PLYMOUTH – Gerry McNamara made a guest appearance Wednesday night at Canasawacta Country Club for a Chenango County Chamber of Commerce “Business After Hours” meet-and-greet co-hosted by investment firm Leigh Baldwin & Co LLC.

McNamara, one of Syracuse University’s most beloved basketball players, led the Orange to back-to-back Big East titles including a memorable four-game run in 2006 in which he almost single-handedly carried his team to an unlikely conference tournament victory. McNamara also played on the 2003 national championship team, and over his four-year career started all 135 games he played and set the school record for three-pointers made (297).

While pursuing a professional basketball career this past season, McNamara had his eye on the Orange, and was completely stunned by his alma mater’s exclusion from the NCAA tourney. “It was disgusting to me what happened,” McNamara said. “The sixth- and seventh-place teams get in, but the fifth-place team doesn’t? Those were my boys, and it was embarrassing to me as it was embarrassing to them. The way they played down the stretch...they did what they should have to make the tournament.”