University’s Desire to Rise in the National Rankings Is Aided By Increase Athletic Resources
At first thought, the news can be staggering. So you’re telling me that the g—d— men’s basketball team, which just finished the season 2-26, which hasn’t won a conference home game since 2008, which we, the students, already pay $2.
After failing to score a basket in the final five minutes of the half, the Rams found themselves down 34-18 to Bowling Green at halftime. The team had plenty to deal with the past few days and was not on its game, but someone at Fordham certainly was – “I’ve seen better days” could be heard playing from the speakers in the Rose Hill Gym, and few could have described the situation better.
With former head coach Dereck Whittenburg no longer at the helm of the men’s basketball program, Fordham is moving forward with interim Head Coach Jared Grasso, who takes over as the youngest active Division I head coach at the tender age of 29.
With one of Fordham’s most anticipated recruiting classes and another year of experience for the remaining young players, many expected improvement over a 3-25 2008-2009 season for the Fordham men’s basketball team. However, after a disappointing 1-4 start, those expectations were not being met so Fordham has decided to fire Head Coach Dereck Whittenburg.
If you haven’t already heard, the men’s basketball program here at Fordham has been turned upside-down in fewer than 24 hours. Yesterday, Wednesday, Dec. 2, sophomore point guard Jio Fontan and his father announced that Fontan would not return to Fordham next semester and would immediately cease suiting up in a Fordham uniform.
“Major” Conference Projected Standings: Bold=NCAA Bid Italics=NIT Bid ACC Big East Big 12 1.
The Atlantic 10 Conference never gets the national respect it deserves. The six “Major” conferences always receive anywhere from four to eight NCAA bids while the A-10 toils for anything, managing to earn three the past two years but only one each of the previous three, despite boasting nationally recognized programs and players year in and year out.
Just about the only good part of a bad season is looking to the future. As poorly as Fordham performed last season (fifth-worst record in NCAA Division I) and there being 339 places higher than that season’s finish, the Rams can and are looking to the future, starting now.
2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013 2013-2014 1 HTanner 2 BButler BButler (RS) 3 JGreen JGreen 4 AEstwick AEstwick AEstwick 5 RMoquette RMoquette RMoquette RMoquette 6 KGordon KGordon KGordon KGordon (RS) 7 LBrown LBrown LBrown LBrown 8 CGaston CGaston CGaston CGaston 9 DThompson DThompson DThompson DThompson 10 FAlihodzic FAlihodzic FAlihodzic FAlihodzic 11 BMelvin BMelvin BMelvin BMelvin 12 BFreeman (ineligible) BFreeman BFreeman BFreeman BFreeman 13 Non-scholarship: Matt Beck (senior), Ryan Hage (sophomore), Nicholas Checovich (freshman), Kyle Kesses (freshman) 2010 Commitments: SG Sean Armond, 6'2" Grade: 40* Verbal SF Jayon James, 6'5" 225 lbs.
