Pecora Signs Four to National Letters of Intent

    Fordham men's basketball head coach Tom Pecora announced the signing of four players to National Letters of Intent for the 2010-11 season on March 10. Guards Branden Frazier and Lamount Samuell, Jr., forward Marvin Dominique and center Kervin Bristol will be the newest Rams suiting up at the Rose Hill Gym.

    The Rams' recruiting class exhibits Pecora and his staff's ability to attract the same players they were bringing into Hofstra to Fordham, as Bristol, Dominique and Frazier were all ether looking at or verbally committed to Hofstra prior to Pecora's defection.

    "We're excited about the contributions all four young men can make as we move forward" said Pecora. "We've brought stability and depth at a number of positions with the signing of these four student-athletes. They are A-10 caliber players and will contribute immediately to the growth of the Fordham basketball program."

    Kervin Bristol is a 6'10", 220-lbs. center from Port-au-Prince, Haiti, who played his last two seasons at Broward Community College in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. and will be the first junior college recruit Fordham has had in several seasons. Pecora began recruiting Bristol while still at Hofstra. As a sophomore last season, he averaged 12.4 points per game and led his team in rebounding with 10 per game. Most significantly, Bristol recorded 5.8 blocked shots per game. He is ranked No. 69 in the JucoJunction Top 150 and was invited to the Top 110 JUCO Basketball Select Camp. Bristol will contribute experience, size and shot-blocking to the Rams, all elements of the game the team is desperately in need of.

    The 6-7, 200-lbs. Marvin Dominique only deepens Fordham's core of talented wing players. Dominique committed to Hofstra and Pecora during the fall signing period before decomitting from the Pride and following Pecora to the Bronx. The small forward is a native of Miramar, Fla. and averaged 9.2 points and 6.8 rebounds in his senior season at Miramir High School before spending last season at Winchendon Prep School in Massachusetts. Dominique found great success at Winchedon, where he was named to the 2009 SAS Holiday Classic All-Tournament Team and the New England Recruiting Report rated Dominique the 18^th best player in Massachusetts. Scouts have described Dominique as "a long and athletic wing who impacts the game in a variety of ways with his high motor" and a player who "scores consistently around the rim." When Dominique committed to Hofstra, Pecora was quoted as saying he would "bring us a tremendous amount of athleticism on the perimeter."

   The Rams addressed their lack of guard depth and their often ineffective guard play by signing two very strong prospects in Samuell and Frazier. Samuell is a 6'4", 175-lbs. Brooklyn native whom the Rams are hoping becomes the attacking point guard they have so desperately needed since Jio Fontan's transfer. He originally committed to Robert Morris and their head coach, Fordham alumn Mike Rice, before going back on his commitment when Rice left for Rutgers. 

   Samuell played his high school years at Boys and Girls High School in Brooklyn. In Samuell's senior season he averaged 15.0 ppg, 6.6 rpg and 5.0 assists/game and was named All-Brooklyn by the New York Daily News. In a post-graduate year at Notre Dame Prep in Massachusetts, Samuell averaged 12 points a game with one of the best prep programs in the nation.

    Samuell has been praised by his coaches and scouts for playing an aggressive style and his leadership skills. He has been called an aggressive scorer who drives to the hoop every time he gets the chance. The New York Post wrote, "Notre Dame Coach Ryan Hurd lauded Samuell for his toughness, versatile skill set and unselfishness," and former Boys and Girls head coach Ruth Lovelace stated to the paper "He has the opportunity to make a difference at Fordham. He's part of trying to put Fordham back on the map." For Fordham basketball and its fans, who have been largely absent effective point guard play since Fontan transferred to USC, this praise is music to their ears.

    In the same article, Samuell displayed happiness over his commitment and a drive to turn the struggling Rams around.

"I was speechless," Samuell said. "I'm going to college to get a free education. It's a dream come true. I wanted to play at a high-level conference, but I wanted to start my own legacy too."

    Frazier, a 6'2", 180-lbs. guard who initially verbally committed to Pecora and Hofstra back in March before verbally committing to Pecora and the Rams in the middle of April, is the most heralded player among Fordham's class of recruits. He is ranked 94^th by ESPN in the Top 100 point guards for the class of 2010 and was considered one of the best players in New York City this past high school season. Also a Brooklyn native, Frazier played for city power Bishop Loughlin and averaged 14.7 points per game and 5.6 assists per game this past season. Frazier was named Honorable Mention All-City and First Team All-Brooklyn by the Daily News and Sixth Team All-State Class AA by the New York State Sportswriters Association. He was selected to appear in the Jordan Brand Classic Regional Game in Madison Square Garden in April.

    "I feel like those are the guys who recruited me and really wanted me. I really wanted to play with them so I figured I should leave with them," Frazier told journalist Adam Zagoria when he verbally committed in April. Frazier also told Zagoria that Pecora told him he would be a combo guard for the Rams, which fits into Pecora's assertions that the team does not necessarily need a prime point man if it has several combo guards who can handle the ball.

    Pecora was direct about Fordham's focus with obtaining talented New York-area recruits for his first class and on the team's goal of securing this area for the future.

    "We have to focus upon our own backyard," Pecora said. "If we do that, then our program will become stronger and coaches and kids will be proud to associate themselves with Fordham. We have to create a base we can build off of."

    Although it will be a few years before people can determine if this first recruiting class was a success, Pecora already has a set of criteria he can determine this by.