Atlantic Ten Basketball

VCU landed one of the best small forwards in the high school basketball Class of 2015.

On Thursday, forward Tevin Mack announced that he will be a Ram, according to ESPN's Reggie Rankin:

The Dreher High School star is the 12th best small forward in the country, the second best player from South Carolina and is ranked 66th overall in the nation, according to 247Sports' composite rankings. 

As one of the dark horses in the recruiting process, VCU made one of the biggest signings of the day when it landed Mack. Not only will Mack bring elite skill for the Rams to utilize on the court, but he also will bring name recognition and will pave the way for more elite recruits to chose VCU in the future.

Under head coach Shaka Smart, Mack will be expected to arrive at the school next year and make an instant impact. With playmakers throughout the roster and depth at every position, Mack will have to earn playing time, but will be given opportunities to shine.

This is an ideal landing spot for the prospect and a major signing for the school.

Regardless of where Mack ended up landing, he is still one of the best players in the 2015 class and would have made any team instantly better. The 6’6” small forward is still growing and has the potential to blossom into a dominant force at his position.

With the ability to drive the lane and fill the bucket, along with the willingness and accuracy to shot from anywhere on the court with consistency, Mack has the potential to develop into a top-tier scoring threat at the next level.

Mack will add another elite star to an already impressive roster, and basketball fans must keep an eye on him as he continues to develop into a game changer at the collegiate level. It will be fun to watch Mack thrive in his new environment.

Fordham University's Jon Severe has been suspended for one week due to a violation of team rules, the school announced on Saturday.

Severe will miss Friday's opener against the New York Institute of Technology and will rejoin the team next Saturday.

The sophomore guard averaged 17.3 points per game as a freshman. Last month, he was named third team All-Conference by Atlantic 10 coaches and media.

His absence means increased roles for senior Bryan Smith and junior Mandell Thomas—two players who were already expected to make significant contributions this year.

"It was great competition for those minutes prior to Jon being suspended," Fordham head coach Tom Pecora told Bleacher Report earlier today. "He might have been coming off the bench anyway."

There are a few ways to look at today's news. First, Fordham should be all right on Friday night. NYIT is a Division II school that the Rams should beat. Also, Pecora talked about competition. Guys like Smith and Thomas have been preparing for the season as if they would start—or at least play significant minutes. That would happen with or without Severe in the lineup.

It's the long-term ramifications that are unclear. How will Severe respond to the suspension? Will he learn from it? When he returns, how will he be received by his teammates?

That's for another day, however. After all, the Rams are less than a week away from a new season—one that, despite today's news, is filled with hope.

Fordham began preparing for the 2014-15 season right after it lost to the University of Dayton in the Atlantic 10 tournament in March. Offseason workouts, a trip to Canada, official practices and scrimmages filled the Rams' calendar over the past eight months.

"Like most coaches, we always want a little more time," Pecora said. "We've had a couple guys in and out with injuries. Getting [everyone] on the floor at the same time has been a challenge.

"We had a good week of practice leading up to today's scrimmage, and, hopefully, we'll have another week to get ourselves healthy and continue to get better."

On Friday night, it starts for real. After NYIT, the Rams will travel to Penn State University and the University of Maryland for back-to-back games on the road against Big Ten opponents. It will be a challenge, but Pecora said he wants his players to focus on "one thing at a time." That means getting ready for the season opener.

"It's about winning on Friday night," Pecora said. "With any team, especially with young teams, you really have to keep them locked in on short-term goals."

Quotations in this article were obtained firsthand.

Charles Costello covers the Fordham Rams for Bleacher Report. A full archive of his articles can be found here. Twitter: @CFCostello.

Fordham University announced earlier this week that beginning in 2015 it would offer four-year athletic scholarships to all student-athletes. Like many universities across the country, the school currently offers one-year renewable scholarships.

Fordham Athletics to Offer Four-Year Scholarships #FeartheRam http://t.co/FGwdIRxKhN

— Fordham Athletics (@FordhamRams) November 3, 2014

"All incoming freshmen for the class of 2019 will sign letters of intent that guarantee the student-athlete a scholarship for four years, provided the student-athlete continues to participate in the sport for which the grant is awarded and the student-athlete adheres to all eligibility requirements," Fordham announced via press release. "The student-athlete must remain in good academic standing, and abide by all University regulations."

With the move, Fordham joins a growing number of schools and conferences that have made similar decisions. In October, for example, the Big Ten announced that it would guarantee scholarships for four years.

