Fordham Basketball Funds Increased, One Step Toward Ram Relevance

Five.

That's the number of fingers on a hand, days in one work week, and Fordham men's basketball wins during the last two seasons.

That's right. Five wins in two years. Not exactly what most—with the exception of New Jersey's Institute of Technology—would call successful. 

Fordham University has finally decided it no longer prefers the title of "A-10 Doormat"—the Rams have had only one winning season in the last nine years—and announced its plan to increase basketball funds.

The specifics of the plan remain undisclosed, but Fordham's athletics Web site reads: "These substantial upgrades will elevate the budget for the Fordham basketball program from the lower third to the top third among schools competing in the Atlantic 10 conference."

Sounds like a significant increase.

Allocating more money to the basketball program is Step One toward bringing the Rams back into relevance. Step Two is finding the proper replacement for interim head coach Jared Grasso.

The New York Post implied this funding boost could help lure a top-notch coach and listed Pete Gillen, Paul Hewitt, Mike Brey, Fran McCaffery, Mike Rice, Tim Welsh, and Steve Lappas as potential replacements.

The Post even mentioned Bob Knight's name, albeit as the "longest of longshots."

Having a reputable coach run the program is vital not only for drawing up Xs and Os on a white board, but also—possibly more importantly—for recruiting. Combine a good coach with a hefty recruiting budget, and Fordham could quickly become a four-year home for New York's finest recruits.

The Rams suffered tremendously from Jio Fontan's decision to transfer mid-season, but the team will still have young talent in freshmen Chris Gaston and Lance Brown and sophomore Alberto Estwick.

In other words, Fordham's rebuilding years could potentially be limited—the Rams won't graduate their top players and will be able to add recruits to surround their talented underclassmen.

In his blog, Andy Katz wrote that Fordham is planning on playing four or five games at the Izod Center. It's an NBA arena, but it is home to a professional team that might not be able to beat the Rams. That's not necessarily going to sway a recruit.

Fordham should instead explore playing a few games in Madison Square Garden, the Mecca of Basketball. Not many schools can offer recruits floor-time at the world's most famous arena. Scheduling games at the Garden would be a national recruiting ploy.

The Rams already have two verbal commitments from solid recruits. If one of the aforementioned candidates is hired, the Rams could potentially assemble one of the A-10's best freshman classes.

Contrary to Katz, who said the Rams will never be an A-10 favorite, a budget in the top third of the league—combined with the school's location—should lure talent capable of competing with the conference's big boys.

Right now, though, everything is up in the air. There are so many "ifs" about the situation.

There's always a possibility that Fordham can't find a replacement better than its interim coach and that the budget won't help in signing recruits. If that's the case, Fordham will remain on the floor in front of the A-10's door.

But that shouldn't stop Fordham fans from hoping and pushing their program to do all it can to make the Rams relevant once again.

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