Fordham Basketball

When national analysts for men's college basketball get asked who's the best team that no one is talking about, we typically respond with a fringe AP Top 25 team, or one that appears to be turning a corner after failing to live up to the preseason hype.

You know, major-conference teams that plenty of people are definitely aware of but that might be worth buying low as a title contender.

But the best team that absolutely no one is talking about this year?

The 11-1 Fordham Rams.

More than half a century ago, Digger Phelps coached Fordham to a 26-3 record, a No. 9 ranking in the AP poll and a first-round victory in the 1971 NCAA tournament.

And the program has not been nationally relevant since.

The Rams haven't been ranked since that final poll in 1971.

Since shocking 18th-ranked Georgetown at the end of the 1977-78 season, Fordham has lost 53 consecutive games to AP Top 20 opponents. (At least the games of that ilk in the 1980s were occasionally competitive, though. The Rams have lost by double digits in 32 of their last 33 games against Top 20 foes.)

They have gone to just one of the past 50 NCAA tournaments, getting pummeled in the first round of the 1992 dance by a Massachusetts team coached by an up-and-comer named John Calipari.

And unless you're trying to count Eric Paschall—who spent one season at Fordham before transferring to Villanova for his final three years of college hoops—this program hasn't had a player drafted since 1983. That year, Edward Bona and David Maxwell went in the sixth and ninth rounds, respectively, and never played a minute in the NBA.

Fordham simply has not mattered in men's college basketball at any point in my life.

Yet, out of absolutely nowhere, the Rams have one of the best records in men's college hoops, entering Thursday's home game against VMI at 11-1, with eight of those wins coming by double digits.

On Dec. 11, they became the second team this season to reach 11 wins against D-I competition, hitting that plateau just 24 hours after Connecticut did.

It's not often that we get to put Fordham in a two-team club with arguably the best squad in the nation, but there you go.

Granted, the schedule has had a lot to do with that early success. Per KenPom.com, the Rams entered play Wednesday with the worst strength of schedule in the country.

But that's also nothing new. Fordham's nonconference slate has been a joke for the past decade, ranking in the bottom 10 percent of the nation in each of 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2021-22 and in the bottom 33 percent every year since 2012-13. (Except 2020-21, when Fordham played no games outside the Atlantic 10.)

Those weak slates never produced anything quite like this.

The last time the Rams won even 10 nonconference games was in 1990-91, and it wasn't until their 15th nonconference game in late February that they got that 10th victory.

And the last time they won 11 nonconference games during the regular season was in 1974-75, when they went 12-13 overall as an independent team.

11-1 is just unheard of for this program, regardless of the schedule.

In fact, it's the first time Fordham has gotten to 11 wins within its first 15 games since that mythical Phelps-coached team that started 18-1 in 1970-71.

So, what exactly is going on in the Bronx?

Well, the simplest answer is that shots are going in for a change.

Fordham is shooting 53.0 percent from inside the arc, 37.2 percent from beyond it and 75.5 percent from the free-throw line. The Rams have not finished a season at or above any of those three marks since the aforementioned 1990-91 squad, which shot 38.5 percent from three-point range.

And, to be clear, 53.0, 37.2 and 75.5 aren't outlandish, unsustainable numbers. Fordham is somewhere in the 41st-best to 125th-best range in the country in all three categories.

However, it's an uncommon degree of bucket-getting success for this program.

Fifth-year senior Khalid Moore has surprisingly been the biggest factor in that offensive outburst.

Moore had started 63 games and played in 117 total games over the previous four seasons at Georgia Tech, but he was much more of a versatile glue guy than a designed scoring option for the Yellow Jackets. He averaged just 4.4 points per game, only once scoring 15 or more in a contest.

Lo and behold, the 6'7" stretch 4 is averaging 15.5 points per game for Fordham, transforming into a linchpin for an offense averaging at least 72 points per game (75.5) for the first time in over two decades.

"[Moore had] always been a role player from high school to AAU to Georgia Tech," Fordham head coach Keith Urgo said in a recent interview with Andy Katz for the NABC. "... He knew what he wanted his last year in college. ... And he's performed at a high level in a much bigger role than he ever had."

In one of Fordham's two wins outside Quadrant 4, Moore went for 23 points, 10 rebounds and four assists at Tulane. And after scoring a career-high 25 points on Dec. 11 against Central Connecticut State, he has already put up more points this season (186) than his previous career high (166).

And on the career scoring front, Youngstown State transfer Darius Quisenberry is averaging 18.1 points per game this season while rapidly approaching 2,000 points—as well as 400 rebounds and 400 assists.

