While Penn State men's basketball coach Jerry Dunn and Athletic Director Tim Curley tried to work out a contract extension, the Nittany Lions missed out on their No. 1 recruiting target.

Friday morning at Bishop Hannan High School in Scranton, 6-foot-1 junior guard Gerry McNamara committed to Syracuse. McNamara, who would have been the biggest recruit ever for Dunn, said he picked the Orangemen because their coaching situation was secure and that he wasn't pleased with Penn State not quickly renewing Dunn's contract.

Gerry McNamara, Sr. said the family talked with Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim before Gerry made his decision and the veteran Orangemen coach said exactly what Gerry wanted to hear in regards to playing time and Gerry's role on the court.

"We were pretty confident on where Gerry fit in," the elder McNamara said. "In Coach Boeheim's eyes, he saw Gerry fitting in the same way we hoped he would fit in. We're hoping he's going to have a successful career."

Gerry said that his list was chopped from nine to a realistic four teams and then cut to only Syracuse and Penn State. McNamara, who is arguably the most heavily recruited basketball player ever from Northeastern Pennsylvania, said he was not pleased Dunn didn't receive a new contract and that the Lions would be losing a lot if they didn't get Dunn back next season.

Penn State has already lost out by not getting McNamara, a player who loved the offensive freedom Joe Crispin had with the basketball.

"I felt that I belong at Syracuse, and Jerry Dunn didn't get his contract renewed, that was the deciding factor on Penn State," McNamara told The Times Leader in Wilkes-Barre. "We just felt that after the year he had, he deserved it. There's no doubt about it. The whole family feels that way."

The unfortunate thing for Penn State is that Dunn felt that not having a contract was not a big factor going into spring recruiting. At his final news conference of the season a day before McNamara's commitment to Syracuse, Dunn said his recruits are comfortable with the current coaching situation at Penn State.

McNamara said he looked at the schools that were involved with him and selected the one with the most secure coaching position. Syracuse has a coach. Penn State, at least contractually, does not.

Now, with the spring AAU season heating up, McNamara can sit back and relax. He has his college commitment lined up and now looks forward to taking it easy on the summer circuit. Making his appearances at the Adidas ABCD Camp, Eastern Invitational Camp and a few AAU tournaments will be enough for the Scranton star.

McNamara is finished proving his game to college coaches. He will be headed to Syracuse after his senior year of high school, will play with the best in the Big East and will be almost positive Boeheim will be his coach from the first day he steps on campus until his last. That was the deciding factor, and that's what Penn State could not offer.

McNamara said early last week that he would delay his collegiate decision until after the summer basketball circuit, but his strong belief in Syracuse and the non-stop recruiting calls pushed his decision ahead.

"The unfortunate thing is you could only pick one," Gerry's father said. "All the horror stories of the demons of recruiting, that didn't happen with us."