“To make a four-year commitment and give student-athletes the security, it’s the right thing to do," said Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany, according to Ben Strauss of The New York Times.

Others have followed suit. The Times article identified Indiana, South Carolina and USC as schools switching to the four-year scholarship. According to the article, the Pac-12 said it would, too, and the ACC added its support.

Fordham made its announcement at a time when the landscape of college sports is changing dramatically. In a Bleacher Report article in August, Fordham athletic director David Roach said that the university will do what it can to "keep up" with other schools, specifically mentioning those in the Big 5 conferences (Atlantic Coast, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and Southeastern) who generate the most headlines and revenue and have the most influence as a result.

Offering four-year scholarships would seem to be consistent with what Roach told B/R. 

"This new policy affirms Fordham University's support of its student-athletes," Roach said in Monday's press release. "We are committed to providing our student-athletes with the best possible experience, both on and off the field. This decision, along with other[s] such as the creation [of the] Fordham Leadership Academy, will help our student-athletes now and in the future."

It could also help men's basketball, the school's marquee program.

Though it seems logical to think that at some point down the road that most if not all schools will adopt a similar policy, right now, as CBSSports.com's Jon Solomon reported in September, for various reasons not all of them have.

Maybe a kid chooses Fordham over another school because his four years are going to be guaranteed. Fordham could use every advantage it can get and may now have one over schools that are still handing out scholarships on a year-to-year basis.

Of course, Fordham didn't make this decision thinking it would help win basketball games. It made the decision because the school felt it was the right thing to do for student-athletes.

It shouldn't come as a surprise that someone like Roach, who was the athletic director at Colgate and Brown before coming to Fordham, would first and foremost be thinking about the student-athlete. You don't get a sentence out of Roach without him mentioning the student-athlete. Guys like that tend to work in the Ivy and Patriot Leagues.

Right now he's with Fordham, a school that may have just one-upped some of its competition.

Charles Costello covers the Fordham Rams for Bleacher Report. A full archive of his articles can be found here. Twitter: @CFCostello

The Fordham Rams aren't bringing in Phil Jackson to coach the triangle offense. Fordham already has an offensive philosophy and plan in place, and Jackson has enough to do as president of the New York Knicks.

Instead, Jackson will be honored at tonight's annual Tip-Off Dinner at the Grand Hyatt New York.

The annual Tip Off Dinner is Monday! Can't wait to see everyone there, including #basketball legend @PhilJackson11 http://t.co/ZbnzqUj6H0

— FordhamBasketball (@FordhamBball) October 30, 2014

Jackson will be the third recipient of the Johnny Bach Award. Bach coached the Rams for 18 seasons, from 1950 to 1968. He led Fordham to a 265-193 record over that period, taking the Rams to the NCAA tournament in the 1952-53 season and again the following year, and to the National Invitation Tournament five times. Bach is the winningest coach in Fordham history.

He went on to coach in the NBA and served as an assistant under Jackson with the Chicago Bulls.

The award is given annually, described by the university as honoring "an individual who has had a substantial and lasting impact on the sport of basketball and who best emulates Bach's drive and passion for excellence." 

Former New York Knicks center and NBA Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing won it in 2012, and P.J. Carlesimo, a graduate of Fordham, won it last year.

Tonight's event comes less than two weeks away from the start of the regular season.

#CollegeHoops season is almost here! #FordhamBasketball pic.twitter.com/c06suPyiit

— FordhamBasketball (@FordhamBball) November 3, 2014

Opening night for Fordham is Nov. 14 when it will host the New York Institute of Technology at the Rose Hill Gym. It will be the first of 11 nonconference games for the Rams, who begin Atlantic 10 play on Jan. 4 against VCU.

Last week, when The Associated Press released its first poll of the season, VCU was ranked No. 15. It will be the first of many challenging games—18 in fact—against conference opponents.

While the triangle offense won't be front and center tonight, it has been a topic of conversation in New York since Jackson was named team president in March. Talk about the offense that Jackson used to win 11 NBA championships as a head coach has only intensified now that the Knicks season is underway.

New York is 2-1 after three games. After the Rams host NYIT, they'll travel to Penn State and Maryland. One would think they'd sign up for a 2-1 start.

Charles Costello covers the Fordham Rams for Bleacher Report. A full archive of his articles can be found here. Twitter: @CFCostello

Fordham's Tom Pecora sat in the stands Saturday, intently watching his Rams in an intrasquad scrimmage. Sitting seven rows up at half court inside the Rose Hill Gym and at times making his way down to the court for instruction and support, Pecora was pleased with a lot of what he saw, telling Bleacher Report it's what he expected from a team in its 14th official practice.

