Gerry McNamara enjoyed a storied college career at Syracuse, winning a national championship and earning various individual honors, but his professional career did not get off to the start that he had planned. McNamara signed a lucrative contract to play in Greece, but grew frustrated due to a lack of playing time. Now that he's taken his talents to the D-League's Bakersfield Jam, McNamara has emerged as one of the league's best point guards.

The BIG EAST career leader in three-pointers made has been enjoying his time in the D-League so far. He is currently averaging 13.5 points and ranks third in the D-League with 7.3 assists.

Gerry McNamara is one the D-League leaders in assists. Garrett Elwood/NBAE/Getty Images

"Playing for Bakersfield has been good. It's a lot of fun, I like my teammates and I like the coaches, so just to be in this situation I'm thankful," said McNamara. "A lot of people are working in nine-to-fives, and we get to do what we like to do. It's a blessing that we're here and just a step away from the greatest basketball league, the NBA."

McNamara came to the Jam to get as much playing time as possible, and stepped into the starting lineup almost as soon as he arrived. McNamara feels that one of the D-League's best assets is giving him the playing time that he needs to improve his game.

"Absolutely, I've been playing, which is what I came here to do. I was overseas and I wasn't getting any run, and here I get to play with talented guys and get a chance to prove myself, said McNamara. "I'm having fun with my teammates, enjoying myself, and just trying to go out and win games."

In his first appearance at the D-League showcase, McNamara enjoyed a solid outing in front of the crowd of NBA scouts. He scored 17 points and helped the Jam snap a losing streak with a win over the Arkansas RimRockers. McNamara feels that the Showcase is a great opportunity for any D-League player.

I think it's great, because guys who don't receive a lot of exposure may get that exposure here," said McNamara. "There's a lot of scouts and a lot of teams here watching so it's a great situation. There are a lot of leagues all over the place that aren't as fortunate to have this. For us to be in this situation is pretty cool. Not to mention it's great for us to come out here and get a win when we've been struggling."

"Hopefully the scouts here think that I can offer a lot to an NBA team," added McNamara. "There's a lot of things that I think I can improve upon, but what better to imrove than at the NBA. The way you can get better is by playing against the best competition possible. I'm excited for this opportunity, and hopefully it works out."

McNamara, who won a national championship as a freshman at Syracuse, is now coached by Jim Harrick, who also won a national title as the head coach at UCLA. McNamara is very happy to be coached by Harrick, who is known for letting his players do what they do best.

"Coach Harrick is a player's coach. He let's his guys go, and what you do well he lets you go out and do," said McNamara. "Jim Boeheim was the same way with me, a guy that plays to his strengths. Smart coaches do that, when they have players that can make plays, they let them make plays and Coach Harrick is the same. He is a guy that is all for the pushing the ball, making things happen. That's the way I like to play, so it is really fun to play for him."

As the season goes on, McNamara will continue to work on his game and do whatever he can to add to the Bakersfield win column. If he can attract some attention from NBA teams, so much the better, but as someone who is used to winning throughout his basketball career, Gerry McNamara knows that victories are the best way to get to the next level.

"My goals for this season are to get to the NBA, and win basketball games," said McNamara. "NBA teams are looking to win, so if you don't get it done at this level, they are not going to move you up to the next level. That's why the main focus right now is winning games."