Early in the first half on Saturday against Rhode Island, in front of yet another sold out crowd at Rose Hill Gymnasium, junior guard Kyle Rose sent a beautifully sailing skip pass across the halfcourt to a wide open Darius Quisenberry.
Even before the pass connects, a sea of maroon in the student section raise their arms while an army of body-painted students jump down from their first-row baseline seats in clairvoyant anticipation of Quisenberry’s shot softly swishing around and through the net, erupting the crowd to a roar warmed by the 98-year-old gym’s stone foundation.
After toiling through most of their nearly three decades in the Atlantic 10, the Rams are amidst a historic season with 23 wins, their highest win total since joining the A-10 and their highest total since their 1990-91 season in the Patriot League.
With two games remaining in the regular season and more wins possible in the A-10 tournament, Fordham has a realistic shot of tying or even surpassing their all-time high of 26 wins, achieved as an independent back in the 1970-71 season.
Fordham’s newfound winning culturehas helped transform the Rose Hill Gymnasium to “Rose Thrill”.
While no one person is single-handedly responsible for the Rams’ renaissance, almost every fan would point to first-year head coach Keith Urgo.
First hired last season to be the Associate Head Coach alongside Kyle Neptune, Athletic Director Ed Kull’s stroke of genius was promoting Urgo to the head coach position just nine days after Neptune departed for Villanova in April.
Under Neptune, Urgo’s first impact was on the recruiting trail, arriving in the Bronx from Penn State alongside transfer forwards Abdou Tsimbila and Patrick Kelly. The biggest impact transfer has been Quisenberry, a former Youngstown State standout, who, after returning for his extra year of eligibility, leads the Rams in points scored, three points and free throws made.
Added in the most recent offseason, Georgia Tech grad transfer Khalid Moore has been one of the best power forwards in the conference while Urgo’s most impressive recruiting impact has been his staff’s ability to snare in high-impact high school recruits. Between the 2022 and 2023 recruiting classes, four recruits, led by freshman guard Will Richardson, all rank within the seven highest-rated recruits in program history, according to 247 Recruiting.
In short, Urgo has brought in talent, the talent has produced wins and the wins have brought in the crowds in droves.
When asked by Saint Bonaventure beat writer Jack Milko about Urgo’s tradition of greeting the student section before and after every Rams home game, Urgo resounded “Just grateful”.
Elaborating more on the students’ impact, Urgo expanded: “They bring so much energy…we want to play in front of a raucous crowd. This is why we work so hard. This is why we get so many shots up on a daily basis…They’ve got to understand how much of a difference they make, they make an incredible difference.”
One of the players who has relished the flavor of Rose Hill is the aptly named fourth-year junior guard Kyle Rose.
Arguably the team’s best defender and most emotional player on the court, Rose has endeared himself to the Fordham faithful, pumping up the crowd in the waning seconds of Saturday’s win over Rhode Island.
Enduring a combined 11-34 record throughout his first two years with the program, Rose has been a steadfast leader, but it hasn’t always been easy.
“Kyle's journey at Fordham has definitely been a roller coaster ride to say the least,” reflects Rose’s mother, Mika Johnson.
“Playing for Coach Neptune brought another level of maturity for Kyle, on and off the court,” Johnson remembers, “When [Neptune] first arrived, I remember Kyle being very nervous. He actually considered getting in the portal this one time but it wasn't because he wanted to leave Fordham, it was because he was terrified of rejection.”
But mothers know best; “I, on the other hand, was ecstatic for the change and was confident Kyle would live up to Neptune's expectations.”
Under Urgo, Rose has excelled: “He's playing with much more passion and purpose. He wants to win as badly as the coach does. He's become a true believer. He believes this team can beat any team that they play and he goes into every game with that mindset.”
As the season started, Johnny, a parent of a member of the cheer squad, thought he and his wife would go to just a few games to see their daughter and support the team, but so far, they’ve been to almost every home game.
“As a parent, it warms my heart to know that our daughter is not only attending a top university, but that as a cheerleader she is right in the middle of this dramatic culture shift that is taking place,” says Johnny, “For the first handful of games we attended, the crowds were small and the energy level was relatively low. With the tremendous success the team has had and with the style of basketball they play – team oriented, defensive minded, all hustle all the time – the games are now “must see,” the gym is sold out every game, and the Fordham Rams are, by far, the most exciting basketball team in NY.”
With just one game remaining on Fordham’s home schedule, the Rams are looking to close their regular season with an outstanding 18-and-2 home record, yet another testament to the impact of Rose Thrill and the possibility of the program’s best season in school history.