This is DQ's second year on the team, and he entered this season as a career 30.6 percent three-point shooter. But he's connecting at a 45 percent clip for the year and has made 22 of 38 (57.9 percent) over his last six games.

Quisenberry almost had his first career triple-double in November, too, going for 14 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists in a win over Holy Cross. Had he gotten there, it would have been the first triple-double in Fordham history.

Beyond that Batman and Robin (as Urgo calls them) scoring tandem, Fordham has a formidable one-two punch at the 5 with Abdou Tsimbila and Rostyslav Novitskyi combining for 14.1 points, 12.9 rebounds and 3.9 blocks per game.

A light version of what Purdue had last season in Zach Edey and Trevion Williams, they're pretty much never on the court together, but the Rams almost always have one of those big men anchoring them in the paint.

Fordham also has a veteran point guard averaging 4.7 assists per game (Antrell Charlton) and a senior wing who does a little bit of everything (Kyle Rose).

Again, the schedule has been pathetic. And Fordham did commit 27 turnovers while getting trounced 74-48 by Arkansas (sans Nick Smith Jr.) five days into the season. I'm not suggesting you visit your nearest sportsbook and ask what sort of odds you can get on this team winning a national championship.

However, the Rams have made the most of their pathetic schedule, and they just might be a legitimate mid-major to watch out for in March.

I watched the games against Tulane and Central Connecticut State, and when that offense gets into a groove—and isn't shooting itself in the foot with turnovers—this looks like a veteran-heavy team that can hang with just about anyone.

The Rams haven't finished a season rated in the top 160 on KenPom since 2007-08, but they entered play Tuesday at No. 159—up 70 spots from where they started the season.

And, like, have you taken a look at the A-10 lately?

It's normally a multi-bid league, but it is a disaster this year. Dayton, Saint Louis, VCU and newcomer Loyola-Chicago have all fallen well short of expectations, as every team except for Fordham has already suffered at least three losses.

That league is so far down and so wide open that—despite playing under its fourth head coach in less than three calendar years and despite a 54-197 record in league play during 15 consecutive losing A-10 seasons—even Fordham could win it.

While I said not to bet on them to win the national championship, Fordham at +8000 to win the A-10 regular-season title was too tempting for me to resist.

That's partially because the schedule remains favorable for the Rams. Their double dips are against Rhode Island, St. Bonaventure, Duquesne and Davidson, none of whom look like a top-five team in the league. And Fordham's games against the two supposed favorites (Dayton and Saint Louis) will both be played in The Bronx.

Jump on the bandwagon while you still can, because by the time noted alumnus Denzel Washington starts saying that King Kong ain't got s--t on Fordham men's basketball, it'll be too late.

---

Odds via DraftKings. Statistics via WarrenNolan.com, Sports Reference and KenPom.com unless otherwise noted.

Don't tell Fordham head basketball coach Jeff Neubauer that you can't win at Rose Hill.

Four coaches—Nick Macarchuk, Bob Hill, Dereck Whittenburg and Tom Pecora—have had success elsewhere but weren't able to get it done at Fordham. Neubauer is next up. And while he's aware of the past, he's not dwelling on it. Instead, he's using it to help build the future.

"I shouldn't say I'm not spending any time thinking about that because that is part of the process of trying to understand what will work here, what we need to do to be successful," Neubauer told Bleacher Report during an interview in his office earlier this month. "But it's not for me to dwell on the past. It's for me to paint a picture to recruits, and our current players, as far as where I see this program is right now. 

"We're not sugarcoating anything with recruits. Fordham basketball has struggled big time over the last several years. What I need to do is show the young guys in this program, and the guys we bring in, how to win."

It will be a monumental task. Since Fordham joined the Atlantic 10 Conference prior to the 1995 season, it's finished above .500 just once. The Rams' conference record is a paltry 76-246 during that time.

Neubauer isn't the first to think he has the answers, and he might not be the last. He's just the latest to take the Fordham challenge.

"It's my job as the head coach to have answers," Neubauer said. "What that means exactly, I'm not sure, but we're going to find answers as far as how we win games here at Fordham."

You have to admire his confidence. At Fordham, there have been questions about the gym, the budget, the commitment and more. Neubauer isn't buying any of it. In fact, when talking with B/R, he spoke passionately and boldly about all things Fordham.

"People talk about the facilities here at Fordham," Neubauer said. "I love the Rose Hill Gym. It's got so much personality, so much character. There's no need to compare it to any other facility. We can win with this facility."

He added: "Fordham's campus—absolutely incredible. Is there another campus in New York City that even compares to this?"

As B/R previously reported, Neubauer is confident he can land the talent Fordham will need to compete in the A-10.