"The good, the bad and the ugly," was how Pecora characterized the scrimmage. "That's usually what early season scrimmages are.

"I saw some good things: flashes from some of the young guys, good leadership out of the veterans, guys understanding what their roles are, greater depth and skill, especially on the baseline."

With Ryan Canty out following back surgery, Fordham will need all the help it can get in the frontcourt. On Saturday, Pecora liked what he got from Ryan Rhoomes, Manny Suarez, Dekeba Battee-Aston and Christian Sengfelder.  

Jon Severe, who made a couple of nice feeds to teammates, looked under control for the most part. The Rams were without guards Nemanja Zarkovic and Antwoine Anderson,who both sat out the scrimmage nursing injuries. 

"I think we're further along than most years because of the Canada trip," Pecora said, referring to the four games the Rams played north of the border in late August. "Having those 10 practices over the summer and having them understand how hard you have to practice, how prepared you need to be each day and then putting in some of the meat and potatoes—the staples of what we do around here—over the summer, sped up the learning curve here in the fall."

Expectations are higher this year, a result of key additions such as Eric Paschall, Zarkovic and Sengfelder, a more mature Severe and what the Rams hope is improved play from their three upperclassmen: Rhoomes, Bryan Smith and Mandell Thomas.

"We've had some rough seasons here, but they never quit," Pecora said about previous teams. "Two years ago we had a seven-win season and won our last game at St. Bonnies. Last year we go into the [Atlantic 10] tournament with nine wins and win against [George] Mason.

"There's never been any quit in them. Whether our talent was where it needed to be, or our depth was where it needed to be, or whatever the issues might be, their effort has never been questioned in my mind."

Pecora talks a lot about how important it is for the Rams to "rebound and run." For that to happen, Fordham has to get it done in two key areas.

"It's always about defense and rebounding," Pecora said. "That's something we talk about as a constant. We have to dominate teams defensively and on the backboards. If we can do that, we can get out and run.

"I think that's how you impose your will on an opponent, through defense and rebounding... especially when we get into the A-10, because you're not going to score off opponents' makes as often."

From the stands or on the court, Pecora feels good about what he's seeing.

"We really haven't had any dud practices yet," he said. "One's coming, but that's pretty good when you go through [14] practices and you really haven't had a dud yet."

Judging by the A-10 preseason poll, voted on by coaches and media, there are those out there who think it's only a matter of time. Fordham was picked to finish last in the conference, something Pecora doesn't spend too much time getting worked up about.

"It's the easy thing to do," he said about the last-place prediction. "It's been that way forever. Probably out of habit, a lot of people put Fordham at the bottom. Do I believe they're wrong? Yes. But now we have to prove that they're wrong. It will make it that much better if we do what I think we can do.

"I think we've gotten significantly better than we were last year."

Quotations in this article were obtained firsthand.

Charles Costello covers the Fordham Rams for Bleacher Report. A full archive of his articles can be found here. Twitter: @CFCostello

Fordham's Jon Severe is in the beginning stages of what could be the most important season of his basketball career.

Severe was a star in high school, averaging 21.6 points as a senior at Christ the King in Queens, where he led the school to multiple titles and was named New York State's Mr. Basketball in 2013.

As a freshman at Fordham, he found himself in much different circumstances.

Severe is one of the most talented players Fordham has been able to land in its 19 years in the Atlantic 10. In many ways, he hasn't disappointed. In some ways, however, he still has a lot to prove.

Last week, at the A-10's media day, Severe was named third team All-Conference, on the heels of being named to the conference's All-Rookie Team following his freshman season.

"I'm pretty happy about being third team," Severe told Bleacher Report after practice last Saturday, "but this season I want to be more consistent."

"I can't win unless we win," he added.

Here's what he means.

Last year, though he averaged 17.3 points per game (second on the team), his field-goal percentage was only .331 and his shot selection came under scrutiny.

Tom Pecora, Fordham's head coach, is hoping to get a more balanced player this year.

“He had a good offseason,” Pecora said at the league's media day, the New York Post's John DeMarzo reported. “He approached things maturely in the way he had to work and the things he needed to do, and because of our greater talent and balance this year, he won’t have to look [to] score every time down the floor.”

So could the solution to Severe's shooting issues—field-goal percentage and shot selection—be that simple? Surround him with more talent and you'll get a more team-oriented player? Severe thinks so.

