Atlantic Ten Basketball

Virginia Commonwealth redshirt sophomore and basketball player Mo Alie-Cox was charged with misdemeanor assault and was set to stand trial after an April 3 altercation with a woman in Richmond, Virginia. The charge has since been dropped.

Continue for updates.

Alie-Cox Charge Dropped

Thursday, May 28

Brandon Shulleeta of the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported that the charge against Alie-Cox will be dropped:

A misdemeanor assault charge against Mo Alie-Cox will be dismissed on the heels of Richmond prosecutors obtaining video footage that appears to disprove a woman's claim that the VCU basketball star punched her in the face, Richmond Commonwealth's Attorney Michael N. Herring said this afternoon.

Shulleeta reported on May 20 that Alie-Cox would stand trial on June 15 as he faced a misdemeanor assault charge.

Scott Wise and Lane Casadonte of WTVR.com had the report about the incident involving Alie-Cox:

The woman said it began when she walked by a group of men and another woman at Society in Shockoe Slip. The other woman, she said, told her not to look in her direction.

"I said I could look where ever I pleased and she responded with a comment I did not here [sic] and got in my face," the complainant wrote in the court document. "A VCU basketball player made a comment with me responding 'it's not my fault Shaka Smart left. Is that why your [sic] mad?'"

Shaka Smart, the former VCU coach, recently took the head coaching job at the University of Texas. The report continued: 

After the Shaka Smart comment was made, the complainant said the other woman shoved her. The complainant said she then accidentally grabbed the other woman's hair. That is when Alie-Cox allegedly entered the picture, the woman said.

"Mo Alie-Cox punched me in the face," she wrote in the criminal complaint. "I went to the bouncer to ask for help and Mo Alie-Cox left."

VCU released a statement after the charges were filed. 

"We are aware of the charge against Mo Alie-Cox, and we will continue to monitor the situation closely," VCU director of athletics Ed McLaughlin told WTVR.com. "We will allow the legal process to run its course and act appropriately within our VCU Athletics Student-Athlete Code of Conduct as more details become clear."

Cox averaged 7.4 points and 5.7 rebounds in 25.9 minutes per game and was expected to be an important contributor for the team in the 2015-16 season. He played well for VCU down the stretch, notching 18 points and eight rebounds in the team's March contest against Davidson and seven points and seven rebounds in an NCAA tournament loss to Ohio State. 

Eric Paschall, Fordham's leading scorer in 2014-15 and the reigning Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year, announced Thursday via Twitter that he's transferring to Villanova.

I have officially committed to Villanova University!!!!! #NovaNation ⚪️🔵⚪️🔵

— Eric Paschall (@Epaschall4) April 23, 2015

Paschall will have to sit out a year per NCAA rules but will have three years of eligibility left beginning in the 2016-17 season.

Last month, Paschall took to Twitter to announce he would at least consider transferring to another school:

I have been granted Permission to Contact, which means my recruitment is now open.

— Eric Paschall (@Epaschall4) March 23, 2015

Multiple reports, including ones from SNY.tv's Adam Zagoria, who broke the story of Paschall's transfer Thursday morning, had him strongly considering Villanova, Providence, Kansas and Florida. However, Paschall never ruled out a return to Rose Hill:

Fordham is still an option for a school

— Eric Paschall (@Epaschall4) March 23, 2015

News 12 Bronx's Pat O'Keefe tweeted that Eric's dad, Juan, told him that the relationship with Villanova coaches started when Eric was being recruited in high school. Juan Paschall sees joining the Wildcats and playing for head coach Jay Wright as being a good fit for his son:

Paschall's dad on why Eric chose #Villanova: "Distance, education & basketball... Love the coaching staff - young & energetic."

— Pat O'Keefe (@patokeefe12) April 23, 2015

Fordham fired Tom Pecora in March. At the time, it cited his 44-106 record in five seasons and a 50 percent retention rate (not including this year's freshmen). Now, the program's retention rate takes its most serious hit, though the school can't pin this one on Pecora.

Juan Paschall told O'Keefe that even if Pecora remained at Fordham, Eric still would have considered his options:

I asked Paschall's dad if EP would've looked to transfer is Pecora hadn't been fired: "Not necessarily. Still would've been a possibility."

— Pat O'Keefe (@patokeefe12) April 23, 2015

Regardless of why he left or what may have influenced his decision, this is a huge loss for a program that's struggled for over two decades and appeared to have hit the jackpot when Paschall decided to come on board.

