BY CHARLES COSTELLO
Fordham went “Green” last night, and the environment at Rose Hill changed for the better.
Jacob Green, the 6-9 sophomore transfer from West Virginia, made his Fordham debut, scoring eight points on 3-of-10 shooting from the floor (2-of-6 from the free throw line), grabbing eight rebounds, and blocking one shot in 29 minutes of action off the bench. Not a great night by any measure, but a sure sign that the Rams have something special in Green.
“Jacob Green is going to be a help for us,” head coach Dereck Whittenburg said after the game. “He came in and gave us some rebounds, gave us some presence. It’s going to help us for the future.”
In the present, Green’s addition paid immediate dividends as the Rams played their first game in 12 days and didn’t miss a beat, winning for only the second time this year, 60-56, over the New Hampshire Wildcats.
In fact, at the outset, they appeared a more confident team, one that knocked down shots and played physical, smart defense, all leading to an early 22-8 lead. By halftime, that lead was cut to 28-25 as the Rams lacked the discipline that enabled them to jump on the Wildcats early.
“Our defense was excellent the first 10 minutes,” Whittenburg said. “You’re not going to hold a team down to no points. They’ve got to learn how to play with a lead, how to stay with the system. When we execute and stay with the system we’re a pretty good team.”
They got back to the system in the second half, playing smarter and executing better on both ends of the floor. But New Hampshire would not go down easily, taking their first lead of the game, 50-49, with 5:10 left to play. They would extend the lead to 53-49 with 4:41 on the clock, but Fordham would score six unasnsered points on baskets by Mike Moore, Green, and Chris Bethel. The Wildcats got the lead back with 1:01 to play but a layup by Jio Fontan, a free throw by Bethel, and then two free throws by Fontan with 12 seconds left sealed the win.
“What a gutsy game,” Whittenburg said after it was all over. “I knew it would be a tough game. Both of us were off for a long time. It was a gutsy win for us. It showed some character. It shows what we’re capable of.
“We came through. I think that showed character. Sometimes you’ve got to win ugly, tough games and that’s what it was. It was a great test for us and we really showed some character there.”
What made the game closer was Fordham’s inability to connect on their free throws. As a team, the Rams shot just 13-of-26 from the line.
“It’s just a toughness thing, Whittenburg said. “When you get fatigued, you’ve got to step up and knock free throws down. We shot 25 free throws last night, we shot free throws in practice. It’s just a mental thing. It’s a little different in the game just because when you get winded you’ve got to makes shots when you’re tired. We made some at the end but if we made our free throws it wouldn’t have been as close.”
Fontan finished with 18 points in 37 minutes. His biggest basket was the game winner for Fordham with 43 seconds remaining. Following a timeout, Fontan received the inbounds pass and hit a baseline layup from the left side that gave Fordham a 57-56 lead, a lead they would not relinquish.
“I knew he was going to drive and get in there and I thought something good was happening,” Whittenburg said about designing the play. “If they were to converge he would have passed to one of our big guys for a layup. I just thought if we get the ball in his bands on the curl then he’s probably going to get in and make a good penetrating play, and I thought something good was going to happen.”
Mike Moore led Fordham with 19 points and six rebounds. Bethel added 10 points and seven rebounds. The Rams had 10 steals and forced 20 New Hampshire turnovers as they improved to 2-7 on the year while the Wildcats dropped to 3-6.
And then of course there was Green, who received a standing ovation from the 1395 in attendance at Rose Hill when he exited for the final time. After transferring in January, Green sat out two semesters before becoming eligible to suit up for the Rams. The highly anticipated debut of Green took place at just the right time for the Rams, who are playing without junior forward Brenton Butler (ankle injury) and with the status of senior Chris Bethel (fractured nose) unknown heading into last night’s game. Add to that the size of Green and his ability to rebound the basketball, and his experience playing in the Big East, and it’s no wonder that Whittenburg was asked time and again about the impact Green would have when he eventually became eligible.
“It gives us a guy with some size,” Whittenburg said. “You’ve got to remember he practiced for two years against Big East competition, practiced against Big East players. That’s why I didn’t hesitate to play him and give him a lot of minutes. Our guys are more confident and comfortable with him now. Now, if someone comes to the basket we’ve got some guys to bang around in there.”
(Photo courtesy of Joe DiBari, Fordham University’s Sports Information Director)
Fordham SportsNet would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas.
