Sound-off with Sinkoff
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Sound-off with Sinkoff
Episode #12: Gerry McNamara - From Syracuse to Siena
Gerry McNamara, the new head coach at Siena College, joins Brian Sinkoff on the latest episode of "Sound-off with Sinkoff".
They discuss McNamara's career at Syracuse, including winning the national championship as a freshman and his relationship with coach Jim Boeheim. McNamara also talks about his transition into coaching, his experience as a graduate assistant at Syracuse, and his journey to becoming the head coach at Siena. He shares his thoughts on recruiting, the challenges of the transfer portal and NIL, and his goals for the Siena program.
Hello and welcome everybody to Sound Off with Sink Off. I am Brian Sink Off here with you with a very special guest Really excited to have this gentleman on with me on Sound Off, and that is Jerry McNamara, the new head coach at Siena College. Jerry, how are you today?
Speaker 2:Brian, I'm doing well. It's good to see you Long way from our days in scranton pa yes.
Speaker 1:So uh kind of give everyone the background, I uh, prior to uh being on in in albany and then in in norfolk, virginia, I worked in scranton. Uh back in 2000, 2001, which was jerry's junior season at Bishop Hannon, covered him in Scranton and was actually there, jerry, on the day you made your announcement going to Syracuse. So we're going to talk about Siena, we're going to talk about, obviously, your Syracuse career. But take me back to that time. That day, as a junior, you make that announcement to go to Syracuse, and looking back at it now how your life has changed and sort of the trajectory of your life since that time, yeah, I, all these years later, I still think about that decision.
Speaker 2:just how lucky I was that I chose the right one. You know, not just for my playing career and having the opportunity to go somewhere where I had a big role and was able to showcase and play with great teammates, but to have the relationships. All these years later, mike Hopkins, who recruited me he and I are as close as we've ever been. Coach Boeheim has been a mainstay in my life since the recruitment process and, you know, gave me another opportunity professionally. You know, in my playing days I felt like I just physically, you know, left ankle was destroyed.
Speaker 2:I didn't really want to play overseas and you know, it's just, it was a. I knew it back then. It was the right decision. I'm grateful for it today that it was the right decision because of the relationships I've kept and it's given me a different avenue professionally that I didn't see. Coming out of college I never thought about coaching. I was always thinking about playing, playing in the NBA and doing all that. So just really lucky that I was recruited by good people that are still in my life today.
Speaker 1:Jerry, your freshman year. Your team was phenomenal. Carmelo yourself, I mean you just you had a star-studded cast. You win the national title as a freshman. Carmelo a freshman as well, obviously goes to the league after that. Take me back to that time your freshman year. You're you're brand new. You're handed the starting point guard gig at Syracuse and and you make that run.
Speaker 2:Yeah, special, special group, you know it, just the evolution of what we became. I knew we were talented, but just that year, what we became. I remember going home for Thanksgiving and hanging with friends and they were asking me a million questions about us and I was like, yeah, we're pretty good, you know we're okay. And then by the time I had gone home for Christmas, I was like, yeah, we're pretty good, you know, we're okay. And then by the time I had gone home for Christmas, I was like, we're really good, I think we're very good.
Speaker 2:Um, so just, I was really lucky that I was surrounded by the talent I was when I played at Syracuse and Carmelo was to that point to this day he's the best player I've ever stepped foot on a court with and it was evident right from the start. Just terrific, you know. So it was just kind of a fairy tale, really a fairy tale year, because we had we had won a state championship at Bishop Hannon and I think it was inside of a year I don't even think it was a full year later that we won a national championship, or might have been right outside a full year, where you know, back-to-back championships, just like a fairytale type start to a career.
Speaker 1:You look at what that team did and what you did and how you. You, let's face it, your notoriety, your popularity after your freshman year and you kind of hinted at it, even going home was off the charts. Jerry, how did your life change after that freshman year at Syracuse?
Speaker 2:I was probably more recognized, I'd say, than I had ever been. But it didn't. You know, my life didn't really change. You know I still had the same circle I always had. I never changed who I was.
Speaker 2:You know I understood that the reason I was being paid attention to was because of my play. So I always kept that at the forefront. It was about the work that I had put in to become a good player. That was the reason I was recognized in the first place. So don't stop that process. That's got to be the main thing.
