Rams’ Resurgence Continues Rise
by Ray Floriani
BRONX, N.Y. – The program and basketball fortunes here are on the rise. Since his arrival several years ago, Dereck Whittenburg has painstakingly built the Rams into a team to be reckoned with. The days are gone when Atlantic 10 opponents can circle the date and pencil in a “W” when Fordham is on the schedule. Fordham has built a nice homecourt advantage while gradually getting more competitive away from Rose Hill. Last spring the Rams advanced to the semifinals of the conference tournament.
Better talent, tougher defense and a stronger commitment have all taken place under Whittenburg’s watch. In his mind, a few things are still missing. One of those was found with a thrilling 56-55 overtime victory over Saint Joseph’s at Rose Hill.
Whittenburg admires the work of St. Joe’s and coach Phil Martelli. The Fordham mentor went as far as labeling St. Joe’s the signature program of the A-10 during the most recent years.
“They are everything we are hoping and trying to be at Fordham,” Whittenburg said of the Hawks. Naturally, a victory over St. Joe’s, something the Rams hadn’t accomplished since 1999, would go a long way in Whittenburg’s estimation that his program has taken another big step. Mission accomplished.
The final seconds alone gave the fans significant drama. St. Joe’s had a one-point lead with seconds remaining. Marcus Stout got free off a perimeter ball screen and penetrated the lane. Stout got to the basket for a layup and the Hawks called time out with four seconds remaining. St. Joe’s inbounded, throwing a three-quarter-court pass. The pass was tipped, and Hawk big man Ahmad Nivins almost came up with the loose ball and a short clear path to the basket. Instead the ball bounced around and Fordham recovered as the horn went off and bedlam ensued.
The game started out close then Fordham went on a late first-half spurt. The eight point edge enjoyed by the home team reached 10 with just over 19 minutes remaining. St. Joe’s, with just one A-10 loss, regrouped and battled even in the stretch before forcing overtime on a Nivins layup with just over a minute remaining.
“It was just a great defensive game,” Martelli said. “Both teams played terrific defense.” It was ironic though, the winning was made possible because St. Joe’s missed a defensive assignment on that screen that freed Stout.
“Our guys showed character,” Whittenburg said. “In the crucial stages we showed a lot of poise.”
Over the course of the game the lead changed ten times. On each occasion, Fordham dug a little deeper and responded.
Martelli’s Hawks entered the game averaging 80 points per game in Atlantic Ten play but were held a good 25 under their average. “That’s what seventeen turnovers will do,” Martelli said. “In a fifty point game having that many turnovers is just going to kill you.”
The St. Joe’s coach would still like significant improvement out of his backcourt. Without outwardly criticizing his guards, Martelli noted, “We have to call a play every time down the floor. You just can’t do that.”
Nivins, a solid inside performer, led St. Joe’s with 22 points. The Hawks trailed 29-21 at the break and amazingly had just two players score, Nivins with 12 and Pat Calathes with nine.
A recruiting skill Whittenburg has is to not just get better players but project what they can do on this level. A case in point is Stout. The 6’4″ junior played point guard in high school but Whittenburg saw him as a two. Stout scored his 1,000th point in the St. Joe’s game and can obviously score, but also throws a pin-point pass, especially in transition.
The crowd was 2,532 and it seemed as almost all of them stormed the floor after the buzzer for a wild celebration. When it finally cleared at center court, in the middle of it all was Whittenburg hugging a few of the ‘crazies’ from the student section. “This is a different Fordham,” Whittenburg said later. “Not the one that lost 12 in a row (to St. Joe’s).”
St. Joe’s, after a 3-0 start, dropped to 3-2 in A-10 play, while the Rams improved to a similar record. Expect it to be that kind of year in conference play.
Stout wanted the ball at the end with his team down one and the game on the line. “I always want the ball at the end of a game in that situation,” he said, “I’m confident.”
He was also humble and didn’t realize he scored his 1,000th point in the contest. “I was just happy we got a big win.”
Stout scored 13 and Bryant Dunston had 16, while the Rams’ leading scorer was freshman guard Brenton Butler, who came off the bench for 18 points. Butler was especially dangerous from outside, knocking down 4 of 6 beyond the arc.
