2011 Fordham Basketball Preview

2010-11 Results:

Overall: 7-21
Atlantic 10: 1-15
Conference Tournament: None
Postseason: None

First year coach Tom Pecora led Fordham to a 7-21 overall record. While that may not sound impressive those seven wins were one more win than Fordham recorded in the two previous seasons combined.

One of Fordham’s major concerns last year was its shooting. During the 2010-2011 season they shot only 39.6 percent from the field and 33.6 from beyond the arch. Worst of all is that they struggled to take advantage of their chances at the free throw line hitting only 63.1 percent. Only two players who saw significant playing time averaged over 40 percent from the field. It is not surprising that the Rams ranked 13th in the Atlantic 10 in scoring with 64.1 points per game. They allowed opponents to score 73.9 points per game which ranked 12th in the conference.

Roster

Returning Starters
Branden Frazier
Alberto Estwick
Chris Gaston
Kervin Bristol

Other Returning Players
Marvin Dominique
Ryan Hage

Newcomers
Bryan Smith
Jeffrey Short
Devon McMillan
Jared Fay
Luka Zivkovic
Ryan Canty
D.C. Gaitley

Head Coach
Tom Pecora

Key Losses

The team’s only major loss was guard Brenton Butler, their second leading scorer. He averaged 14.6 points per game along with 3.4 assist. This young Rams team will miss his veteran leadership.

Schedule

Date	Opponent / Event
11/7/2011	vs. Northwood (Fla.)
11/12/2011	@ Syracuse
11/18/2011	vs. Binghamton
11/26/2011	@ Loyola
11/29/2011	vs. Colgate
12/1/2011	vs. Lehigh
12/5/2011	vs. Hampton University
12/7/2011	@ Manhattan
12/10/2011	@ Monmouth N.J.
12/12/2011	@ Siena
12/17/2011	@ St. John’s
12/22/2011	vs. Texas State
12/29/2011	vs. Georgia Tech
1/3/2012	vs. Harvard
1/5/2012	@ Massachusetts *
1/7/2012	vs. Xavier *
1/11/2012	@ Saint Joseph’s *
1/18/2012	vs. Rhode Island *
1/21/2012	@ St. Bonaventure *
1/25/2012	@ Richmond *
1/28/2012	vs. George Washington *
2/1/2012	@ Temple *
2/4/2012	vs. Charlotte *
2/11/2012	vs. Dayton *
2/15/2012	@ Duquesne *
2/18/2012	@ Saint Louis *
2/22/2012	vs. St. Bonaventure *
2/25/2012	vs. La Salle *
2/29/2012	@ Rhode Island *
3/3/2012	vs. Temple *
Atlantic 10 Championship – First Round
3/6/2012	TBD
*Conference Game

2011-12 Preview

The Rams improved to seven wins after a miserable 2009 season in which they were 2-26 and winless in the conference. With four starters returning from last year’s squad this team should be able to improve on their one win in conference play last year. They will be lead by junior forward Chis Gaston who was fourth in the country in rebounding average with 11.4 boards per game. Over half of the Rams roster will feature freshman. The play of these freshmen will determine how much improvement we will see from this year’s Rams team.

Backcourt

Branden Frazier, Devon McMillian, and Alberto Estwick will start in the backcourt. Frazier is an excellent ball handler and should help to distribute the ball in the Rams backcourt. The downside to Frazier’s game is that he only shot 37.6 percent from the field last year. He will need to improve on this in order for Fordham to win more games this year.

McMillian a 5-foot-10 freshman is a quick point guard who can push the ball hard up the floor. He is also an outstanding defensive player. He has an excellent pull up shot. Tom Pecora is hoping that McMillian can be the leader of the seven freshman added to the roster and turn things around for Forham.

Estwick averaged 10.1 points per game and 3.9 rebounds a game last year. He is another Rams player that needs to improve his shot if the team is going to improve. Last season he only made 64.3 percent of his free throws and shot 38.9 percent from the field.

Freshman Bryan Smith at 195 points is a big guard that will see action and can add scoring off the bench for the Rams.

Frontcourt

Chris Gaston will lead Fordham’s frontcourt. Last season he finished first in the Atlantic 10 in rebounding and fourth overall in the NCAA. Overall he has 635 rebounds in just two seasons. Not to mention that he was the team’s most accurate shooter last year shooting 46.7 percent from the field. One weakness that he needs to work on is his free throw shooting after shooting only 51.7 percent from the line last year.

Kervin Bristol will be back to provide veteran leadership in the back court. Last season he averaged 6.8 rebounds per game and 1.9 blocked shots. He gives the Rams a strong presence inside.

Marvin Dominique, Luka Zivkovic, and Ryan Canty will provide depth behind the starters. Dominique played in 20 games last year before injury cut his season short. In those 20 games he averaged 19.6 minutes and 4.5 points. He will provide the Rams with experience off the bench. Zivkovic is a 6-foot-8 forward from Serbia who has a knack for scoring.

More Atlantic 10 Basketball Predictions

Temple Owls	Saint Louis Billikens	Xavier Musketeers	St. Bonaventure Bonnies
UMass Minutemen	La Salle Explorers	Dayton Flyers	St. Josephs Hawks
Duquesne Dukes	Richmond Spiders	Charlotte 49ers	George Washington Colonials
Rhode Island Rams	Fordham Rams

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