to Siena University Athletics’ official coaching profile, the couple’s children are sons Gerry Jr. and Patrick, and daughters Maggie and Grace. The same names and order are confirmed across multiple official sources, including the Syracuse University Athletics release announcing McNamara’s departure in March 2024.
Grace is the youngest of the four. A 2015 announcement on the Syracusefan.com fan forum confirmed that she was born at the time as the couple’s third child, with the message noting that “proud Daddy says both mother and daughter are doing great.”
A 2017 local television feature on WSYR in Syracuse documented McNamara and Katie managing life with “three children under the age of 5” – placing the three older children’s births in the window between their 2007 marriage and 2017.
A fourth child, confirmed across all current official sources, followed after that period.
The McNamara children grew up inside the Syracuse basketball program in a very literal sense. McNamara has spoken openly about bringing Gerry Jr., Patrick, Maggie, and Grace to practices at the Carrier Dome and later the Melo Centre, treating those environments as part of family life rather than a separation from it.
He has described his role as a father as the most meaningful accomplishment of his time in Syracuse, ranking it above the Final Four runs he helped engineer in 2013 and 2016.
When McNamara formally accepted the Siena head coaching job and was introduced at a press conference at MVP Arena in Albany on April 2, 2024, the McNamara children were present in full force.
A report from the Troy Record noted that the incoming family had “raided the bookstore” before the event, swapping their Syracuse Orange gear for Siena Saints green and gold.
McNamara’s four children were seen running around the arena concourse during the ceremony – the same building where their father had won two games as a freshman during the 2003 NCAA Tournament on the way to the national title.
The Family’s Move From Syracuse to Albany Defined the Weight of McNamara’s Head Coaching Decision
Leaving Syracuse was among the hardest moments of McNamara’s professional life, and his children were central to why.
At his Siena introductory press conference, he said that “this place” – meaning Syracuse – “took care of my children,” and that the decision to leave weighed on him more than anything he had done on the basketball court. He framed the move explicitly around what it meant for his family, not just his career.
Siena’s Vice President and Director of Athletics, John D’Argenio, welcomed the children by name in the official hiring announcement, saying: “We are ecstatic to welcome Gerry, Katie, and their children into our Siena community.”
Syracuse Athletic Director John Wildhack echoed the sentiment in the university’s own departure statement, wishing “Gerry, Katie and their family the best as they embark on this new opportunity.”
Now settled in the Albany area, the McNamara children are growing up alongside one of college basketball’s most remarkable second-act stories.
In 2025-26, their father led Siena into March Madness for the first time in 15 years, guiding the team to a 23-12 overall record and an MAAC Tournament title before falling to No. 1 seed Duke 71-65 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Greenville, South Carolina.
Throughout that stretch, McNamara credited the team’s success in a way that also reflected how he thinks about fatherhood: “You get good players, you coach them right, you win, everybody gets recognition.”
The four McNamara children have spent their lives watching a father who brought the same calm consistency home that he preached on the sideline.
Katie has noted the contrast between his competitive intensity on the court and his patient, quiet demeanour at home.
For Gerry Jr., Patrick, Maggie, and Grace, the basketball gym has never been separate from family life. It has always been the same.
FAQs
How many kids does Gerry McNamara have?
Four. Two boys, two girls. Gerry Jr., Patrick, Maggie, and Grace, all with his wife Katie Marie Stott, whom he married back in 2007.
McNamara’s been pretty open about what matters to him. At his Siena coaching introduction, he said his life comes down to basketball and family. That’s it. His kids show up at the big moments, jersey retirements, coaching announcements, the whole thing.
Who is Gerry McNamara’s wife?
Gerry married Katie Marie Stott on July 21, 2007, shortly after his playing days at Syracuse wrapped up. The two actually grew up in the same Scranton, Pennsylvania, neighbourhood, making it a true hometown love story.
Who are Gerry McNamara’s parents?
Gerry was born to Joyce and Gerard McNamara in Scranton, Pennsylvania, the youngest of four kids. He grew up in a close, working-class household alongside his brother Timothy and sisters Bridget and Maureen.
What is Gerry McNamara’s family background?
The McNamara name has Irish roots, originally tracing back to County Clare and meaning “Son of the Hound of the Sea.” Gerry grew up the youngest in the family and was already a well-known name around Scranton long before his college days at Syracuse.
