Fordham started the city’s biggest reclamation by landing the area’s winningest coach. The struggling Rams pried highly-touted Tom Pecora away from Hofstra and charged him with returning them to what school president Joseph McShane, S.J., called their “frightening glory” of a generation ago.
For years, the only thing terrifying about Fordham has been its record, 134-292 since joining the Atlantic 10 in 1995 and fresh off a 2-26 in a campaign that saw Dereck Whittenburg fired on Dec. 3. From that day Pecora started eyeing what he called a “sleeping giant.” But this is one even a defibrillator wouldn’t have stirred.
“I’ve been down this road before. It’s similar to the way Hofstra was when Jay [Wright] and I took over. There were 305 D-1 teams and we were 297,” said Pecora, who succeeded Wright and over the last six seasons had an area-best 121 victories with four 20-win seasons. “When I saw this open, I was intrigued. It’s a sleeping giant. If we get support from the New York basketball community, and we work as hard as I know we’ll work, everything is in place.”
Fordham’s formula started by giving Pecora a five-year, $650,000 deal that dwarfed what Big East school Seton Hall was paying recently-fired Bobby Gonzalez.
They hope it culminates in Pecora cashing in on his connections with local high school and AAU coaches, the key to rebuilding after the Rams won just five games the past two seasons.
Point guard Jio Fontan left for USC and A-10 Rookie of the Year Chris Gaston (18.0 ppg, 11.4 rpg) was mulling a transfer if interim coach Jared Grasso didn’t get the job, but it seems Gaston is satisfied with the hiring of the charismatic, Brooklyn-born Pecora.
“He’s going to help us get better and turn the program around. I’m looking forward to playing for him and being around him,” Gaston said. “I don’t think I’m going to transfer. I think I’m going to be here.”
Fordham has just one city native on the roster — Brooklyn’s Alberto Estwick, who actually played at St. Anthony’s in Jersey City. But Pecora excels in mining the city, with Queens native Charles Jenkins winning last year’s Haggerty and this year’s CAA Player of the Year award.
“I talked to coaches and they all said, ‘Tom, do it, we’ve got your back, we’ll support you. We believe Fordham’s a sleeping giant,’ ” Pecora said. “My father used to say work half-days — 12 hours — and you’ll always be successful. That’s what we’re going to do.”
Fordham first contacted Hofstra on Monday, Pecora met with the school’s brass at Rory Dolan’s on Wednesday and he’ll be upstate for the playoffs tomorrow. Clearly, he’s no laggard.
“[Pecora] will return Fordham first to respectability, and then to frightening glory,” McShane said. “We hope he’ll strike fear into the hearts of other A-10 coaches.”