Fordham Basketball: A 'Hungry' and 'Humble' Eric Paschall Prepares for Season

Fordham's Eric Paschall is the face of the future at Rose Hill. It seems almost a certainty that before too long he'll be the face of the Rams.

If it's possible for someone who has yet to play a minute of college basketball to be hailed as a savior, then Paschall might be that guy.

After arriving in late May, the 6'6" forward spent the summer months working out with his new teammates. In late August, he helped lead the Rams to a 4-0 record in Canada. On Oct. 7, Fordham had its first official practice. We're under way in the Bronx.

After Fordham concluded its practice Saturday, Paschall told Bleacher Report he thinks things are moving in the right direction. 

"I think we're progressing well," he said. "The team chemistry is getting a lot better. We're starting to learn each other's games more, starting to know what we like to do. I think by the time the season comes we'll be real comfortable."

The regular season begins on Nov. 14 when Fordham hosts the New York Institute of Technology. Following the opener, the Rams will play Penn State and Maryland in back-to-back road games against Big Ten opponents.

Before too long, the Atlantic 10 schedule will start. It will be a tough two-month stretch for Fordham—a young team in rebuilding mode playing on a nightly basis against established programs, including six teams that made last season's NCAA tournament.

Playing against top-notch competition won't be anything new for Paschall, who saw plenty of it last season when he attended Connecticut's St. Thomas More, where he was named the New England Prep Player of the Year.

"I played against a lot of great competition," Paschall said. "It's prepared me a lot. I'm feeling ready for the A-10."

With Paschall, there's reason to believe that better days may be ahead. Joining him this year will be six other freshmen (two redshirts), including point guard Nemanja Zarkovic and forward Christian Sengfelder. Paschall may headline the rookie class, but he'll have support around him.

"It's been great," he said when asked about the impact the freshmen have had so far. "[They] all bring a lot to the table. We all play well together. I'm looking forward to the season."

As he moves through October en route to his first college season, Paschall outlined his goals.

"I just have to stay humble and be hungry," he said. "Keep working hard; [do] all the little stuff."

Paschall said what pleases him most is "seeing [his] game progress," telling B/R he's been working on his shooting and ball-handling.

"All that is [helping me] progress into a better player," he said.

Fordham head coach Tom Pecora has been talking up his star recruit for some time.

“We really expect a lot out of Eric, and that’s why he came [to Fordham],” Pecora said at media day, the New York Post's John DeMarzo reported. “We talked to him a lot about going somewhere where you’re going to have an impact right away. I believe he could play just about anywhere in the country, as most of the best players in this conference [can].”

Unless otherwise noted, quotations in this article were obtained firsthand.

Charles Costello covers the Fordham Rams for Bleacher Report. A full archive of his articles can be found here. Twitter: @CFCostello