After winning the American Conference at USF, former Nate Oats assistant Bryan Hodgson shot to the top of most head coaching candidate lists. He was reportedly in the mix to replace Adrian Autry at Syracuse before Providence pulled ahead and ultimately landed the up-and-coming 38-year-old head coach.
Whether or not he was their top choice, after the Western New York native officially left Tampa for Rhode Island, Syracuse quickly pivoted to former Jim Boeheim assistant and national champion point guard Gerry McNamara, plucking him away from Siena after giving Duke a scare in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Syracuse is riding a five-year NCAA Tournament drought, and even under Boeheim, it struggled after ditching the Big East for the ACC. Still, Hodgson’s preference for Providence over Syracuse was puzzling. At least until Matt Norlander of CBS reported that the program is prepared to pour $10 million into the Transfer Portal to set him up to win in Year 1.
Providence is preparing to pay up in the portal for Bryan Hodgson
In modern college basketball, being a great coach and elite recruiter only gets you so far if you don’t have the financial resources to match. Syracuse was lacking in the NIL department over Autry’s three-year tenure, but has committed to increasing its spending for McNamara…