Paschall is a special talent. He was the New England Prep Player of the Year in 2014 at Connecticut's St. Thomas More. As a freshman at Fordham, he averaged 15.9 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. In addition to being the A-10 Rookie of the Year, this week he was named Met Basketball Writers Association Co-Rookie of the Year.

He could have transformed the Fordham basketball program.

Now, Paschall will be taking his talents from New York to Philadelphia. A whole lot of hope will go down the Jersey Turnpike with him.

Follow Charles Costello on Twitter: @CFCostello. A full archive of his articles can be found here. 

Fordham announced last month that it had hired Jeff Neubauer as its new head men's basketball coach.

At an introductory press conference on March 31, David Roach, the school's athletic director, professed his faith in Neubauer's ability to lead the Rams.

"As soon as I met Jeff, I knew right away we had the ideal person for Fordham," Roach said.

In an interview with Bleacher Report after Neubauer was introduced, Roach elaborated on the hiring.

"I've talked about the X-factor wherever I've been for a long time," he said. "Anybody we're going to look at we'll assume they know the game, that they can really work with student athletes, they can motivate them, they can inspire them and they can recruit.

"It's just kind of a whole package that somebody has. When you sit with somebody and talk to them...I can't explain it, but I can feel it. 

"People can criticize me for a lot of different things, but I would say that over the course of 25 years I've been able to hire some really good coaches."

Whether Neubauer turns out to be the right hire remains to be seen. In 10 seasons at Eastern Kentucky, he won 188 games and made two NCAA tournaments.

But the Bronx is a far cry from Kentucky. Neubauer takes the helm at a school that over 20 seasons in the Atlantic 10 has finished above .500 once and has a 76-246 record against conference opponents in that time.

Neubauer, who was an assistant under current Michigan coach John Beilein at Richmond and West Virginia, is the fifth Rams coach in 16 years.

"When I looked at the success," Roach said, "and looked at who he played for and, more importantly, who he coached with...I'm a big fan of John Beilein. I think he's a heck of a coach. I think he does things the right way. That sparked an interest."

Fordham hired Parker Executive Search to help find its coach. Roach told B/R that over 50 names were tossed around, some based on Parker's recommendations and some coming from Roach himself. In the end—albeit after Robert Morris head coach Andy Toole turned the Rams down—Roach selected Neubauer, whom he said "really popped out."

Neubauer replaces Tom Pecora, who went 44-106 in five seasons at Rose Hill. Despite the losses, Pecora remained a popular figure in New York sports. When he was fired with two years left on his contract, he became a sympathetic figure in some quarters, the latest in a procession of coaches who have had success elsewhere, just not at Rose Hill.

Roach said he wasn't shocked by the reaction to the firing, but he obviously took note of any backlash.

"Maybe a little bit disappointed," Roach said of the negative reaction, "because you hope that good Fordham people remain good Fordham people."

He added: "Everybody has their doubters. I'm hoping that as we get this thing going, some people would say 'Coach Neubauer is a great guy, he's had a lot of success and we're going to support it.'"

Speaking of support, Roach told B/R that Fordham is doing everything it can to build a winning program and to ensure it is able to compete in the A-10.

"The misconception is that we don't support it enough," Roach said about the men's basketball program. "I'm privileged to see all the finances of every sport in the A-10. When I look at different categories—for example operational expenses, we're in the top four. Right away that tells me our commitment is where it needs to be."

He continued: "Our staff is the same size if not bigger than some of the schools in the A-10. When I look at how some of the schools in the A-10 travel, we do that better than them.

"We look at those things and I feel really good about the support that we have for men's and women's basketball."

One thing is certain: As he steps into one of the most challenging spots in college basketball, Neubauer will need all the support he can get.

Quotations in this article were obtained firsthand.

Follow Charles Costello on Twitter: @CFCostello. A full archive of his articles can be found here. 

Fordham head coach Jeff Neubauer is trying to do what nobody before him has been able to accomplish: turn the Fordham Rams into a consistent winner in the Atlantic 10.

Since the school joined the conference prior to the 1995 season, it's finished above .500 just once. More recently, it's won only 49 games in the last seven years.

Nick Macarchuk was let go in 1999 after seven consecutive losing seasons (four as a member of the A-10). Bob Hill won only two games in his fourth and final season in the Bronx (36-78 overall). Dereck Whittenburg won 18 games in 2006-07, but his tenure ended three seasons later following a 3-25 campaign in 2008-09 and one win in 2009 before being let go in December. Tom Pecora went 44-106 in five seasons at Rose Hill.

Neubauer is the latest coach convinced he has the answers to turn the program around.

"I really look forward to coaching this group," Neubauer told Bleacher Report at his introductory press conference Tuesday. "I think I can help this group. In general, it's an opportunity to coach basketball.