A Win, the Growth of a Freshman, an Anticipated Debut, and Back to the “Fans”
Posted by Fordham SportsNet on December 26, 2008
BY CHARLES COSTELLO
Though the story Tuesday night at Rose Hill seemed to begin and end with talk of Jacob Green’s debut, a lot more was on display as Fordham hosted New Hampshire on the eve of Christmas Eve. Here are some thoughts looking back on what was a pretty memorable night in the Bronx:
1) A Win Is a Win: Though it may have been closer, and a bit more gut wrenching, than they would have liked, Fordham did escape with a 60-56 win over an inferior New Hampshire team out of the America East Conference. You could point to the clutch layup and the two free throws in the game’s last minute by Jio Fontan. Or Mike Moore’s team-high 19 points, with 12 coming in the second half. While Chris Bethel’s 10 points and seven rebounds, after fracturing his nose in a game against Fairfield 12 days earlier, were much needed. And yes, Green’s eight points and eight rebounds were key factors, as was his overall presence on the court. The bottom line, however, is that a win is a win. And as the Atlantic 10 schedule looms following the trip to Florida and a visit to Bowling Green, winning non-conference games, and gaining confidence in their overall ability to compete, become more and more important for this young team.
2) Learning How to Win: How many times have you seen young, inexperienced teams play well for the majority of the game, only to fold down the stretch and explain afterward how in the future things will be different? Not the case Tuesday night. Despite giving up the lead (Fordham led by as many as 14 in the first half) and eventually falling behind late in the game (53-49 with4:41 to play, and 56-55 with 1:01 to play), Fontan and company hit some key shots and got some important defensive stops in the game’s final minutes to secure the win. Impressive for a team learning how to win, and a team that, in the past, hasn’t always finished games strong.
3) The Making of a Point Guard: Sitting courtside at Rose Hill and watching the continued development of freshman Jio Fontan has been an absolute joy. Fontan keeps getting better and better every time he steps on the floor, and improvement is evident with each game. It’s not just points. It’s court presence, leadership, and perhaps most important, good decision making. Fontan has improved in all areas. He’s passing more when Bethel, Luke Devine, and now Green are open on one of his drives to the basket. And he’s becoming more confident and finishing on his own penetrating drives, as evidenced by the layup he made to give Fordham a one point lead with 43 seconds left in the game Tuesday night. Fontan is 18th in the Atlantic 10 in points, averaging 13.0 points per game, 5th in assists with 4.9 per game, and 8th in the conference with a 1.57 assist to turnover ratio. And remember, he’s only a freshman, and has played in only nine collegiate games. The sky is the limit for this St. Anthony’s product.
4) Going “Green”: Yes, I have to mention Jacob Green, and yes, he was the center of attention Tuesday night. Green entered for the first time with17:48 left in the first half and exited late in the game (Green fouled out with2:03 left in the game) to a standing ovation. In between, the transfer from West Virginia, who sat out two semesters before becoming eligible, scored eight points and grabbed eight rebounds in 29 minutes. It wasn’t perfect (3-of-10 from the floor, 2-of-6 from the free throw line, and three turnovers) but Green showed signs that his 6-9 frame, athletic ability, and Big East experience can help. His teammates seem to be comfortable with him out on the floor, as does head coach Dereck Whittenburg, who did not hesitate giving him minutes, and a lot of them considering it was his first game. Like Fontan, Green’s development will be fun to watch, and worth keeping an eye on.
5) Fordham “Unfaithful”: If you haven’t noticed, this is becoming a recurring theme, and one that I plan on addressing more in future articles. But for now, let me just say that the announced attendance of 1395 Tuesday at Rose Hill was a bit on the generous side. If you count cheerleaders (there were five) and players and coaches, plus game staff and media, you could possibly get away with saying 1000 were in the arena. But there were no students at the game (surprise, surprise), and a lot of alumni continue to say they won’t show up until the team wins (alarming yes, shocking no). I’m going to save most of my commentary for an upcoming piece, but it must be noted again that with all the criticism from alleged Fordham fans about the team’s play (unfair), about the coaching staff (unfair), and about the commitment of the athletic department (unfair), it is fair to expect from these same people that they at least do their part and show up at games. It’s like the old saying goes with voting: If you don’t vote, don’t complain about the results, including who wins and what decisions they make. Well in the case of Fordham basketball, if you don’t show up, keep your mouth shut and let the coaches coach and the players play. Something tells me that they know a little bit more about the game than you do.
Posted in Basketball Commentary | 1 Comment »