"I think this year, I won't have to force a lot because I have a lot of good teammates around me," he said.

"Last year my mindset was scoring, but that's not my type of game."

He described his type of game as "making the extra pass, getting in lanes, rebounding, just mixing it up."

Severe said it's more about changing his approach than undergoing any type of major overhaul. He expects that, while his points per game might go down, his assists and rebounds will go up, something he's talked with Pecora about.

"It's not really adjusting because that's how my game was in the beginning," Severe said. "[Last year] I felt like I had to shoot. Now I don't have to force it."

It shouldn't surprise you that a talented basketball player who had so much success before he got to Fordham would be focused on winning. Clearly, Fordham didn't do enough of that in Severe's first season, winning 10 games and losing 21.

Severe is confident the tide is turning.

"The No. 1 goal is to win games," he said.

"There's a vibe. Everybody wants to win. You can feel it."

With seven freshmen and only four upperclassmen expected to play, Severe, a sophomore, finds himself somewhere right in the middle: too young to be considered a veteran but old enough to expect more. At this point in his career, Severe spoke honestly about the strides he still needs to make.

"I'm still learning," he said. "I can't show by example right now because I'm still learning myself. I don't know everything. As time goes by, when I know more, I can take that leadership role."

As Severe enters his second season in the Bronx, the Rams haven't gotten much respect from A-10 coaches and media. They were picked to finish last in the conference. But don't expect Severe to pay close attention to that.

"It doesn't matter to me," he said about the preseason poll. "We could be picked first or last; it doesn't matter. It's what we do on the court. I don't listen to that.

"I like being the underdog. All we have to do is win. We play basketball. A win is a win—that's how I look at it."

Quotations in this article were obtained firsthand.

Charles Costello covers the Fordham Rams for Bleacher Report. A full archive of his articles can be found here. Twitter: @CFCostello

Fordham's Eric Paschall is the face of the future at Rose Hill. It seems almost a certainty that before too long he'll be the face of the Rams.

If it's possible for someone who has yet to play a minute of college basketball to be hailed as a savior, then Paschall might be that guy.

After arriving in late May, the 6'6" forward spent the summer months working out with his new teammates. In late August, he helped lead the Rams to a 4-0 record in Canada. On Oct. 7, Fordham had its first official practice. We're under way in the Bronx.

After Fordham concluded its practice Saturday, Paschall told Bleacher Report he thinks things are moving in the right direction. 

"I think we're progressing well," he said. "The team chemistry is getting a lot better. We're starting to learn each other's games more, starting to know what we like to do. I think by the time the season comes we'll be real comfortable."

The regular season begins on Nov. 14 when Fordham hosts the New York Institute of Technology. Following the opener, the Rams will play Penn State and Maryland in back-to-back road games against Big Ten opponents.

Before too long, the Atlantic 10 schedule will start. It will be a tough two-month stretch for Fordham—a young team in rebuilding mode playing on a nightly basis against established programs, including six teams that made last season's NCAA tournament.

Playing against top-notch competition won't be anything new for Paschall, who saw plenty of it last season when he attended Connecticut's St. Thomas More, where he was named the New England Prep Player of the Year.

"I played against a lot of great competition," Paschall said. "It's prepared me a lot. I'm feeling ready for the A-10."

With Paschall, there's reason to believe that better days may be ahead. Joining him this year will be six other freshmen (two redshirts), including point guard Nemanja Zarkovic and forward Christian Sengfelder. Paschall may headline the rookie class, but he'll have support around him.

"It's been great," he said when asked about the impact the freshmen have had so far. "[They] all bring a lot to the table. We all play well together. I'm looking forward to the season."

As he moves through October en route to his first college season, Paschall outlined his goals.

"I just have to stay humble and be hungry," he said. "Keep working hard; [do] all the little stuff."

Paschall said what pleases him most is "seeing [his] game progress," telling B/R he's been working on his shooting and ball-handling.

"All that is [helping me] progress into a better player," he said.

Fordham head coach Tom Pecora has been talking up his star recruit for some time.

“We really expect a lot out of Eric, and that’s why he came [to Fordham],” Pecora said at media day, the New York Post's John DeMarzo reported. “We talked to him a lot about going somewhere where you’re going to have an impact right away. I believe he could play just about anywhere in the country, as most of the best players in this conference [can].”

Unless otherwise noted, quotations in this article were obtained firsthand.

