Fordham Rams Basketball Season Preview
The college hoops season is right around the corner, and Busting Brackets is here to whet your basketball-starved appetite. Over the next five weeks, we are publishing season previews team by team, conference by conference, to offer a glimpse into the upcoming season. Busting Brackets is giving you the lowdown on the biggest storylines, offseason changes and x-factors for each team and each league as we roll into the 2012-13 season. Our complete season preview archive can be accessed here. Buckle up, peeps.
Fordham Rams
| Last Season | 10-19 (3-13 A-10) Did not qualify for A-10 tourney |
| Key Returning Players: | Chris Gaston, F Branden Frazier, G Bryan Smith, G Devon McMillan, G Jeffrey Short, G |
| Key Additions: | Ryan Rhoomes, F (Cardoza HS) Travion Leonard, F (Kestrel Heights) Nihad Musovic, G (Fordham Prep) Mandell Thomas, G (Rush-Henrietta) Jermaine Myers, G (Culver Academy) |
| Key Losses: | Kervin Bristol, F Lamount Samuell, G (Transfer) Alberto Estwick, G |
| Top Non-Conference Games: | Nov. 12 @ Pittsburgh Nov. 29 vs. Manhattan Dec. 1 @ Harvard Dec. 4 @ Lehigh Dec. 8 @ St. John’s Dec. 15 vs. Princeton Dec. 29 @ Georgia Tech Jan. 4 @ Ole Miss |
| Top Conference Games: | Jan. 13 vs. UMass Jan. 30 vs. Saint Joseph’s Feb. 6 vs. Saint Louis Feb. 16 vs. Butler Mar. 6 vs. Temple |
| Breakout Player: | Travion Leonard. The Rams will likely turn to the 6-foot-8, 285-pound freshman to help fill the void in the middle left by the unsung Kervin Bristol, who graduated last spring. A bruising post presence who can play either the 4 or 5, Leonard could see heavy minutes, perhaps even starter’s minutes, during his freshman campaign. Conditioning will be an issue, but so long as Leonard can stay on the floor, he’ll be on the floor. Frontcourt depth is again an issue for the Rams, and so head coach Tom Pecora will have to lean on players like Leonard to fill the void down low. Leonard probably isn’t ready for the A-10 gauntlet. But he’ll have to learn on the fly, via a baptism by fire. Fordham has no other choice. |
| X-Factor: | Support for Chris Gaston. He can’t do it alone. The tough-minded, stat-sheet-stuffing forward who deserves to play on a winning team will need [serious] help from his teammates for the Rams to make headway in the A-10 this season. You can’t single out one x-factor in particular for Fordham. The entire roster save Chris Gaston is collectively an x-factor, THE x-factor. Gaston is a proven star, and the only player separating the Rams from Division-1 obscurity over the last three years. For a team that can’t score (Fordham averaged just 62 points per game last season on paltry 38-percent shooting from the floor), the star forward and double-double machine is the one offensive buoy keeping the team afloat. Gaston last season accounted for a higher percentage of his team’s points (27.6-percent) than any other A-10 player. If Gaston is to enjoy his first winning season in college (don’t hold your breath), it’s up to the Fordham supporting cast to return the favor. |
| Best Case: | Gaston has a “take no prisoners” type season, earning him conference player of the year honors come year’s end. Leonard is an instant impact recruit. Frazier and Smith fill out the scoring from outside while Short (whose freshman season was cut short by injury) and McMillan prove to be reliable second-tier scoring options as sophomores. Fordham, deep in the backcourt, uses its depth to its advantage. The Rams avoid the A-10 cellar and finish ahead of Duquesne in the final conference standings. Fordham adds a signature OOC win over intercity rival Manhattan for good measure. |
| Worst Case: | We’ll avoid consideration of injuries here, because the real worst case scenario would be an injury befalling Gaston—the lifeblood of the Rams and frankly the only reason worth watching Fordham in 2012-13. Gaston, again, is on an island of his own, as the Rams are unable to flank him with the offensive support he needs. The burden of carrying the team weighs on the senior forward, who saw his shooting efficiency and most other significant rate totals dip between his sophomore and junior seasons. Gaston’s rebounding, which feel nearly a rebound-and-a-half last season, continues to slide. Leonard is not ready to handle the A-10 gauntlet just yet. The backcourt continues to struggle from the perimeter. Fordham shoots under 30-percent from downtown for the second consecutive season. The loss of Bristol inside proves bigger than Rams fans anticipate. Fordham finishes the season at the bottom of the A-10 standings once again sans a conference win. |
| Projected Finish: | 6-22 (2-14 Atlantic-10) Do not qualify for A-10 or postseason tournaments |