Speaker 2:But you know, I'd say, you know, probably open some doors professionally because more people know you, there's eyes on your program. You help draw people, hopefully more fans, into the Syracuse program. And you know, all these years later, you know, just to still be recognized as a college basketball player and what I was able to do in the four years I played, um, you know. So that's just just a little bit more visibility in terms of, uh, more eyes on me. Uh, you know Scranton had already kind of had their eyes on me because we had some really good teams at Bishop Hand when I played and, you know, drew a lot of interest in the state of PA. But you know, once I hit Syracuse and hit the national stage it kind of blew up a little bit.
Speaker 1:Jerry, what was it like playing for Coach Boeheim? Obviously a legendary head coach you mentioned opened a lot of doors for you and you know, I know, it was an honor to play for him. But from your perspective, what was that like?
Speaker 2:It was great, you know. It exceeded anything that I thought it would be, and mainly because of how he treated me, especially at the end of my career when I had a stress fracture in my pelvic bone and you know I was facing a little bit of criticism going into the Big East tournament in 2006. And he came to bat for me and, you know, stuck up for me, stuck up for me and then again, you know, as I started professional career, he's the one that same thing sticks up for me and gives me an opportunity because he believed in me as a player, as a professional, as a coach. So he's just been, he's he's other than my father. He's been the biggest influence on my life in terms of, you know, having an adult man figure in your life, of who could help guide you. He opened up doors for me. That you know.
Speaker 2:I started playing basketball because I loved it. It wasn't for anything other than that and it's taken me to places, really, that I never envisioned. I just fell in love with the game, and Coach Boeheim is a reason, to be honest, that I'm envisioned. I just fell in love with the game, and coach Bayheim is a reason to, to be honest, that I'm sitting here today. He's the one that encouraged me to get back to Syracuse and start my coaching career. He thought I'd be good at it, so, uh, I just owe so much of my life. I attribute it to, to him being in it.
Speaker 1:All right, we, we have to talk about your run in the, uh, big East tournament. I believe that was your senior year, right? If I'm not mistaken. You a special place in your heart. But your run in that, you know, in that tournament is honestly still talked about today, and I'm showing you a picture of, I think, the game against Georgetown. What was that like, jerry, because I know watching it as a fan it was unbelievable, had to be even more unbelievable for you playing.
Speaker 2:It was very satisfying for a number of reasons. We went in that tournament. We were on the outside looking in in terms of the bubble. We faced Cincinnati in the first round and it was kind of a toss-up. We had split during the season. We beat them at their place and they rocked us at the Dome. So it was kind of like whoever wins this eight, nine matchup is probably in the tournament. And then we won that on like a floater at the end of the game. And you know, then it was like, oh, they're probably not in, they probably have to beat uconn. So then we beat uconn and then the next night it's like all right, they're probably squarely in, but you got georgetown and we beat georgetown and then you face pitt.
Speaker 2:So to you know, really the three biggest rivals of my career were literally three nights in a row UConn, georgetown, pittsburgh, like the three. You know the league is so good and that was like the start of like a peak that hit like a seven, eight year stretch where the Big East was just so, so good, so competitive, and it always has been. But those years were, the talent level was through the roof. So to beat your three rivals and three consecutive nights on your way to a championship. And we defended, you know, the year before we won it. We won it in 2005. So we won it again in 2006,. We went back to back. People don't talk about that Like that, that's what I was thinking Like. We defended our title and the big East tournament, you know. Um.
Speaker 2:So just a great week in general. But it was satisfying in terms of. I said to my dad, right before they called my name up to get the MVP, I said a lot of people ate their words this week. And he said you're damn right, they do so. I just always remember that moment with my father. I felt like I had earned at the end of my career. People didn't realize I was going through a stress fracture. I was playing for like 20 games. I was barely practicing just to be available for games and you know, coach stuck up for me because we're not going to divulge that information publicly. And I was going through a lot physically, you know, then to be questioned at the end of it if you felt like you accomplished enough to kind of justify your career, to kind of go out that way I'm just, it was it was very satisfying.
Speaker 1:You know, there's no secret. I mean, syracuse has had some great players in their history. You definitely, when you talk Syracuse basketball, especially in that 2000s era, your name is mentioned. You're a huge fan favorite in the Capital Region, as you know and we're going to talk about Siena here in a minute have you kind of thought about your place in Syracuse, lore, jerry and just I mean because you're still getting recognized and still being, you know high-fived about what you did at Syracuse.
Speaker 2:How do you feel about that all these years later? It hit me when my number went into the rafters. I don't think I've ever thought about my place or my standing in terms of you know I I think comparison, what do they say? It's the thief of joy. You know, like you, I don't want to be compared to Pearl Washington or Sherman Douglas. You know, I just want to be.