Charles Costello covers the Fordham Rams for Bleacher Report. A full archive of his articles can be found here. Twitter: @CFCostello

Fordham was picked to finish last in the Atlantic 10 in a preseason poll released earlier this week, part of the conference's media day festivities at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

There are plenty of reasons why A-10 coaches and media members would have their doubts about the Rams. Still, the poll results were a bit shocking, especially for anyone who's witnessed what's gone on at Fordham since last season ended in March.

This seems like a classic example of not being able to get out of the way of the reputation you've created for yourself.

"We’ve got them right where we want them,” Fordham head coach Tom Pecora said at media day according to the Daily News' Roger Rubin reported.

More than anything, the lack of respect coaches and the media have for Fordham is largely the result of the Rams' struggles over their 19 seasons in the Atlantic 10. Fordham hasn't had a winning season since 2006-07. In the seven seasons since, it's 16-96 against Atlantic 10 opponents.

Since becoming a member of the A-10 prior to the 1995 season, the Rams are 72-232 against conference opponents. Only twice have they finished .500 or better in conference play. In the past six seasons, they've won 39 games, and just 10 of those wins came against A-10 schools.

Believe it or not, this year the schedule will be even more challenging since teams will play 18 games against conference schools for the first time since the 1990-91 season. It will be a grueling two-month stretch for Fordham.

Hence the need to pick up wins in nonconference games. At media day on Tuesday, Pecora didn't hide from the fact that the Rams will have to win a majority of their nonconference games before the A-10 schedule begins in January.

“I think when you look at Jan. 1, you need to be 7-4, 8-3, 9-2 if you’re going to have a chance to go play in the postseason,” Pecora said according to the New York Post's John DeMarzo. “You’re not going to, in a league like this, go and win 12 games.”

Make no mistake about it: The nonconference schedule will be challenging as well. Back-to-back games on the road against Big Ten opponents Penn State and Maryland will be early tests. A big game at Madison Square Garden against St. John's will be followed by a battle at Barclays against Manhattan.

While history—the one Fordham is trying to get past—has taught us that it won't be easy, this is Fordham's chance to change the narrative.

Charles Costello covers the Fordham Rams for Bleacher Report. A full archive of his articles can be found here. Twitter: @CFCostello

Fordham isn't getting much respect these days. When you look at what the Rams have done of late, perhaps that's understandable.

Thirty-nine wins in six seasons isn't going to excite the masses. In fact, when you've performed as poorly as Fordham has over a good portion of its 19 seasons in the Atlantic 10, you develop a reputation as being one of those perennially rebuilding programs.

But here's where reputation should meet reality.

On Tuesday, the Atlantic 10 Conference announced its preseason poll and awards, part of the conference's media day festivities at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Fordham was picked to finish 14th, dead last in the conference. (Full disclosure: I took part in the voting for the A-10 preseason poll and awards.)

Even George Mason was picked to finish ahead of the Rams despite the fact that Fordham beat the Patriots in the play-in game of last season's A-10 tournament. Davidson wasn't even in the conference a year ago, and yet the Wildcats were picked to finish two spots ahead of the Rams.

I'm not saying that Fordham should have been picked to finish first or anywhere close to that. But can we at least get the Rams out of the cellar? Both Yahoo Sports and CBSSports.com said yes, picking the Rams to finish next-to-last.

I'm going to guess that with more talent—albeit young and unproven—on the roster, Fordham, which won just two regular-season conference games last year, is not going to finish last in the A-10 despite the fact that the league is by far the best non-major conference in the country, a safe statement after it sent six teams to the NCAA tournament a year ago.

VCU was the unanimous pick to win the A-10, with the Rams picking up all 28 first-place votes. George Washington was selected to finish second, followed by Dayton, Massachusetts and Richmond rounding out the top five. Rhode Island, La Salle, Saint Joseph's, Saint Louis, St. Bonaventure and Duquesne were picked in spots six through 11.

Fordham's Jon Severe, a sophomore, was named Preseason Third Team All-Conference after averaging 17.3 points per game as a freshman. Dayton's Jordan Sibert, George Washington's Patricio Garino, Richmond's Kendall Anthony, Saint Joseph's DeAndre' Bembry and VCU's Treveon Graham and Briante Weber were named First Team All-Conference. (Due to a tie in voting, six players were selected.)

While Severe is already a household name, it won't be long before Eric Paschall, Nemanja Zarkovic and Christian Sengfelder join him. Maybe then, Fordham will start getting some respect.

Charles Costello covers the Fordham Rams for Bleacher Report. A full archive of his articles can be found here. Twitter: @CFCostello