by Patrick Stevens
Fordham didn’t quite figure out its calling card last season until late January. But a 14-point victory at George Washington at the end of January helped the Rams realize what they did best.
Mike Magpayo’s team rolled up a 40-24 rebounding advantage, and that’s what helped Fordham go on a 6-2 run that nudged it into the middle of the Atlantic 10 standings.
“The guys came out with a lot of purpose, and that really became our identity – the rebounding – because we outrebounded George Washington in that game and it’s really stuck this year. we’ve been able to retain this frontcourt and they were the No. 2 offensive rebounding team, No. 1 defensive rebounding team, No. 1 overall rebounding team in the conference,” Magpayo said.
The Rams believe they can replicate those rankings, in large part because of how much of the frontcourt they were able to hold onto. Senior forward Rikus Schulte is back, as are Jack Whitbourn, Abass Bodija, Akira Jacobs and Roor Akhuar.
All of them stand 6-foot-7 or taller, and each averaged at least 6.1 points last season.
“If you’re going to spend, you might as well spend on the guys that you now and that you’ve seen operate in your organization for the last year,” Magpayo said. “We’re ambitious and we’re looking at these other programs and how do we compete? I think being able to retain the size was a great start. … The good news was when we were recruiting the backcourt, we were able to say ‘Hey, when you miss, these guys rebound.’”
Schulte believes last year’s solid defense will remain a difficult puzzle for opponents to solve, but he’s also intrigued at the plenitude off options on the roster. Fordham might not be blessed with obvious star power, but it does enjoy the ability to deploy solutions to a lot of problems.
“What’s special about this year is everybody can help the team in a game,” Schulte said. “We’re going to have games where this guy’s going to be a way better matchup than the other guy [and vice versa], and it’s going to depend game to game.”
As a team, the next step is finding some offensive consistency. Fordham shot only 29.4 percent from 3 last season, and the Rams know that number has to improve if they are to make another jump in the A10 standings.
But with a standard in place after last season, Fordham opens Magpayo’s second season in better shape than when he took over.
“[If] that’s our floor, rebounding, let’s see if we can find some perimeter play that can also shoot the ball offensively,” Magpayo said. “But defending and rebounding will still be what we hang our hat on.”
A LOOK AT THE RAMS:
Coach: Mike Magpayo, second season at Fordham, 17-15 with the Rams and 106-78 in six seasons overall.
Last year: The Rams struggled in the early stages of Atlantic 10 play but figured things out, winning seven of their last 11 regular season games to earn the No. 8 seed in the conference tournament. A 66-62 loss to George Washington in the second round left Fordham at 17-15 overall and 8-10 in the league.
They’ll miss: Magpayo needed a new backcourt, especially with Dejour Reaves (17.9 ppg, 3.6 apg, 1.8 spg) and Christian Henry (10.7 ppg, 5.1 apg) departing.
Neither shot better than 29 percent from 3-point range, so there is room for Fordham to grow its offensive efficiency with their replacements.
Impact returners: The Rams’ greatest known is Schulte, who followed Magpayo from UC Riverside and averaged 10.7 points and 9.1 rebounds. It’s a baseline that helped him land on the A10’s preseason all-conference second team.
“He becomes the hustle stat king last year and turns into a double-double in the A10,” Magpayo said. “Just a guy who bought in and believed in it and is now reaping the rewards and having success with it. He’s just an every-possession guy and that’s what our program is supposed to develop. Every possession has purpose, and he’s truly done it.”
Newcomers of note: Fordham’s offseason priorities can be summed up in a brief list: Point guard, scoring and winning.
Let’s start with the latter trait first. Senior Lateef Patrick Jr. played on a 28-win team at Stephen F. Austin. John Laboy II (Miami) and Kelvin Odih (St. John’s) were part of NCAA tournament teams.
Amir Lindsey may not check that box quite as obviously, though he did play on an Albany team that finished in the top half of the America East two seasons ago. But Lindsey definitely helps solve the scoring conundrum after averaging a league-best 17.9 points last season.
Like Lindsey, Patrick (15.2 ppg) was a first team all-conference pick last season, in his case in the Southland.
“We needed dynamic scoring and dynamic playmaking and I think Latief Patrick and Amir Lindsey bring that,” Magpayo said.
There’s also backcourt help in the freshman class, with Hassan Koureissi and Desmond Bellot Jr. both poised to contribute immediately.
“Hassan’s going to stand out as a freshman,” Schulte said. “Desmond’s defense is really good and he can be a really good 3-and-D guy for us.
Reasons to be optimistic: Last season’s improvement – both year over year and from November until March – gave Magpayo reason to believe his way of building a program at UC Riverside can translate in the A10.
And as he begins his second year with the Rams, he isn’t working with an entirely new team.
“Still recruiting great character guys can work even at this higher level,” Magpayo said. “We’re just going to triple down on it, getting guys with great attitudes, great work ethics and guys who choose Fordham and really want to be there. Last year gave us confidence that you can still get it done getting those types of guys in this market.”
X factor: Bodija is in his third season playing for Magpayo. He redshirted at UC Riverside two years ago, then averaged 7.5 points and 5.0 rebounds while starting 10 games last season.
“It’s interesting because no one mentions him,” Magpayo said. “He’s just developed a consistency. He’s really grown and I think he has dynamic ability to go along with that.”
Circle the date: Look no further than the season opener, when the Rams visit storied Allen Fieldhouse to play perennial national title contender Kansas on Nov. 2.
Bottom line: Fordham isn’t taking a complicated approach. Its holdovers should maintain last season’s strengths (rebounding and defense), and if its backcourt additions work out, it should take a step forward offensively and move up in the standings. And if scoring remains a problem? The bruising Rams still won’t be much fun to face.
Patrick Stevens is a veteran college basketball writer who oversees Mid-Atlantic College Hoops. Previously, he worked for The Washington Post, Syracuse Media Group and The Washington Times. Stevens has written selected pieces for the Atlantic 10 Conference since 2013.