Speaker 2:If you're in those conversations and you left your imprint, did you leave it better than when you got there? You know like, that's the way I looked at it, and one of the things I tell the players that I work with for years is the way you play is a representation of who you are, and that's all I ever tried to do. I just tried to play the game with a certain toughness. I put winning above everything else. That's how I ever tried to do. I just tried to play the game with a certain toughness. I put winning above everything else. That's how I judged myself. I never evaluated my performance inside the 40 minutes. I waited until after the game, because I just always felt like you can handicap yourself if you are too hard on yourself in the moments because there's another moment to be had. So it's a 40-minute game and you fight until the end and then afterward you can get angry at yourself and really critique yourself and that's how you get better. But when you're inside the lines, you just got to lay it out there every possession. So that's really just at the end of the day you want to look back and just be proud of like man I left it out there. You don. At the end of the day, you want to look back and just be proud of like man I left it out there. Like that's. You don't ever want to have a regret and that's that's what I'm most proud about.
Speaker 2:I was available every night. I played 135 straight starts and there was a lot that went into that. My body to this day is not right. You know. My left ankle needs surgical repair. It's probably what ended my career earlier than I anticipated and um, but I wouldn't trade it. You know I wouldn't trade it for the world. I just I look back and that's the thing I'm most proud about. So I don't. I don't compare eras, I don't compare teams, I just did. I do what I needed to do and and help the program become, hopefully a little bit better. And you know we played in four straight NCAA tournaments in my tenure. I'm very proud of that.
Speaker 1:So you, you, you leave basketball. Yeah, obviously, you talked about your injuries professionally. Just just I know you went overseas and things of that nature, but let's talk about sort of your coaching career. July of 2009, you're going to be a graduate assistant underneath Boeheim. You didn't have any visions of coaching. You touched on that earlier. How did that come about? And then how did that evolve to where you are right now?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I met him. So I was there in 2008 for the sixth overtime game, so we stayed. My wife and I stayed. For the next night they went to overtime again and I said we got to stay for the championship, so we stayed again.
Speaker 2:So then I went over to the pregame meeting at the Eastside Marriott to listen to the pregame meeting with coach and I hadn't seen him. My wife had had seen him, so I wanted to talk to him, say hi to him. So then he and I started talking. We were talking about that that night's game, what he expected, how they were going to attack, all that stuff. And you know, then he started asking me what do you have next, this, this and that? And I was like, ah, you know, I'm kind of in, got selection Sunday. They're going to go to Miami.
Speaker 2:So I was back in Pennsylvania in between jobs it's a two-hour drive. I'm like, you know, I said to my wife I'm going to go watch them practice, like I'm just going to drive up, watch them practice, no intention at all. And then like, yeah, it's the cues, like I want to root them on and be a part of it and see them. And we were going to fly to miami to watch them play, because I had the time. So I went up to watch them practice.
Speaker 2:And that's when he kind of hit me with it, like why don't you come back and be a graduate assistant, get into coaching? And I was not prepared for it. I I told them I'd, coach, I don't think so, like I'll, you know, I'll think about it, and I just kind of put it on the back burner, um, and then they, they went into Sweet 16. I think they lost to Blake Griffin in Oklahoma. And a day or two went by and my phone rang and as soon as I saw the name I was like, oh my gosh, I forgot about the question, you know. So I answered the phone and we talked for a few minutes and he kind of talked me into it like why he thought it would be good for me. And you know, on that same phone call I said, coach, you know what, I think I'm going to take you up on it. And you know it was one of the best decisions I made because I truly loved the development process and the coaching side of things.
Speaker 1:It's been a rejuvenation of life that I needed. So you're on the bench at Syracuse for a while. Obviously, you get elevated and things of that nature and then the Siena job opens. And how did that come about in terms of you getting in the position, interviewing and then ultimately getting the gig? And you were hired as the 19th head coach in Siena men's history back in late March of this past year. So how did that come about, jerry?
Speaker 2:the whole hiring process.
Speaker 1:Yeah, just just you know you. You, sienna, you're at, you're at syracuse, you're on the bench. Were you looking for a head gig? You know what I mean? Obviously I know that's probably the end game there, right?
