Fordhamsports.com, the university’s official athletics website, is reporting that Trey Blue was named Atlantic 10 Men’s Basketball Rookie of the Week for the week ending November 15. The freshman guard from South Holland, Illinois scored 24 points in his college debut Friday night against Columbia. Here are some interesting notes compliments of the Fordham Sports Information Office:

• The last Fordham player to receive the A-10 Rookie of the Week Award was Bryant Dunston, a six-time recipient back in 2004-05.
• Blue’s 24 points are a Fordham record for points scored by a freshman in his debut. Dunston had previously held the record, scoring 20 as a freshman against St. Francis in 2004.

Blue was the most impressive Ram Friday night. In the 65-62 loss to Columbia, the 6’3 freshman guard had four rebounds and four assists to go along with his game-high 24 points. Blue was 6-for-11 from three-point range.

BY CHARLES COSTELLO
Fordham Head Coach Dereck Whittenburg watched Friday night as his Rams were outrebounded by visiting Columbia, 52-27. He watched as his team hit only nine of 28 field goals in the second half, including three of 12 from beyond the arc. Ultimately, he watched his team squander an eight-point second half lead as the Lions left the Rose Hill Gym with a 65-62 win.

“First of all, let me give Columbia all the credit,” Whittenburg said following the loss. ”I knew it would be a tough task for us. We had the game but they just made the tough plays at the end and we didn’t.”

Led by freshman Trey Blue, who scored 14 points in the first half and finished with 24 in his college debut, the Rams jumped on Columbia early. Seven three-pointers in the first half, four by Blue, helped Fordham amass a five-point halftime lead after the Rams led by as many as eight earlier in the half. In fact, the Rams led for much of the second half as well, thanks to the offensive prowess of senior Chris Bethel who poured in 11 points in the half, including a three-pointer with 2:25 to play that tied the game at 60. Bethel finished the game with 16 points. 

However, the key stretch came when Columbia scored eight in a row to assume a 60-57 lead with 2:56 to play. Then, Ampin added two buckets late to put the Lions up for good. Fordham still had a chance to send the game into overtime, but Brenton Butler and Jio Fontan missed two three-point shots in the game’s final seconds.

“They outtoughed us,” Whittenburg said. “They deserved to win. We couldn’t really run any offense. We weren’t patient. We weren’t disciplined enough to run something. I’m more disappointed. I’m not upset. We got outtoughed.”

The rebound disparity certainly proves that, as does the way Columbia outplayed Fordham late in the game. Nonetheless, with a new group of starters and core players, Whittenburg knows his team is a work in progress.

“I’m disappointed we lost but it’s the first game,” he said. “There will be a lot of doubters but that’s okay. We will be a better team as the season goes on.”

The Rams travel to Villanova on Monday to take on the Wildcats, ranked 23rd in the nation. The 7:30 contest can be heard live on 90.7FM WFUV beginning at 7:25.