Jared Grasso makes his debut as Fordham's interim head basketball coach tonight at the Rose Hill Gym. (fordhamsports.com)
BY CHARLES COSTELLO
The Jared Grasso Era officially gets underway tonight when the Rams host Bowling Green at the Rose Hill Gym. It will be the beginning of Grasso’s tryout. At the end of the season, perhaps before, Frank McLaughlin, Fr. McShane, the Board of Trustees, and whoever else has a say, will decide if Grasso stays or goes. That evaluation begins in earnest tonight. Here’s hoping Grasso ends up keeping this job for a long time.
Grasso was hired as an assistant coach by Dereck Whittenburg before the 2006-07 season. On Thursday, he was named interim head coach after Whittenburg was fired after six-plus seasons. Meanwhile, Fordham has begun a national coaching search that will include the 29-year-old Grasso.
We will hear from Grasso today when he has his first One on One interview as head coach (2:30 p.m., 90.7 FM). He is sure to say all the right things, both about Whittenburg and about his emotions as he takes over. Four and a half hours later, we’ll see him patrolling the sidelines for the first time. This has officially become his team.
Known mostly for his ability to recruit - somehow convincing high school stars to come play for a school that has not had much success - Grasso is highly respected throughout college basketball, and more importantly, in the Fordham community. In his new role, he’ll have to prove that he can coach these young players. And he’ll have to do it in uncertain times. An announcement on Jio Fontan, who for the second time this calendar year has expressed his desire to bolt Rose Hill, is expected in the next few days. Grasso is taking over a 1-4 team, a team that won three games all of last season, a team with its star point guard threatening to leave, and a team playing a schedule that includes the likes of St. John’s, Villanova, Dayton, and Xavier. It won’t be easy. This may be the toughest Division I coaching job out there.
Besides his ability to recruit, here’s what we know about Grasso: He is a basketball guy through and through, always has been. He played collegiately at Quinnipiac, served as an assistant there and before that at Hartford and before that he was a graduate assistant at Hofstra. His father was a coach. He is a true student of the game. Perhaps most importantly right now for Fordham, the players like and respect him. They will play hard for him. You can bet that if you asked those guys in that locker room who they wanted to replace Whittenburg, they’d all say Grasso.
Grasso deserves a shot. If he proves himself on this stage, Fordham should lock him up before the season ends. I understand Fordham’s motivation for beginning its search for a new coach. If it were me, though, I wouldn’t begin the search until the end of the season, if you even have to at that point. I would evaluate Grasso over the next couple of months and hope that he proves he’s up to the task. If I’m McLaughlin or McShane or any other decision-maker, I want Grasso to work out. He would be a great ambassador for the program and university. Better than bringing in someone from another program, or even a big name coach, let’s see what Grasso’s got. We could be looking at the next up-and-coming college coach. That would be huge for this program and school.
Twenty three games remain. It would be unfair to put a number on the games Grasso has to win in order to keep this job. It is not just about wins at this point. It is more about the pulse of the program, the environment in the locker room and on the court, and any enthusiasm Grasso can bring to the program.
Right now Grasso is like the backup quarterback on an NFL team. When the starter isn’t doing so well and the team is losing, the backup becomes the fan favorite, the most popular guy on the team. People cheer for the backup as he enters the game. The honeymoon doesn’t last very long.
Grasso will walk into the gym tonight to much applause and hope. Tonight, he becomes the starter.
Opportunity for No. 24 to be Rams’ No. 1
Posted by Fordham SportsNet on December 8, 2009
Brenton Butler (fordhamsports.com)
BY CHARLES COSTELLO
As the Daily News’ Sean Brennan pointed out earlier this season, it’s hard to find a guy easier to root for than Fordham’s Brenton Butler.
The senior guard, who missed most of last season with a high ankle injury, and who missed time before this season started due to the flu, finds himself in a leadership role with the Rams. As one of only four seniors, and the only one so far to receive significant minutes, Butler may be the most important player on this team when you consider that Jio Fontan is now gone and Chris Gaston – Fordham’s leading scorer and rebounder - is only a freshman.
“I’m ready and it’s time,” Butler declared before the season started.
He was referring to getting back out on the court, accepting his role, and helping Fordham basketball rebound from a difficult 3-25 season. In his words and actions, Butler embraced all the characterstics of a leader.
“I have to [be a leader] and I like it because I feel that a young team needs somebody to look up to and help motivate and follow,” Butler said. “I’m a leader by example. I work hard on and off the court. I’m always there for the guys if they need somebody to talk to about any situation. Obviously, because I was injured last year, I had to be more of a spokesperson than a leader by example because I wasn’t able to be out there. You’ll see me be more vocal out there this year.”
That hasn’t been the problem, though.So far this season, Butler is averaging 11.3 points per game, but he’s shooting only 28.2% from the floor and 22.5% from 3-point range. As a team, the Rams are shooting just 33.9% from the floor, 20.7% from 3-point range, and 61.9% from the free throw line.
Butler appeared to hit rock bottom in Saturday’s loss to Bowling Green. He shot 0-for-13 from the floor, 0-for-9 from beyond the arc, scoring zero points in 27 minutes. Fordham desperately needs more production out of Butler.
Rest assured, though, the senior is motivated. After all, he remembers what it was like having to watch from the sideline a year ago.
“It’s really hard to explain because it’s just such a helpless feeling,” Butler said about watching his teammates and coaches struggle through one of the toughest seasons in the program’s history. “There’s nothing you can do. To not go through it with them was really tough. We all learned a lot about ourselves, about our team. Even though that’s something you don’t want to go through, it made us closer and makes us want to fight for each other even that much more.”
Now, the Rams, including Butler, need to put the ball in the basket.
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