Speaker 2:yeah, I think most people, when they find an opportunity that they they're excited about, I would never leave Syracuse unless it was something that I thought made sense for myself, for my family. I was in a staff meeting at Syracuse. At that point we were already evaluating transfer portal guys. We were in like hours and hours of meetings every day just watching film on different guys that we maybe target. And it hit the Internet, like I was in the meeting and my phone started going, going, going, watch out for for Jerry McNamara, for Siena. So that's kind of how it started. But it wasn't until five, four or five days later that I was even contacted about it. Four or five days later that I was even contacted about it and then shortly after that, within 48 hours I think, I was on campus for kind of an interview and walk through and then it was a short period of time after that that I was actually offered the position.
Speaker 2:So I think it just aligned. I think it aligned with what they were looking for, what I was looking for if I was going to leave and to have a chance to run my own program at a place with history and incredible fan support. That's what makes me so excited about this is I understand the pride of where I'm coming from, like how it makes people feel when I played at Syracuse, when we coached at Syracuse, and this Siena basketball makes people feel. When I played at Syracuse, when we coached at Syracuse, and this Siena basketball makes people feel the same way they they come out to games, they support the program. This community, community rallies behind it, it has a tradition, so those things just kind of matched Catholic institution Like it. Just everything about the place and what they were looking for and I think who I am and how I do things. I think it made sense on their end and you know this, this place made a ton of sense on my end.
Speaker 1:You had obviously you guys played here when you went on the national title run back in 2003. You knew, you knew the capital region a little bit, but what did you really know about Siena before you took the gig? I know the fan base is is pretty, you know, you know about the fan base and things of that nature, but what did you know about this program before you came?
Speaker 2:You know as much as you could, I think, from the outside, you know I was so. I was so two feet in at Cuse over the last 20 years that I didn't write, you know. So my first experience was probably when we played here against them, when we came through the building the year before for the tournament, yeah, and then just over the years being in central New York you run into so many people that are that are graduates or alum of Siena and you know, again, it was like the pride thing. Like everyone, every one of them you talk to, there's Siena, siena, siena. I love it, I love it, you know. So.
Speaker 2:Then you know the France teams were probably the first teams that I was, you know, was old enough to appreciate those runs and NCAA tournament. I think it was Ohio State. And then guys like Louis Orr who was here and who was a good friend. I know Louis loved it here and you know, I know Lewis loved it here. So just familiarity with people that I know and people that have come through here that just had such a love for the place.
Speaker 1:Well, you get the job in late March, early April, and I know it was feet to the fire and go, go, go, jerry. How tough was it to sort of? I mean because, let's face it, you were a little late in the process, right in terms of recruiting and all that. How tough was it? Because you fundamentally had to turn over the entire roster, you had to hire assistant coaches. How hard was that to do in such a short amount of time? It's difficult.
Speaker 2:The one thing, the hardest part, was I had a two-bedroom apartment and Ben Lee, who I hired, flew in from Washington and stayed with me, and Ryan Bure, our director of operations, was staying on an air mattress that my wife brought up. So the three of us, we called it the frat. We were hanging out out and we got so much accomplished. And then coach black and and, and, uh renze, coach onawaku those guys were coming up when they could and we were doing visits. So 13 straight days and it was nine kids over 13 straight days that we did a visit. I've likened it to like Groundhog Day, bill Murray, by like the 10th day. I was like doing the same thing over and over, but we were really efficient. So, as difficult as it was, like we, we knocked it out in a short period of time and we targeted guys that we thought could help us right away. That a lot of them.
Speaker 2:We did have a relationship with A couple of them we didn't, and we were just.
Speaker 2:You know it was like speed dating. You know you were reaching out, developing a quick relationship, telling them who you are, what's your vision I really like your stuff on film we'd love to have you up type thing, and we hit those ones too. So you know, we went eight for our first eight, the first eight guys we had on campus committed. We actually went nine for our first nine, but we lost a guy to a bigger program, one that I didn't anticipate recruiting against, and then we just added another commitment in the last week. So I think overall we were like 10 for 12 or 10 for 13 on visits or nine for 12. So somewhere in that range, if you've got to fill that many spots, like it's very, very difficult if you miss, if you swing this now you're back to the drawing board and there's a lot of coaches that are sitting in my seat right now that don't have a full roster. So I just feel really blessed that we targeted the right guys and got them to commit.
Speaker 1:Jerry, I know it's early and you haven't seen this team in action. I know it's early and you haven't seen this team in action. You probably had some workouts and things of that nature, but what can you tell the Siena fans about this your team coming up for the new season, based on who you've recruited and and your coaching staff and what you've put together in such a short amount of time?