"I do understand the struggles that have taken place here in the past. It's my job to come in here and teach these guys how to play winning basketball."

He knows one of the things he has to do to get it going.

"It does start with recruiting," Neubauer said. "We have to target our niche. We've got to find that niche where we can attract great players here to Fordham."

In a career filled with challenges, this is his greatest. But Neubauer thinks his past experiences have prepared him for this opportunity.

Before leading Eastern Kentucky to 188 wins in 10 seasons, Neubauer was an assistant under current Michigan coach John Beilein, first at Richmond and then at West Virginia. Both were struggling programs when Neubauer and Beilein came in. Both became great success stories while they were there.

Richmond went to the NCAA tournament in 1998 as a 14th seed and beat South Carolina in the first round. West Virginia went to the National Invitation Tournament in 2004 and made it to the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament in 2005.

"I've actually had a couple of very similar experiences to this when I was an assistant coach," Neubauer said. "I think those situations do prepare me to take on this challenge."

"I am very happy to be here," he added. "I do think this is a great challenge, and I can't wait to take it on."

What he's taking on is one of the biggest, most challenging rebuilding jobs in college basketball. Neubauer didn't shy away from the history or perception of the program. He says he's fully aware of Fordham's struggles over the years.

"I think college basketball coaches keep tabs," Neubauer said. "There are only 350 basketball programs out there. I know I keep tabs on all of them. I'm really aware of who's successful and who's not within college basketball.

"I'm very familiar with Fordham. As far as the struggles—not only did Tom [Pecora] struggle, but also Dereck [Whittenburg] before him. There is a history of struggling within the Atlantic 10."

Neubauer is committed. Shortcomings and all, he thinks the university is as well.

"I do understand that Rose Hill Gym is not as big as all other arenas in the A-10," Neubauer said. "But I've seen every aspect of the [Fordham basketball] budget, and I think Fordham University is doing the right things where we can win in basketball."

Quotations in this article were obtained firsthand.

Follow Charles Costello on Twitter: @CFCostello. A full archive of his articles can be found here. 

Fordham University introduced Jeff Neubauer as its new men's basketball head coach at a press conference Tuesday afternoon on the school's Rose Hill campus.

The 44-year-old Neubauer spent the past 10 years as head coach at Eastern Kentucky where he led the Colonels to five 20-win seasons, five postseasons (two appearances in the NCAA tournament) and an overall record of 188-134.

"It's the X-factor," Fordham athletic director David Roach said when describing what he looks for in a coach. "People want to know what it is. I can't explain it, but I can feel it when I see it and when I'm around it.

"As soon as I met Jeff, I knew right away we had the ideal person for Fordham," he added.

Neubauer replaces Tom Pecora, who was fired two weeks ago after posting a 44-106 record in five seasons at Fordham. He'll be the fifth Rams coach in the past 16 years.

"It's absolutely an honor to be standing here right now and to be the head coach at Fordham," Neubauer said during his opening remarks.

"Over the last 72 hours, the roller coaster of emotions that I've felt is literally the greatest elation of being the head coach here at Fordham, but also sitting in my hotel room yesterday morning literally crying about the group of men I'm leaving behind at Eastern Kentucky."

Neubauer will face incredible challenges trying to build the Rams into a winner. Since joining the Atlantic 10 Conference prior to the 1995 season, Fordham has finished above .500 just once and has a 76-246 record against league opponents over 20 seasons.

"The biggest reason I'm here is that I love challenges," Neubauer said, "and that is going to be the mantra of our program."

He added: "I'm not walking in here with a five-year plan. I shared with our team that we're walking in here with a one-year plan. ... These guys are really hungry for success."

He'll also have to deal with the reality that Fordham may lose its best player. As Josh Thompson of The Journal News reported last week, Eric Paschall, the A-10 Rookie of the Year, is considering transferring, and he was not at Tuesday's press conference as a result of a planned visit to Villanova.

Neubauer is hoping he can keep the freshman star around.

"I was incredibly impressed with Eric yesterday," Neubauer told Bleacher Report. "I spent more time with him yesterday than with any guy. ... I was blown away with him and I look forward to coaching him." 

And then there's this: Neubauer doesn't appear to have been Fordham's first choice. Last week, WFUV Sports reported via Twitter that Robert Morris head coach Andy Toole was close to a deal to become the Rams' new coach. That deal never happened, with Toole deciding to stay with the Colonials.

But Roach said the national search produced quality candidates, and he's happy with the end result.

"We were able to interview a bunch of coaches," Roach told B/R. "From there, he really kind of popped out."

