The buzz continues.
The addition of Jon Severe last spring ignited Fordham’s dormant men’s basketball program and Wednesday’s signing of talented guard/forward Eric Paschall — on the first day of the early-signing period — could be another step in turning the team around.
Paschall, wrapping up his high school career at prep powerhouse St. Thomas More in Oakdale, Conn., becomes the second highly rated local in as many years to sign with Fordham, following Severe, the former Christ the King star and Mr. New York Basketball, who broke the Rams’ freshman scoring record in his first game.
The two have become close, texting every day about the future they feel is very bright on Rose Hill.
“We talk about next year, what’s going to happen,” said Paschall, who averaged a Section 1-best 26.0 points per game as well as 11.2 rebounds, 2.1 blocks, 2.5 assists and 1.1 steals per game last year. “I think we are going to have a pretty good team.”
One college coach familiar with the 6-foot-6 Paschall said he is a “steal” for Fordham, a versatile inside-out threat capable of making an immediate impact. Another said if uncommitted, he would have high-major programs blowing up his phone.
“With him and Jon Severe, Fordham goes from the bottom of the Atlantic 10 to the middle and has a chance to do something,” the first coach said. “It’s two good building blocks for them to have.”
The glowing reports raise the question: How did Fordham pull this off, beating programs such as West Virginia, VCU and Providence?
Paschall said the Rams recruited him the hardest before his verbal commitment last April, the lone school in which the head coach was the lead recruiter. Most importantly, Fordham didn’t focus sorely on basketball in recruiting him, his father, Juan Paschall, said. They talked as much about his future after basketball than the next four years, how the school could set him up later in life. Location worked in Fordham coach Tom Pecora’s favor. Paschall didn’t want to veer too far from his Dobbs Ferry, N.Y., home.
“I know they are going to take care of my son,” Juan Paschall said of Fordham’s staff. “I can’t say that about anybody else.”
The Rams’ staff thinks Paschall is a major piece toward elevating the program, much as Severe was. Pairing Paschall with Severe, sophomore Mandell Thomas and red-shirt freshman Manny Suarez could give Pecora the core to rival the elite programs in the Atlantic 10.
“They’re two huge pieces to building this thing,” said Pecora. “[Paschall] can have an immediate impact for us.”
Some doubted Paschall would end up signing with Fordham, figuring bigger programs could steal him away with so much time between his verbal commitment and the early-signing period. But that never came into play, he said. Rather than spend his summer on the AAU circuit, Paschall was in summer school, making sure he would be ready to contribute for Fordham next year.
“People say I could’ve gone higher, but I think I made the right choice,” Paschall said.
****
Manhattan received national letters of intent from Nazareth forward tandem Samson Usilo and Samson Akilo, sharpshooter Zane Waterman from North Carolina and Middletown, N.Y., guard/forward Calvin Crawford. … Hofstra received an NLI from big man Andre Walker, a 6-foot-10 three-star recruit from The Bullis School (Md.). … Seton Hall received NLIs from Huntington Prep (West Va.) power forward Angel Delgado and Newark (N.J.) East Side wing Ismael Sanogo.
The rest of the highly ranked recruiting class will be completed on Friday when Lincoln guard Isaiah Whitehead, a five-star recruit, and Bishop Loughlin guard Khadeen Carrington sign. … Cardinal Hayes point guard Shavar Newkirk will sign with St. Joseph’s on Friday. … Point guard Paul Jorgensen of Don Bosco Prep (N.J.) signed with George Washington. … Bronx native T erry Larrier of The Phelps School (Pa.) signed with VCU.