Fordham's Tom Pecora Still Believes He Can Get It Done at Rose Hill

Fordham head coach Tom Pecora has delivered the message before—in games and in practices, to his team and to the media. As the Rams practiced Saturday inside the Rose Hill Gym, it was time to convey it again.

"You're not going to get what you want, you're going to get what you deserve," Pecora told his players at the conclusion of a drill he thought they ran through lackadaisically.

"You have to make your own breaks," he added.

The Rams haven't had many breaks this year, this season or this century for that matter. On Sunday, Fordham dropped its eighth straight game, a 101-77 loss at Dayton. But Pecora, who's been at the helm since 2010, remains optimistic that his program is headed in the right direction.

"I see a young group that's growing and getting better," Pecora told Bleacher Report a few hours before Fordham flew out to Ohio for Sunday's game. "Obviously, we have some flaws.

"I'm still inspired by these guys. They work hard every day, they practice their tails off, they're trying to get better. I keep telling them 'just keep your chin up, there's wins out there, just don't break, don't let your spirit be broken.'"

So far that hasn't happened, just like it didn't happen last year when the Rams lost their last eight regular-season games but nearly pulled off upsets in the final week against La Salle and George Washington. Last March, Fordham won the play-in game of the Atlantic 10 tournament, defeating George Mason, 70-67, before bowing out a day later with an 87-74 loss to Dayton.

New season. Same results. Only this time around, the Rams' slump is taking place earlier in the year. Timing aside, their resolve is once again being tested.

"I just think it's the timing of it," Pecora said when asked how this year's group was handling the losing compared to the 2013-14 team. "[Last year] was going through February. The fact that they never just laid down and said 'let's get this over with' I thought was impressive.

"[This year] we knew the early part of this schedule was going to be tough and February would soften. The question is...you still have to believe as you go into February. But I still believe as we go into this month there are some games that are out there that we're going to win. We go about every game preparing to win."

That can't be argued. Take Fordham's two recent games against Rhode Island as examples.

"We've played them to one possession twice," Pecora said. Rhode Island is 15-5 while Fordham is 5-14.

"If we can get the effort we gave against Rhode Island every game the rest of the year we're going to win some basketball games and then win some games in this tournament if we hit our stride."

Fordham is 0-8 in A-10 play and it's finished above .500 one time in its 19 years in the conference prior to this season. Pecora has a 39-99 record at the school after winning 155 games in nine seasons at Hofstra. He's still confident he can get it done at Fordham.

"I still think we're going to turn the corner here, and this is going to be the group that does it," Pecora said. 

He added: "I want to win basketball games more than anyone for a lot of reasons, but first and foremost for these young guys. They deserve it. They love being a Fordham basketball player. They want to win, and they want to be part of turning this around. That's why they came. They all had other options, and they decided to come to Fordham and be part of this challenge of turning this program around. I want it for them first and foremost. I want it for the alumni and the student body. They deserve it."

Not that any of this has been easy on the coach.

"I'm not going to lie to you, I don't sleep much," Pecora said. "But during the season most coaches don't sleep much.

"My concern is the pressure on these kids [thinking] 'when are we going to win one?' When we win one, the floodgate's going to open and all of a sudden we might win a few. But we've got to get that win that gets us moving in that direction.

"The pressure is more on them in that aspect," he continued. "They're college kids who have never won in college. I've had winning teams, I understand the process, so I don't feel incredible pressure. Like any coach, you're out there to compete, you're out there to win. I'm looking at the way we're performing. Part of being young is we're not consistent. We've got to get consistent and give consistent effort. That falls on me. It's my job to figure out ways to get them out there doing those things."

Pecora isn't the only one who thinks a turnaround is possible. He isn't the only one who thinks the Rams' young roster just needs time to develop.

"When I talk to basketball people who I respect and who have had great success in this business, that's their mantra," Pecora said. "They're like 'you're young and those young guys are good.' That comes from other coaches in this league and people throughout the basketball world.

"Young guys need to develop a little bit. And I think the three players we have coming in—Jesse Bunting, Joseph Chartouny and Matt Zignorski—are good ones that can come in and really make a difference early on as they develop and become part of the rotation...That's something in the spring we'll look at and figure out where the pieces in the puzzle will go as we move forward."

"It's not my job to make a case about next year," he added. "It's my job to win some games this year." 

Still, it can't be denied that this is the ultimate rebuilding project.

"I think the young talent that we have, when you see what their abilities are, I think they can be difference-makers in the A-10," Pecora said. "It's a challenge.

"This A-10 is like no other. The A-10 was the best it's been last year getting six bids. It continues to be a league where everybody's going after it, everybody's competing in every aspect of a basketball program.

"You get it done by having players," he added. "But I still believe that this group can do it, I believe that they can turn the corner. Once we do turn the corner then the next challenge is going to be, are we going to be committed enough to stay on that level and go find and get the next Eric Paschall and be able to do it on a consistent basis?"

That's to be determined. Fordham has a long way to go to get to that point. A win would be a good start. 

"Whether you're winning or losing its a grind," Pecora said. "It's just a nicer grind when you're winning."

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