Before spending a decade at Eastern Kentucky, Neubauer was an assistant under current Michigan coach John Beilein at West Virginia and Richmond.

He's had success at every stop. Fordham will be his greatest challenge.

Quotations in this article were obtained firsthand.

Follow Charles Costello on Twitter: @CFCostello. A full archive of his articles can be found here. 

Fordham freshman Eric Paschall could be the next one out the door.

Less than a week after the school fired head coach Tom Pecora, the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year indicated via Twitter Monday that he'd at least consider transferring to another school.

I have been granted Permission to Contact, which means my recruitment is now open.

— Eric Paschall (@Epaschall4) March 23, 2015

In a follow-up tweet, however, Paschall made it clear he could still return and that no decision has been made yet.

Fordham is still an option for a school

— Eric Paschall (@Epaschall4) March 23, 2015

According to The Journal News, Juan Paschall, Eric's father, gave Fordham a list of more than 12 schools he and his son could contact. Fordham agreed to their request so long as Paschall only contacts the schools on that list.

A lot of programs would clearly love to have Paschall, who averaged 15.9 points and 5.5 rebounds per game as a freshman. On Tuesday, SportsNet New York's Adam Zagoria reported that Paschall was looking at Villanova and Providence. You can expect more schools to enter the mix.

"There are two or three that he's really interested in—schools he knows," Juan Paschall said, according to The Journal News' Josh Thomson. "I know some of those coaches. I know what they're about. Now it's just a matter of us visiting those schools."

Juan Paschall told Zagoria that this is all about "find[ing] out what options we have."

“Obviously, we’re waiting to see who they’re going to hire and we’re going to sit down with them and discuss what their future plans are as far as Fordham basketball is concerned, and at that time we’re going to make a decision," he said.

It was no secret that Paschall chose Fordham over other schools in large part because of Pecora and his staff. Juan Paschall made that clear in an interview with the New York Post's Zach Braziller.

“I know they are going to take care of my son,” he said when Eric signed with Fordham. “I can’t say that about anybody else.”

Now, he may have to. Fordham chose to let Pecora go following a 10-21 season. In five years at Rose Hill, Pecora had a 44-106 record. Recruiting Paschall was one of the biggest accomplishments of his tenure.

Right now, the Rams have a good nucleus in place heading into the 2015-16 season and beyond. Paschall, Christian Sengfelder and Jon Severe form a solid core Fordham can build around.

If he leaves, everything changes. Without Paschall, Fordham would appear to be destined to finish well below .500 yet again. They'd lose Paschall's scoring and star power. It would be a devastating blow for a program that hasn't enjoyed much luck over the past two decades.

Now, as the search for a new coach plays out, the real drama surrounds whether or not Paschall will return.

Follow Charles Costello on Twitter: @CFCostello. A full archive of his articles can be found here. 

Fordham athletic director David Roach made it very clear during a 60-minute interview on WFUV Radio's One on One sports show Saturday that instead of talking about the firing of head coach Tom Pecora, he'd prefer to move on and focus on the future of the men's basketball program:

I think our press release when we made the announcement on Wednesday really summed it up and says it all. At the end of the day, he didn't have enough success.

At this point, I'm kind of focusing on the future for men's basketball, looking for a coach and making sure we do everything possible to bring someone here to Rose Hill to give us a great program and give our student-athletes a positive and winning experience.

The Pecora ship has sailed. He came to the Bronx from Hofstra, where he won 155 games. Like his predecessors, he didn't win at Fordham. Even Pecora supporters like me, who think he should have been given another year, acknowledge the 44-106 record while knowing full well, as what he did before Fordham proves, the guy can coach.

Fordham now finds itself back at square one, a familiar position for a school that will have its fifth men's basketball coach in the last 16 years patrolling the sidelines in 2015.

Parker Executive Search will assist Fordham in its national search for a new coach, the school announced last week.

But really, this is Roach's move, the first head men's basketball coach he will hire since he took over at Fordham in 2012.

Roach has had a long career in college athletics with AD stops at Brown (14 years), Colgate (eight years) and now Fordham. He was also the head swimming coach at Brown from 1978-1986 and at Tennessee from 1986-1990. But it's at Rose Hill, over the next few weeks, where he has the chance to make a legacy-defining move.

That's because no matter how much success some of the school's other programs have had—women's basketball in the Atlantic 10 and football in the Patriot League come to mind—Fordham's flagship sport, the one that plays on the biggest stage, is men's basketball.

It's the one that matters more than any of the others—and it's the one that's struggled mightily for two decades no matter who's been at the helm.

