SCRANTON -- The Syracuse Orange are in the Final Four.
They take on Michigan this weekend, and when they do a Scranton native will be helping coach them along.
Gerry McNamara's parents sat down with Newswatch 16's Sarah Buynovsky Thursday night, just before they hit the road for Atlanta, where the Orange are scheduled to play Saturday night.
Gerry McnNamara played high school basketball at Bishop Hannan High School.
He then went on to Syracuse University, where as a freshman he helped lead the Orange to a National Championship in 2003.
That was the last time Cuse was in the Final Four.
This time around, McNamara is a coach for the Orange.
Gerry McNamara was a basketball star in Scranton.
He played ball at Bishop Hannan High School, graduating in 2002, then going on to play for Syracuse.
As a freshman, he and Carmelo Anthony, now an NBA star, led the Orange to the NCAA title.
"Gerry has worked hard, the team has worked hard and we're just as excited about the team, but it's a little different when it's your own child out there playing," said Gerry's mother, Joyce McNamara.
Mcnamara's parents and most of his family live in Scranton.
They have been cheering for him his whole life and they are not alone.
When McNamara played at Syracuse, busloads of people from the Scranton area would head up the interstate to watch him.
"It's amazing how many Syracuse fans there are in this area, and I think a lot because of the fact that they followed Gerry and they still to this day continue to follow him which is pretty cool," said Gerry's father, Gerry McNamara.
The McNamaras said they know their son is a good coach, one who can help head coach Jim Boeheim and the other assistants lead the team all the way.
"He's going for the opportunity of his second ring, one as a player and now one as a coach, so we're keeping our fingers crossed and hope that he winds up with another ring," said Gerry McNamara.
The McNamaras said they have relatives who will be gathering at their Scranton home to watch the big game Saturday, while they are cheering on their son in Atlanta.