Fordham Head Coach Tom Pecora: 'Guys Are Going to Get What They Deserve'

Fordham head coach Tom Pecora opened Saturday's press conference after the Rams' 76-58 loss to Dayton explaining how he's seen this all before.

Fordham and Dayton were tied at 25 at halftime. The Rams led by as many as four after the break and were ahead 32-29 three minutes into the second half.

Then, everything changed. The Flyers went on a run and took over the rest of the way. Dayton, which has 13 wins, is now 3-0 in Atlantic 10 play. The Rams, who have five wins, are 0-3.

"I've seen this movie," Pecora said. "We played our tails off for about 30 minutes, and then we just get worn down. We don't have the grit of a veteran team."

That's where it gets interesting. After the loss, Pecora talked up his freshmen while at the same time issuing a challenge to everyone else.

"Obviously, I thought there were some bright spots tonight in a loss," he said. "I thought Manny Suarez did a good job. And the young guys—Eric [Paschall], Antwoine [Anderson] and Christian [Sengfelder]—led the way, and the vets didn't." 

Then, he said changes could be on the way.

"If we have to go with a total youth movement as we move forward, and they start getting more minutes, so be it," Pecora said. "Guys are going to get what they deserve."

This isn't a case of Pecora airing his grievances. It's a message he's delivered to his veterans since day one, privately as well as publicly. Some nights, they've gotten it. On Saturday, they didn't.

Pecora wasn't afraid to let the vets have it after an effort he deemed unacceptable. According to Pecora, a veteran is anyone who is not a freshman. That includes senior Bryan Smith, juniors Ryan Rhoomes and Mandell Thomas and sophomore Jon Severe.

"Our defense in the second half was atrocious. It was bad," Pecora said after the loss. "I hold the vets accountable for that. 

"I always take the heat on losses. That's my job. But we will be working on defensive drills." 

He added: "Guys who are not bearing down and giving a little bit more effort will be veteran role players. We have to get more in that category."

Pecora was asked what he can do to get his team to play well for a full 40 minutes instead of just being competitive for a half and fizzling out after that.

"You can get through it with personnel changes and come to the conclusion that there are certain guys that are just not going to answer the bell in the late rounds," he said. "You can put more of a burden and more of a responsibility on some of the guys who have been [answering the bell], some of the younger guys."

Pecora knows what he needs from all his players, especially the aforementioned veterans, on a daily basis in order for the team to be successful.

"It's about grit, it's about toughness, it's about competitive nature, in my opinion" he said. "That's just something I have to put on them every day in practice."

Don't expect excuses. Expect changes.

"The easy thing to say is, 'This is a group that hasn't won yet, this is a program that hasn't won in a long time, losing breeds losing.' I'm not using those as excuses, whether they're the truth or not. My job is to find a way to get them fired up to play for 40 minutes and find a way to win."

If that's going to happen, it will be done with a team of seven freshmen. Paschall is averaging 30.8 minutes per game (16.3 points, 6.2 rebounds), Sengfelder is averaging 34.2 minutes per game (11.6 points, 6.5 rebounds), and Anderson is averaging 25.8 minutes per game (8.4 points, 3.8 assists). Their roles may actually expand. 

"Are our young guys good enough? They're pretty good right now," Pecora said. "I feel real comfortable in time they will be. But I need the vets, and that's everyone who's not a freshman, to step up and have big games. Players make plays."

On Saturday, the four veterans did not make plays. Rhoomes didn't score a point in 24 minutes. Thomas had seven points on 3-of-9 shooting in 33 minutes. Smith had zero points in 11 minutes. Severe missed the two shots he took in his 10 minutes on the floor. Seven points, seven assists and 11 rebounds in 78 combined minutes.

That lack of production won't be tolerated for much longer.

"The term I use all the time is, 'Hope is not a game plan,'" Pecora said. "You can't hope you're going to make your next shot. That's when you have to just dig in defensively and extend that lead." 

"Whether it's trying to get from four to eight, or eight to 12, or 12 to 16, we've struggled with that," he added. "We don't have a go-to guy. I guess it's becoming Eric, an 18-year-old freshman." 

One week into their Atlantic 10 schedule, the Rams are 0-3 after losses to VCU, Rhode Island and Dayton. Next up is Saint Joseph's on Wednesday and then La Salle on Saturday, both on the road.

Despite the three losses, Pecora said he's pleased with some of the things he's seen.

"I was very proud of their effort up at [Rhode Island]," he said. "We took them to the wire. The thing is getting over the top."

Then, Pecora returned to his vision for how that might happen.

"I'm pleased with the way the young guys are progressing," he said. "But I don't want the vets to think [they] can't get a lot better. There are guys who blossom. We just have to get them to work and get them playing at a higher level."

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. Follow him on Twitter: @CFCostello