Speaker 2:The thing that I've noticed early is the fight like the. They're very competitive and I've brought in high character kids Like they're all really good kids that want to learn, want to get better. But anytime that I've done anything in practice, that is to a number. So we're going to play the first one to 11. We're going twos and threes at the end of practice out of a certain action that we put in that day. The games are always close and it's I've applauded them every day for it because that tells me that the winning part matters to them. So that's the most important thing now as far as who and what we become, you know that's that's to be determined. We've got to figure out ways to score the basketball and we're going to have to be efficient on that end. So that's why we're here this summer.
Speaker 2:So the you know, the first few weeks I've been really, really proud of them. I thought the first week was just so high level in terms of, and then you get that little hangover in second week like, oh yeah, the initial high of being on campus and you know. So I got on them a little bit for that second week and it picked up that last two days of that week and so far this week. Today's our day off and so so far this week they've been very, very good, ready to work, and you know, I'm just I'm grateful to them. You know this is my first group, so I'm just I'm really really grateful to the kids that are here.
Speaker 1:A couple of questions before I let you go. What have you found to be? You were an assistant. You were on the bench with Boeheim for many, many years, over a decade. What have you found to be maybe the biggest challenge, the biggest reward, since now? You're the guy. You've got to delegate right. You're in charge. You're the man. It's on your shoulders. So what is the biggest challenge and the biggest exciting thing about that?
Speaker 2:I think that second part is probably the most exciting. That's on me. You know I like that type of you. Know that motivates me, that drives me. So the product that's on the court, you know, the most important thing to me is the pride thing. So the product that's on the court and I told the players this you represent the sienna community now, so what you do matters and how you play, and then the representation piece matters to me. So we have to look a certain way, you have to play a certain way, because the people that watch you should be proud of you. Um, so we're gonna fight. You know that that's the most important thing to me. That's who I was, that's who I am.
Speaker 2:I'd say the most challenging thing has been you don't factor in everything. When you get a head coaching job, you think it's all coaching you do, and then you know you, you realize there's a heck of a lot more to it. You know, in terms of scheduling, budgeting, um, you know we had to get I had like six shoe boxes because we had to make sure, like immediately, like hey, let's, we've got to get the summer gear ready for these guys when they get here. I want them in siena stuff. This is what I want, so we designed all that.
Speaker 2:So we're doing that at the frat during visits till like midnight, and then you're getting up at 7 30 in the morning to go have breakfast with the recruit who's still on campus. So, right, you know, just no different than coming in as a freshman being a head coach. Um, everything is time management. It is, it's, it's. Can you manage your time to get the most production out of your day? And, um, it's gotten easier as I've gone, because we've started to chip away at the things that we thought needed to be addressed when we first got the job.
Speaker 1:Jerry, a question that I mean I'm I'm just such a huge college basketball fan. I've been for many, many years. One thing I find and I know this is challenging, especially in those mid-majors is sort of the NIL, the transfer portal. And you know, recruiting is probably so different for you now than it was even when you were in college. You know, you're right, you're looking at other programs, you're looking at JUCOs, you're looking at transfers. This is very different. So how are you going to deal and how have you been dealing with sort of the NIL and transferring and just kind of utter chaos controlled chaos, I guess, in college basketball?
Speaker 2:Yeah, the thing that bothers me is a lot of these acquisitions are transactional and you know I've said this. When it stops becoming about relationships for me, I need to get out. I'm not going to do it anymore, like I will step away from coaching at some point if it stops being about the relationships I build with people. So that's still going to be at the forefront of how I recruit. Now retention is more difficult, because your best player is just that you see the environment. Your best player is just as likely to leave as the kid that's not playing you don't know. Your best player is just as likely to leave as the kid that's not playing you don't know. And that's the biggest issue I have with all of this. It's not the transfer rule, it's not the NIL, it's the unlimited transfer rule. That's the biggest issue I have with this, that we've just opened it up completely. So there's no.
Speaker 2:I mean we used to have time off, like May and April. May, june, used to be a decompression phase for coaches. Now it's our most stressful time. They've had to move recruiting weekends because coaches weren't able to go on the road and recruit because they needed to fill a roster, so they were going in the transfer portal, they'd have two kids on campus and now you can't go to the recruiting event on the weekend because the most important thing is having a roster and and that's just it's. It's become, it's just become very difficult and and you know I could complain about it, but at least the guy on in the next program over is dealing with the same thing.
