Ryan Daly, Ben Lee and Arinze Onuaku have joined the Syracuse men’s basketball staff as assistant coaches, according to Coach Gerry McNamara.
Daly came to the Orange from Virginia Commonwealth, where he was an assistant coach for Phil Martelli Jr. The Rams were NCAA Tournament participants this past season. Lee and Onuaku were assistant coaches at Siena under McNamara. The Saints also earned an NCAA Tournament invitation in 2025-26.
DALY COACHING CAREER
Daly helped guide VCU to a 28-8 overall record and the Atlantic 10 Tournament Championship in his one campaign with the Rams. The year prior he was a part of Martelli Jr.’s staff at Bryant. The Bulldogs were 23-12, claimed the America East Championship, and competed in the NCAA Tournament. Daly had a two-year tenure, from 2022 to 2024, as an assistant coach at Albany. He was on the staff of coach Dwayne Killings.
DALY PLAYING CAREER
He was first team AAA All-State, first team All-Main Line, and first team All-City at Archbishop Carroll High School (Pa.). Daly played two seasons at Delaware, where he was a third team All Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) selection each year. He was the 2016-17 CAA Rookie of the Year.
He transferred to Saint Joseph’s and, after sitting out the 2018-19 season, he led the Atlantic 10 in scoring (20.6 ppg.) and was voted third team all-conference. Daly’s final season was cut short by an injury.
LEE COACHING CAREER
In his two years on McNamara’s staff at Siena, Lee was an integral part of the program’s dramatic turnaround. The Saints produced a 10-win improvement in 2024-25, Lee’s first season with the program, and followed with a 23-12 campaign that included a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Tournament title and NCAA Tournament berth.
He had two stints on the basketball staff at Washington, first as a graduate assistant coach (2019-20) and then as director of operations (2022-23) and later an assistant coach and director of recruiting (2023-24).
In between, Lee was the director of Marquee Hoops and vice president of events for MADE Hoops, both industry leaders in youth basketball.
LEE PLAYING CAREER
Lee was a four-year member and captain of the basketball team at Union (N.Y.). The Dutchmen won two Liberty League Tournaments and earned two NCAA Division III Tournament berths during Lee’s tenure.
THE LEE FAMILY
A native of Great Neck, N.Y., Lee is married to Liana.
ONUAKU COACHING CAREER
Onuaku’s initial college coaching position was at Siena. An assistant during the two-year tenure of Gerry McNamara as head coach, Onuaku played a key role in the program’s 10-win upgrade in the first season. In the second campaign, the Saints won the 2026 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament and played in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2010.
Onuaku started his coaching career as a youth basketball trainer. From 2021-22, he was a part of the NBA Assistant Coaches’ Program. He served as a head coach in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament and was an assistant coach in the G League Elite Camp. Onuaku also worked as a varsity girls basketball assistant coach at Holton-Arms School (Md.).
In 2022-23, Onuaku was an assistant coach for the Capital City Go-Go, the NBA G-League affiliate of the Washington Wizards. One year later, he served as an assistant coach at Gonzaga College High School (Washington, D.C.).
ONUAKU PLAYING CAREER
Onuaku prepped at Episcopal High School (Md.) and was named team MVP in 2005. He played 134 games and accumulated 1,232 points and 804 rebounds at Syracuse. The Orange made the NCAA Tournament in three of his seasons and the NIT in the other. He is the Syracuse career leader in field goal percentage (.648). Onuaku was named to the BIG EAST Conference All-Academic Team four years and earned Syracuse Athletic Director Honor Roll recognition in eight of 10 semesters.
Between 2011-2019, Onuaku played professionally in the United States and abroad. He competed with four different NBA teams – New Orleans and Cleveland (2013-14), Minnesota (2014-15), and Orlando (2016-17). Onuaku participated in the NBA Developmental League and was a three-time all-star (2013-15) for the Cleveland Cavaliers affiliate, the Canton Charge. He earned 2014 NBA D League Third Team and 2015 Second Team recognition. Onuaku was the 2016 NBA Summer League MVP as a member of the Orlando Magic.
He played overseas in Lithuania (2011), China (2014, 2017, 2018), Israel (2015-16), Philippines (2016, 2018) and Bahrain (2019). In 2016 he was named the Philippine Basketball Association Best Import of the Conference Award.
https://cuse.com/news/2026/4/6/mens-basketball-mcnamara-announces-staff-additions
