GETTING INSIDE
Fordham, a young team adjusting to an early-season coaching change, finds itself in a tough spot with conference play approaching. The Rams are in the midst of a stretch of playing eight consecutive games away from Rose Hill Gym.
Fordham is 0-3 so far, losing on the road to St. John’s and James Madison and on a neutral court to Villanova at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, N.J.
The Rams play consecutive non-conference road games against Kennesaw State and Hampton, then have Atlantic 10 match-ups against Massachusetts and Saint Joseph’s before playing Dayton on Jan. 13 in a “home” game at Madison Square Garden.
Thus, Fordham and coach Jared Grasso, who replaced Derrick Whittenburg after the Rams got off to a 1-4 start, will try to hold on until they get back to Rose Hill on Jan. 16 to face Rhode Island.
Fordham is 2-8 overall, 1-4 since Grasso was elevated from assistant coach and lost its top player when sophomore guard Jio Fontan left the team after four games, transferring to Southern California.
Freshman forward Chris Gaston is giving Fordham hope that better days are coming. He is averaging 18.9 points, 10.8 rebounds and 2.0 blocked shots per game.
Senior guard Brenton Butler has provided stability during Fordham’s trying start. Despite going through a spell where he missed 30 consecutive shots from the floor, Butler has a 13.0 scoring average.
Sophomore guard Alberto Estwick and freshman guard Lance Brown continue to show improvement. Estwick is averaging 8.1 points and Brown has a 6.0 scoring average.
NOTES, QUOTES
• Fordham has been hot from the free throw line in recent games, going a combined 23-for-26 (88 percent) in losses to Villanova and James Madison.
• Fordham is 20-16 against teams that are members of the Colonial Athletic Association.
January At A Glance: Fordham will look for improvement under rookie interim coach Jared Grasso, promoted from his assistant’s job after Derrick Whittenburg was fired following a 1-4 start. Fordham has only one senior on the roster and a starting lineup that includes two freshmen and a sophomore.
Quote To Note: “I had the same mentality as a player as I do as a coach. I always had something to prove. Some people said maybe I wasn’t a Division I player and then I’d never be an all-league player, but I was always fighting for something.”—Fordham interim coach Jared Grasso, who was an all-Northeast Conference shooting guard at Quinnipiac, to the New Haven Register.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
Season Recap: Fordham has had a tumultuous start to 2009-10, as star sophomore point guard Jio Fontan left the team following a 1-4 start and subsequently transferred to Southern California. A day after Fontan defected, coach Derrick Whittenburg was fired and replaced on an interim basis by assistant Jared Grasso, who is the youngest head coach in Division I at 29. A star has emerged amidst the wreckage, though, as forward Chris Gaston is the top freshman in the Atlantic 10.
Player Rotation: Usual starters—F Chris Gaston, F Jacob Green, G Brenton Butler, G Lance Brown, G Alberto Estwick. Key subs—F Fahro Alihodzic, G Danny Thompson, G Brennen Melvin, G Herb Tanner.
Game Review:
St. John’s 73, Fordham 56
Villanova 96, Fordham 58
James Madison 85, Fordham 73
Game Preview:
at Kennesaw State, Tuesday, Dec. 29
at Hampton, Sunday, Jan. 3
at Massachusetts, Wednesday, Jan. 6
at St. Joseph’s, Saturday, Jan. 9
vs. Dayton, Wednesday, Jan. 13
In Foucs: Fordham really can’t count any automatic victories on its schedule after going 3-25 last season and starting 2-8 this season. However, the Rams will step down in class when they play at Kennesaw State and Hampton to conclude the non-conference portion of the schedule, giving them a chance to build momentum for the start of Atlantic 10 competition.
Roster Report:
• G Rayner Moquete will join Fordham for the Dec. 29 game at Kennesaw State. The 6-foot-1 native of the Dominican Republic graduated from Our Savior New American High School in Centerreach, N.Y., last spring. He averaged 15.0 points, 6.5 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals a game as a senior while shooting 40 percent from three-point range and 74 percent from the free throw line. Moquete also was the starting point guard for the Dominican Junior National team and received interest from Holy Cross, Duquesne, Georgia, Niagara and Davidson.
• F Chris Gaston, a freshman, has scored in double figures in eight straight games and nine of the first 10 of his college career.
• F Fahro Alihodzic pulled down a career-high 10 rebounds in 24 minutes off the bench in an 85-73 loss at James Madison on Dec. 22. The freshman’s previous best was six, accomplished twice.
