Fordham AD David Roach Confident the Pieces Are in Place at Rose Hill

Fordham announced last month that it had hired Jeff Neubauer as its new head men's basketball coach.

At an introductory press conference on March 31, David Roach, the school's athletic director, professed his faith in Neubauer's ability to lead the Rams.

"As soon as I met Jeff, I knew right away we had the ideal person for Fordham," Roach said.

In an interview with Bleacher Report after Neubauer was introduced, Roach elaborated on the hiring.

"I've talked about the X-factor wherever I've been for a long time," he said. "Anybody we're going to look at we'll assume they know the game, that they can really work with student athletes, they can motivate them, they can inspire them and they can recruit.

"It's just kind of a whole package that somebody has. When you sit with somebody and talk to them...I can't explain it, but I can feel it. 

"People can criticize me for a lot of different things, but I would say that over the course of 25 years I've been able to hire some really good coaches."

Whether Neubauer turns out to be the right hire remains to be seen. In 10 seasons at Eastern Kentucky, he won 188 games and made two NCAA tournaments.

But the Bronx is a far cry from Kentucky. Neubauer takes the helm at a school that over 20 seasons in the Atlantic 10 has finished above .500 once and has a 76-246 record against conference opponents in that time.

Neubauer, who was an assistant under current Michigan coach John Beilein at Richmond and West Virginia, is the fifth Rams coach in 16 years.

"When I looked at the success," Roach said, "and looked at who he played for and, more importantly, who he coached with...I'm a big fan of John Beilein. I think he's a heck of a coach. I think he does things the right way. That sparked an interest."

Fordham hired Parker Executive Search to help find its coach. Roach told B/R that over 50 names were tossed around, some based on Parker's recommendations and some coming from Roach himself. In the end—albeit after Robert Morris head coach Andy Toole turned the Rams down—Roach selected Neubauer, whom he said "really popped out."

Neubauer replaces Tom Pecora, who went 44-106 in five seasons at Rose Hill. Despite the losses, Pecora remained a popular figure in New York sports. When he was fired with two years left on his contract, he became a sympathetic figure in some quarters, the latest in a procession of coaches who have had success elsewhere, just not at Rose Hill.

Roach said he wasn't shocked by the reaction to the firing, but he obviously took note of any backlash.

"Maybe a little bit disappointed," Roach said of the negative reaction, "because you hope that good Fordham people remain good Fordham people."

He added: "Everybody has their doubters. I'm hoping that as we get this thing going, some people would say 'Coach Neubauer is a great guy, he's had a lot of success and we're going to support it.'"

Speaking of support, Roach told B/R that Fordham is doing everything it can to build a winning program and to ensure it is able to compete in the A-10.

"The misconception is that we don't support it enough," Roach said about the men's basketball program. "I'm privileged to see all the finances of every sport in the A-10. When I look at different categories—for example operational expenses, we're in the top four. Right away that tells me our commitment is where it needs to be."

He continued: "Our staff is the same size if not bigger than some of the schools in the A-10. When I look at how some of the schools in the A-10 travel, we do that better than them.

"We look at those things and I feel really good about the support that we have for men's and women's basketball."

One thing is certain: As he steps into one of the most challenging spots in college basketball, Neubauer will need all the support he can get.

Quotations in this article were obtained firsthand.

Follow Charles Costello on Twitter: @CFCostello. A full archive of his articles can be found here.