Freshman Chris Gaston had 22 points and 13 rebounds in the Rams' win over Sacred Heart. (Photo courtesy of Joe DiBari, Fordham University's Sports Information Director)
BY CHARLES COSTELLO
As Dereck Whittenburg was approached by reporters Wednesday night following the Rams’ win over Sacred Heart, their first of the season, the Fordham head coach joked that when he took over at Rose Hill six and a half years ago, his hair was darker. With more nights like this, a 76-66 win over the Pioneers, Whittenburg may be able to put a halt to that trend.
Before a crowd of 1,175 at the Rose Hill Gym, Fordham picked up its first win of the year after losses to Maine and Fairfield to open the season. The Rams snapped a 12-game losing streak that dated back to January of last season, and in the process, got a performance from freshman forward Chris Gaston that seemed to symbolize the potential the Rams have as they grow as a team.
“I challenged our guys. I told them ‘this is a character game,’” Whittenburg said. “To their credit, they came out and played really impressive defense. We had some nice performances.
“It was a good win for us. We’ve grown up a little. We’ve gotten better since the last two games.”
It is inevitable that when you’re a highly-touted recruit like Gaston, all eyes are going to be on you. That means every game and every possession. Against Sacred Heart (2-1), Gaston looked, at times, like a seasoned veteran, scoring 22 points and grabbing 13 rebounds, both team highs. At one stretch of the first half, when Sacred Heart had cut the Rams lead to one, Gaston scored eight points in a row to extend Fordham’s lead to 28-20.
“I had a talk with him (Gaston) today and I told him ‘if you don’t play defense and you don’t rebound I’m not going to keep you in the game,’” Whittenburg said. “I think that got his attention a little bit.”
As well as the Rams executed on offense last night, it was their defense that saved them in the second half. After Fordham built an eight-point lead at 47-39, Sacred Heart went on a 10-4 run that cut the lead to 51-49. Despite the hot shooting of the Pioneers’ Corey Hassan, who scored a game-high 33 points on 13-of-25 shooting, Fordham’s work on the defensive end led to scoring chances on offense. It goes back to what Whittenburg constantly stresses: if you play good defense, the offense will take care of itself.
“I try to preach to them that defense is our offense,” Whittenburg said. “When you have younger guys they tend to think ‘okay if I make a basket I’m doing something.’ We did some really good intangible things (tonight) that we didn’t do in the first two games.”
And they did it with a roster that showed its depth. In addition to Gaston’s performance, Jio Fontan scored 17 points and had seven assists, Brenton Butler had 15 points and four steals, Alberto Estwick had 12 points and three steals, and Brennen Melvin had four steals off the bench. The Rams also received quality minutes from Danny Thompson and Fahro Alihodzic.
“That’s the luxury of having a lot of personnel,” Whittenburg said. “Although they’re young, I have confidence in a lot of guys. If I put them in there I feel as though they can contribute. It’s going to be someone different every game. Everybody has to stay ready and focused.”
The Rams went on a 16-0 run late in the second half that extended their lead to 72-51. It was an impressive run by a young team, as six different players scored. Most importantly, it secured Fordham’s first win of the season.
“It became a close game,” Whittenburg said. “We extended the lead and I thought that showed a lot of character. We could have folded. A lot of times it could go the other way. But they held it together.”