"I've only been here a month," he said. "We've been very successful already selling New York City, this beautiful campus and the opportunity to compete in the A-10. To me, that's a pretty intriguing package."

When Fordham fired Pecora in March, recurring questions about the school's membership in the A-10, facilities and resources emerged. It's been a familiar storyline in the Bronx, one that Neubauer dismissed.

"So much of that is just absolutely ridiculous," he said. "It's just crazy.

"This campus is awesome, New York City is as dynamic as any city in the world and we're competing in a league that over the last five years has 21 NCAA tournament bids. Let's start with those positives."

He continued: "There's been a lot of talk about budgetary issues here. I have seen every aspect of Fordham's basketball budget. Fordham is doing everything necessary to win. To try to blame it on the budget doesn't make any sense. Fordham is doing the right things as far as winning."

He wasn't done.

"Is this the right conference?" Neubauer asked. "Absolutely, the Atlantic 10 is the right conference.

"It's absolutely ludicrous for anyone associated with Fordham to mention that there should be a different conference. Personally, I would not be here at Fordham if Fordham were in a different league. The great thing that Fordham has going for it right now is that the A-10 is as powerful, and more powerful, than some of the Big 5 conferences. The fact that 21 teams have gone from the A-10 to the NCAA tournament, that's what attracted me here more than anything.

"Am I thrilled to be a coach in New York City? Absolutely. Am I thrilled to take over a program that's struggled and it's a great challenge?

"But the No. 1 reason I took this job is that Fordham competes in the A-10."

Now if only the Rams could win. Neubauer thinks they can.

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 has only been at the school for a little more than a month, but he's pretty sure of what he'll need to do to win games at Rose Hill.

"In college basketball, when you take a new job, it really can be overwhelming at times because there's just so much to do," Neubauer told Bleacher Report Thursday morning. "My general focus here over the last month has been, No. 1, to develop relationships with the new guys; No. 2, hire a staff. And now we're really spending most of our time recruiting."

On that front, Fordham received some good news Thursday. According to the Sun Herald, Jahshire Hardnett, a point guard from Gulfport, Mississippi, signed a national letter of intent with Fordham and will join the Rams for the 2015-16 season.

Hardnett is the first to buy in to what Neubauer is selling.

"Right now, it's about trying to flip this program really quickly," Neubauer said. "Obviously Fordham basketball has struggled. We're not hiding that from anyone. As we talk to recruits, we're not trying to sugarcoat anything. There have been some tough times here, but our plan is to flip it quickly."

Neubauer has his work cut out for him, but he sounded confident when talking about his plan and where it will all start.

"Our program will be built on defense," Neubauer said. "As we go out looking for guys right now we know we have to defend. I don't know how difficult that's going to be, but the defense here has to improve and it has to improve quickly."

Offensively, Neubauer said he's put a premium on players who can help in specific areas where the Rams struggled last season.

"At the offensive end, last year's team really struggled to value the ball, and it did not shoot the ball well at all," Neubauer said. (The Rams turned the ball over 452 times and shot 41.5 percent from the field.) "As we target new recruits, those are the things we're after."

He added: "If we start with the idea that decision-making wasn't good and the three-point shooting wasn't good, we're going after 1's, 2's and 3's that can make decisions with the basketball and can make open shots."

While there's been a concerted effort to upgrade the talent, Neubauer is confident that some of the pieces are already in place. For example, he's impressed with Ryan Rhoomes, who will be a senior next year, and Christian Sengfelder, who was named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week five times in 2014-15.

"There are a few guys that have really proven statistically that they can compete at this level," Neubauer said.

"The foundation for Fordham basketball is already here," he added. "We're going to win because of our foundation. We're going to win because of the guys here. Now, do we need to go out right now and sign some guys that can make an impact in the A-10 immediately? Absolutely. 

"It's a combination. Obviously what Fordham has done here recently has not been enough."

Hardnett should help. The point guard position was an important one to fill. Last season, Mandell Thomas moved there from shooting guard and played well. Hardnett, a natural point guard, would be a better option, one who could send Thomas back to the off-guard position.

Expect Fordham to remain aggressive in pursuing additional talent, no matter where it might have to go to find it.

"Selling New York City is not hard," Neubauer said. "It sells itself.

"There's no question we're going to attract great players here. [But] we're not going to limit ourselves. We're going to do everything we can to recruit this city and attract great local talent. However, we are trying to piece together a winning basketball program. I don't care if we sign a young man from any part of the country. Our job is to win games here at Fordham, and we're going to do that."

Quotations in this article were obtained firsthand.

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

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.