Speaker 2:So to me, retention is going to matter. Do I recruit kids? Do Do I treat them right? Do I develop those real relationships with them? And if I do right by them and treat them like men, with respect and maturity, but still coach them, you're probably still going to be in a better situation at the end to retain them because you've developed a real relationship. So I'm going to do my best not to make this thing transactional. The good thing about Sienna is we do have support, we do have a collective, so we do have help because you need it. I'd be lying to you to say if the conversation it has to be about the relationship, but at the end of the day, the way I look at it is, you still have to do your best to take care of these kids and every one of them. It's not just one guy, two guys. I don't think that's the model. So you know, I might do it a little bit differently, but I'm still going to keep it about the relationship that's got to be at the forefront.
Speaker 1:Obviously your resources and you know the community, syracuse versus Siena it's, you know, a little bit of apples to oranges, but I'm sure you relish that challenge, right? I mean, you're not in a power five here at Siena, but you do have the arena, the community, the media, as you know. I mean the media, it's phenomenal here. It's a big market, jerry. I mean you know this. So kind of contrast Siena versus Syracuse. In that regard it just this is different, for you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's just different. You know, that's all it is. I just look at it as it's just different. This is. You know, the great thing here is like the facilities are awesome. You know, the playing venue is incredible, the practice facility is great. You know, I think there's some things that you know. I'm not going to divulge here because I don't want to give my secrets away, but that I can enhance while I'm here, you know.
Speaker 2:But the, you know it is apples and oranges. I mean the reality of it is Power Five. You know ACC, you have more within what you're getting back from the conference financially. It just is what it is. You know.
Speaker 2:My thing is can you maintain a competitive balance within your league? You don't want to get blown out of the water of what X, y and Z schools can do to you. You've got to be on a competitive playing field to be in the running for the same caliber of talent a player. So you've got to match those certain things. I feel like we do. We do as well as anybody in this league and we can remain competitive. And you know, I think the biggest thing is your best recruiters are your players, you know.
Speaker 2:So the my reputation as a coach at Syracuse grew through the guys I worked with because I could go out and recruit the next kid. Cole Swider told me the story. He called Joe Gerard and was like hey, man, tell me the truth. How different is gmac when, when I, when I get on campus and joe's like nah, man, like he's this, he's literally the same dude that's recruiting you like. I'm not lying, like. So you know if it'll help you in recruiting, if you get it rolling and the guys that play for you like yo, I, I really like playing for this guy. He does right by us, he puts us in the right position. So if I could do those things, you know everything. It's the most important thing. Everything starts to elevate.
Speaker 1:I'm going to show you a picture in my last question for you. We're going to go old school. Look at this. Yeah, we're going back to the bishop, bishop hannon days right love, love that.
Speaker 1:And jerry, I I can just personally my personal anecdote about you. I remember I it was such a joy covering you in high school. I mean you, your team, and you know I'll be honest with you. Sometimes I looked at that layup line in some of those tournaments you guys played in and I was like there is no way bishop hannon is winning this game and you guys were like a well-oiled machine, obviously credit to you. But look at this picture and you can tell the a well-oiled machine, obviously credit to you. But look at this picture and you can tell the 17 year old jerry mcnamara anything. What are you telling that kid right there?
Speaker 2:make more shots in the second half. That's halftime. I had 41 and a half and I didn't. I didn't shoot a great in the second half, but but but about life, like about life, not that event you know, just keep doing it the way you're doing it.
Speaker 2:You know you're you're. You're getting recognition for a reason. Keep the main thing, the main thing, which is the work. Put your head down. Stay loyal to the people that got you here, that love you. Keep your circle tight with your friends. Put yourself in the right situations. Don't get around the wrong people. Not everybody has the same best intentions for you. Um, and I've done that, you know. Um, so I'd, I'd tell myself you're doing it the right way. Do right by people. Uh, you know, just continue to try to be humble. And you know I was kind of. You know I separated from, like college. I was very quiet. I went back to the apartment, like I just was focused on, you know, just trying to get it done there. And you know, just keep trying to do it the right way.
Speaker 1:I would tell them Well, I want to thank you so much for joining me. We go back 25 years at this point. I'm glad we were able to catch up again. One thing I like about you you're a genuine guy. I think Sienna hit a home run on your hire. I want to say that to you personally. Thank you, I really wish you nothing but luck and success and again, thanks for joining me. Jerry, my pleasure. Thank you, brian, appreciate you. All right, it's Jerry McNamara and this is SoundOff with Syncoff, sponsored by the Syncoff Realty Group, full service real estate brokerage in the capital region of New York. Make sure to like, share, subscribe. You know what to do. Thanks for watching the podcast. I appreciate you. Let's go, saints.
