During Mike Magpayo’s first year as head coach of the Fordham men’s basketball program, the Rams struggled.
At just 11-10 overall and 2-6 in the Atlantic 10, Magpayo was sometimes the first to admit it.
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“I just think a lack of shooting success turns into a lack of energy on a disappointing day to not fight and make a game of it,” he said after the Jan. 21 loss to Duquesne. “We are more than capable of doing it, but today we did not reach the level of competition.”
Fordham certainly wasn’t projected highly this preseason with the Rams picking to finish 14th in the A10 in September, and it’s been an uphill climb even to winning 11 games.
Most of the early issues, like losses to NJIT, Iona and Holy Cross, can be attributed to the transition of a new head coach and a completely new team learning their style of play and scheme. However, Fordham hasn’t exactly been 100% healthy all season, plagued by a plethora of injuries since the summer.
Jack Whitbourn, Roor Akhuar, Abass Bodija, Louis Lesmond, Christian Henry, Marcus Greene and Dejour “Dae Dae” Reaves all average above 17.0 MPG but have each missed time due to injury.
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Still, despite having to mix lineups and rotations consistently, Fordham has proven to be one of the better defensive units in the A10 this season. Since this isn’t a team that gets a ton of steals or blocks a lot of shots, the Rams rank in the bottom five in the conference in both of those categories, but hold their opponents to a minimum of 65 points per game.
By KenPom’s metrics, Fordham is 55th in 2-point defense percentage, 83rd in effective field goal defense percentage, 78th in raw defensive efficiency and 19th in defensive rebounding percentage. Boasting a roster of four contributors standing 6-foot-9 or taller, the Rams stifle opponents with a suffocating defense, and that makes every night at Rose Hill Gymnasium a chore.
“When we go through these stretches of offensive basketball every time we miss shots, I’m like ‘what else can we do?’” Magpayo said. “(Defense) has become something we can lean on as coaches, (telling players to) stay calm and focus on a big defensive play or a big rebound play.”
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Now that Fordham is starting to get healthy, there’s cause for concern when it visits the Bronx, with a Wednesday night win over La Salle providing a glimpse of the challenges a full Rams rotation brings.
It wasn’t a high-scoring affair, the final just 64-58, but it was a back-and-forth chess match in which Fordham’s defense ultimately prevailed by holding La Salle scoreless for the final 5:52 of regulation time.
First-year Explorers head coach Darris Nichols summed up what makes the Rams’ physicality and defense such a problem after the game.
“I think length is the most important thing,” Nichols said. “When you have three 6-foot-10 guys and you’re playing in the 2-3 zone, we rush more because you have all that size and length on you. We get shots at the rim, good quality shots, and we just missed them. I think when you’re playing against size, it forces you to rush and shoot differently than a lot of teams we’ve seen.”
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Coaches have said similar things throughout the season. Teams like Saint Louis, Duquense, George Mason, Davidson and Dayton have all been held to 78 points or less by Fordham this season.
Of course, that means it’s on the offensive end that Fordham has had its biggest struggles with the Rams, 12th in PPG in the A10 and just 258th in offensive efficiency nationally. This has led to an over-reliance on Reaves, who is tied for 99th in usage rate, top-60 in minutes percentage, 102nd in shots made percentage and 110th in possession percentage used.
Despite this, he scored in double figures in all 20 games he played. Being forced to carry more of the offensive load, he saw a decline in his 3-point shooting metrics and efficiency.
But in some of the Rams’ biggest games this season, even amid back-to-back shootings, Reaves was decisive when it mattered most. So much so that Fordham’s student show, WFVU Sports, nicknamed him “Dae Dae Dagger” after a game-winner against Wagner earlier this season.
“A lot (of confidence in Reaves),” Magpayo said. “Even in the ones we didn’t like. We like to have a little more ball movement and then get Dae Dae to his spots. He’s got a lot of spots on the floor, if he can get to one of them and he shoots it, that’s a really good shot.”
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We gradually saw incremental improvements from others, especially in the frontcourt with Rikus Schulte and Akira Jacobs, the only two Rams to play all 21 games.
Schulte has been strong early on, but now he’s practically averaging a double-double with seven this season as the A10’s second-leading rebounder. Jacobs has had shooting issues but appears to be getting more comfortable in his role, highlighted by 14 points and five rebounds in a win at St. Bonaventure or even a 13-point lead over La Salle.
Henry is continually growing as a ball handler, currently leading Fordham with 5.3 assists per game, but he has also proven himself to be an offensive weapon in scoring with consistency. Look back at a Nov. 29 win over Albany in which he led the way with a game-high 29 points and seven assists, shooting 9 of 12 from the field and 2 of 3 from behind the arc.
Whitbourn has also put together impressive performances in his nine games since returning from injury and has quickly worked his way into a key role within Fordham’s rotation. Couple in the improving freshman duo of Akhuar and Bodija with a once again healthy Lesmond, and the picture becomes clearer.
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“There were only two conference games where we didn’t have a lead or at least a two-point lead,” Magpayo said. “Sometimes even double-digit leads. Everyone has mixed and matched, but now being able to play nine guys and being able to play 10, it’s a really good feeling. It’s great to not only have some depth, but to see other parts of the box fill out.”
Now, will Fordham make a late-season run to finish near the top of the field in the A10 and cause some late-season drama in March? Actually, no. This is a fairly inexperienced team overall that still has a lot of growth and development on the table as Magpayo himself continues to learn the ins and outs of winning in this league.
But it appears Fordham is once again fueled by the physicality and defensive grit that Rose Hill basketball has long been known for and that should worry the rest of the A10.
With VCU, St. Bonaventure, Loyola Chicago, Davidson and Rhode Island all set to visit the Bronx between now and the end of the regular season, a healthy Rams team is no easy task.
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One thing is for sure, no one wants to be the fifth or sixth seed on day two of the A10 Championship and have to face Fordham after a first round win with all the momentum. Because the Rams’ defense might just hold them to under 65 points if they can’t solve the puzzle of their length and physicality mixed with improving talent on the offensive end.
“We have 10 more opportunities before we get to the conference tournament, and I really think these guys can do something with that,” Magpayo said. “But we will continue to take it day by day and work hard.”
