Siena HC Gerry McNamara explains controversial no-sub strategy vs. Duke

The Siena Saints nearly pulled off the impossible as a No. 16 seed against the No. 1 Duke Blue Devils, but ultimately lost the game 71-65. During the contest, Gerry McNamara, the Siena head coach, never subbed his starters out of the game. He finally explains his controversial decision.

During the postgame press conference, McNamara claimed he just wanted to use the group of players that gave the Saints their best chance to win the game, according to Bryan Fischer of Sports Illustrated. It seemed to have worked in the first half, but Duke outplayed Siena in the second half.

“The way we looked, the way it felt to me, I went with a group that I thought could give us the best chance,” said McNamara.

Siena’s five starters played all 40 minutes of the game. That decision may have been the deciding factor, as the Saints appeared to be a bit gassed late in the second half. Meanwhile, Duke used a rotation of seven players, with Cameraon and Cayden Boozer both nearly playing 40 minutes a piece. But even they at least got two minutes of rest during the game.

Gerry McNamara, who is 42 years old, accepted the Siena head coaching job in 2024. It’s the first head coaching gig of his career after serving as an assistant coach under Jim Boeheim with the Syracuse Orange for about 14 years. After losing to Duke, perhaps he’ll use this NCAA Tournament loss as a learning experience moving forward.

The 2025-26 campaign was the first time since 2010 that Siena reached the NCAA Tourney. Despite the early exit, it appears the Saints have a bright future ahead. Especially if McNamara remains as head coach for next season.

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