If Roach finds the right coach, if he hires the guy who finally turns the program into a consistent winner, he will forever be remembered for that.

The video scoreboards at opposite ends of the Rose Hill Gym are nice. The game-day experience at both basketball and football games is remarkably better than it was. Roach has made progress on the athletic front. It's yet to translate into wins for the men's basketball team, however. This hire could change that.

Fordham is in a tough spot here. Only once in the last 20 years has it finished above .500. It has won only six conference tournament games since joining the A-10 prior to the 1995 season. It's in a league that is home to some top-notch programs. Lose this much for that long, and doubt creeps in.

Now, Roach has a chance to change all that. Of all the moves and decisions he's made since arriving at Rose Hill, none will be bigger than this one. 

Follow Charles Costello on Twitter: @CFCostello. A full archive of his articles can be found here. 

March Madness is a heartwarming time.

People of all creeds come together to cheer for the feel-good stories—the upsets and underdogs, the sight of grown men toppling from chairs in rapture. And the spread. The soul-stirring triumph of the spread.

Yes, amid all the NCAA tournament’s rosy sentimentality, the undercurrent of sports gambling is running strong in Las Vegas, where bettors screamed for another kind of buzzer-beater Thursday afternoon.

ESPN sports betting correspondent Tommy Lorenzo (h/t NextImpulseSports.com) posted video of a tournament watch party exploding at the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook on Thursday. Bettors lost it when VCU’s Jonathan Williams slipped in a buzzer-beating layup at the end of the round-of-64 matchup against the Buckeyes.

The shot did nothing for Shaka Smart’s team, which lost 75-72 in overtime, but it meant everything to bettors,  who liked VCU to cover the 3.5 spread.

Breathe it in, guys. This is what March Madness is all about—last-second fireworks that change everything.

If you can’t find the romance in a room full of boozy people losing their gourds over small, greedy moments in sports, you might not believe in love.

Dan is on Twitter. Cheer for the underdog. And always take VCU to cover.

Fordham has fired head men's basketball coach Tom Pecora, the school announced in a press release today. It also made its decision public via Twitter:

Fordham Announces Change in Leadership of Men's Basketball Program http://t.co/XIhKheEI6h

— Fordham Athletics (@FordhamRams) March 18, 2015

When contacted by Bleacher Report, Fordham athletic director David Roach declined to comment further.

Pecora had been at Fordham for five years and had a record of 44-106 during his tenure. He had two years remaining on his contract.

In its press release, Fordham explained a bit behind the decision:

The decision was based on the fact that the University’s men’s basketball program has regrettably not achieved the desired results or made the sustained progress hoped for under Mr. Pecora’s leadership, as measured by the won/loss record over five years, which was 44–106 (29.3 percent), and the recruited student-athlete retention rate over the past four years, which was 50 percent." (Fordham later added that the retention rate "does not include the six freshmen on the 2014-2015 roster.")

It's true that the Rams didn't have much success under Pecora. It's also true that no coach has had much success, certainly nothing sustained, since the school joined the Atlantic 10 prior to the 1995 season.

Though he didn't get it going in the Bronx, Pecora has a track record going back to his days at Hofstra when he won 155 games in nine seasons. There's reason to believe that, given more time, he could have gotten it done at Rose Hill.

Even as the losses piled up, Pecora showed an ability to recruit talent. He brought in Eric Paschall, the New England Prep Player of the Year in 2013, who led the Rams in scoring this season and was named A-10 Rookie of the Year; Jon Severe, Mr. New York Basketball in 2013, who as a freshman set a school record by scoring 536 points; and Christian Sengfelder, who was named A-10 Rookie of the Week five times in 2014-15 and made the conference All-Rookie team.

Fordham won 10 games this year with seven freshmen and only three upperclassmen on its roster. It beat George Mason in the first round of the conference tournament, despite the fact that Paschall was hobbled by a high ankle sprain and played just 11 minutes and scored only one point. The next day, with Paschall out, Fordham came within minutes of upsetting VCU, the eventual A-10 champion.

With another year of development under their belt, one would think the Rams would have been a much better team under Pecora next season. For that reason and more, you could make a strong argument that firing him was a bad decision.

Now, the Rams will have to start over again, a familiar position for a university that will employ its fifth coach in the last 16 years. That's not the type of stability you need to be successful in college basketball.

Fordham says it "will launch a national search for a new head men’s basketball coach immediately, and will use the services of a search firm in the process."

Here we go again. It didn't have to be this way.

Charles Costello is a Fordham Rams Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. A full archive of his articles can be found here. Follow him on Twitter: @CFCostello