Fordham SportsNet

Is this the last we'll see of Jio Fontan in a Fordham uniform? (Photo courtesy of Joe DiBari)

BY CHARLES COSTELLO

If Jio Fontan wants out of his Fordham scholarship, the university should do the right thing and let him go. Grant him his release and move on. At this point, it’s the best and only option for the school and the player.

Don’t get me wrong, losing Fontan would be a devastating blow to the program. Teams build around players like Fontan. A skilled and intelligent point guard who understands the game of basketball. And a good kid as well. This would be a monumental loss for Fordham. With Fontan in place for the next three years, and with the additions next year of highly-touted recruits such as Chris Gaston, Lance Brown, and Brian Freeman, not to mention the verbal commitment from Joel Wright for 2010, Rose Hill could be on the brink of a basketball resurgence. Coming off a 3-25 season, losing Fontan, unmistakably the team’s best player, would set the program back. A point guard would have to be found. And finding one as good as Fontan wouldn’t be an easy task.

But why would Fordham want to keep a player who doesn’t want to be here anymore? Albeit, a player recognized as the face of the program. As hard as it is to accept the fact that Fontan wants to go, and as difficult as it will be to pick up the pieces, given all that has transpired with Jio since the season ended, his departure seems inevitable.

This is college athletics circa 2009. Coaches leave and so do players. There’s no commitment or contract that can’t be broken. So while it’s disappointing to have arrived at this point, because Fontan is a talented player who could lead the Rams to their best Atlantic 10 days yet, Fordham needs to get on with it and allow Fontan to do the same. Let the young man pack his bags for another school. Boy, I’m still uneasy saying that.

All this talk of Fontan transferring began during the Big East Tournament in early March. Sean Brennan broke the story in his Daily News blog on March 11, and since then Fontan’s been in the news for all the wrong reasons. Adam Zagoria reported on zagsblog.com earlier this week that Fontan was denied his release by Fordham during a meeting on Tuesday. Zagoria reports that Fontan promised not to transfer to any Big East schools in the area (significant because Rutgers has been mentioned as the favorite to land Fontan, who is a native of Paterson, New Jersey). Reportedly, this was not the first time the university denied him his release. What happens now? Stay tuned.

If Fontan transfers, Fordham wouldn’t just be losing a great kid and a great basketball player, the school would be losing hope. Hope that teaming the new recruits with the star point guard would lead Fordham to the top of the Atlantic 10. Hope that Fontan would make Fordham basketball relevant again. I have to admit I’m shocked that this day has come. I thought Fontan would be the face of Fordham basketball through the 2011-12 season. I like Jio and I know how much Fordham needs him. How much a kid with that kind of talent, heart, and character can transform a program.

Imagine how head coach Dereck Whittenburg must feel right now. It’s one thing to lose Trey Blue and Mike Moore. But this is Jio Fontan. This is a member of the 2009 Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team. This is the Rams’ leading scorer at 15.3 points per game. This is 132 assists out the door. Fontan’s that special player you find on the roster of every winning team. A young man Whittenburg can trust to bring it every day. A young man who appears to understand the game as much as Whittenburg understood the game 26 years ago when, as a player, he led North Carolina State to a national championship. A player who respects the game as much as Whittenburg, the coach, respects the game today. Whittenburg was always so proud of his freshman point guard, praising him after games for his toughness and his desire to win. It seemed like a winning combination.

The day Fontan leaves - if and when that happens - will be a dark one at Rose Hill. One of the darkest days the basketball program has ever had. How could one ever imagine that following a three-win season the news could get worse? That a special player would be leaving a struggling program.

Fordham will miss Fontan more than Fontan will miss Fordham. It would be a big loss for the program. Bigger than any of the 25 they just experienced. But just like Fontan seems to want to move on without Fordham, the university needs to move on without him.

(Charles Costello can be reached via email at charlescostello@optonline.net)

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