When Fordham hired Kyle Neptune in March of 2021, it was fair to argue that he was entering one of the toughest jobs in the nation. With only four NCAA Tournament appearances in school history, Fordham last reached the tournament in the 1991-1992 season when Fordham was a member of the Patriot League. Overall, Fordham performed solidly in the Patriot, finishing 46-20 in five seasons and prior to that, Fordham was 71-49 in the MAAC.
However, since Fordham made the jump to the Atlantic-10 in the 1995-1996 season, the Rams have performed .500 or better just twice during conference play. In ten seasons prior to Neptune’s hire, Fordham’s record in the A-10 was a paltry 38-131.
With that history in context, Neptune’s rookie season should be seen as nothing else but a success: a 16-16 overall record and an 8-10 finish in the A-10 that included a victory against George Mason in the first round of the A-10 tournament.
Just six weeks after Fordham’s last game of the season, Jay Wright’s surprise retirement and the subsequent hiring of Neptune, his former assistant coach, to replace Wright shocked the college basketball landscape. In response, Fordham elevated Associate Head Coach Keith Urgo to Head Coach.
What happened next was rare in the landscape of the transfer portal: talent stuck around. After Neptune’s departure, just two new players joined the transfer portal, a mere drop in the ocean of over 1700 players in the portal.
Overall, seven Rams return this season, representing 53% of the team’s scoring from last season. That rate is good for any team, let alone a team experiencing its second coaching change in two offseasons.
The best returnee is fifth-year senior Darius Quisenberry, who is playing his second season in the Bronx. The 6’2 188 combo guard averaged 16.2p, 3.8r, 2a and 1.5s last season. Known more as a bucket-getter than a shooter, Quisenberry was one of the A-10s best rim attackers, ranking sixth in the A-10 in free throw attempts per game (4.3).
In addition to Quisenberry, the Rams return two other starters, guard Kyle Rose and rugged wing Antrell Charlton. The aptly named Rose is a 6’4 192 senior who is best known for his perimeter defense (1.3 steals/game) while also providing secondary scoring (7.5 points/game) and improved shooting (32.9 3p% last season was 7.9% higher than his previous season best).
The 6’3 205 Charlton is a physical wing whose game is somewhat reminiscent to another NYC matchup nightmare: St. John’s Dylan Addae-Wusu. Charlton is an inefficient shooter, but he provides steals (1.8), rebounds (5.4), assists (3.5) and an ability to play either forward spot or point in a pinch.
This season, Charlton will mostly be counted on to play the three-guard thanks to the addition of Georgia Tech grad transfer Khalid Moore. The 6’7 208 forward from Queens was a four-year starter at Georgia Tech, whose seven-foot wingspan, athleticism and grit will provide the Rams a defensive stopper at the 4 while also limiting mistakes on the offensive end (just 112 career turnovers in 117 career games at Georgia Tech).
Zach Riley, the 6’5 sophomore from New Zealand, joined the Rams in the spring semester of last and averaged 11.3 mpg. The son of Brad Riley, who played for the New Zealand Olympic Basketball Team in the 2000 Olympics, Riley is expected to compete as a scorer off the bench.
With all-time great Chuba Ohams graduating (10th all-time in rebounds and 7th in blocks), a trio of frontcourt returnees will compete for time at the 5.
Abdou Tsimbila, a 6’9 245 junior who was originally a Penn State commit. Last season’s stats: 2.7p, 3.5r, 0.7b, 41.4 fg% in 11.5 mpg
Rostyslav Novitskyi, a 6’10 215 fifth-year senior. Last season’s stats: 2.2p, 2r, 0.8b, 45.5 fg% and 6-for-18 from three, 10.9 mpg.
Patrick Kelly, a 6’8 223 junior who was originally a Penn State commit. Last season’s stats: 2.9p, 1.9r, 29.3 3p% with almost all FGAs from deep. 12.1 mpg.
While Khalid Moore and the seven returnees will make up most, if not all of Fordham’s starting lineup, Fordham’s impressive five-man ‘22 class will be counted on to help keep Fordham flourishing in the A-10 for years to come:
Will Richardson, a 6’2 170 combo guard from New Jersey. According to 247, he is Fordham’s 2nd highest ranked prospect in program history. Richardson picked Fordham over seventeen schools, led by Xavier, Marquette, St. John’s, Seton Hall, TCU, Texas A&M, Stanford, Maryland and others. Richardson is a scoring two-way guard who rebounds well for his position.
Angel Montas, a 6’5 210 wing from the Dominican Republic. According to 247, he is Fordham’s 5th highest ranked prospect in program history. Montas picked Fordham over Illinois, Tennessee, Dayton and others. On offense, Montas is a downhill scorer thanks to his size, balance, agility and ability to finish at the rim with both hands.
Noah Best, a 6’5 166 combo guard from The Bronx. According to 247, he is Fordham’s 7th highest ranked prospect in program history. Best picked Fordham over eleven other schools including Illinois, George Mason and St. Bonaventure. Best is a catch-and-shoot scorer whose handle and vision helps make plays. Best’s improved focus on the defensive end will mesh well with his length.
Elijah Gray, a 6’8 220 forward from North Carolina. According to 247, he is ranked 79th amongst small forward prospects. Gray picked Fordham over fourteen other schools including UMass, Murray State and others. With a legit seven-foot wingspan, Gray brings a versatile two-way style that emphasizes athleticism and pace. His comfort shooting from the outside and ability as a secondary ball handler profiles Gray with an enticing pro-level ceiling.
Romad Dean, a 6’7 185 wing originally from The Bahamas. Dean picked Fordham over twelve other schools, including high-major offers from USC, Arizona State, Minnesota, Ole Miss, Seton Hall and Butler. Dean is most known as an assertive rebounder with a motor on the defensive end.
Overall, the ‘22 class contains the high-end talent and overall depth that exceeds not only the incoming classes of most A-10 teams, but also a good portion of high-major programs too.
During the 21-22 season, Fordham’s defense was ranked 41st according to KenPom’s efficiency rankings thanks to their diverse defense that ranked in the top-100 in effective fg%, turnover % and defensive rebounding.
However, to take the next step, it’s clear where Fordham needs to improve: efficiency on offense. Their 29.7 3p% was ranked 336th in the nation and their 46.7 2p% was ranked 295th. One possibility to improve this is playing Kelly or Novitskyi at the 5 will allow Urgo to utilize a five-out offense, opening up space for Quisenberry to attack the rim and improve on his 37.2 fg%.
In summary, there’s a buzz in the Bronx and the Rams are excited to keep that momentum going. While accolades are deserving to Neptune, Keith Urgo was integral to the team’s success and Athletic Director Ed Kull smartly promoted Urgo to take lead.
OOC games as of 6/22/22:
11/7 v Dartmouth
11/27 v Harvard
12/22 v VMI
TBD v UIC, Holy Cross and Stonehill
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