Sports

Fordham looking for ‘fresh start’ at Barclays

Saturday marks a fresh start for the Rams.

Fordham, which is just 1-8 through the first nine games of the season, takes on Princeton in the Barclays Center, but the team that takes the floor against the Tigers will be a different one than we have seen this year.

The biggest change will be the return of star senior forward Chris Gaston, who has missed the past month after undergoing surgery to repair an injured knee. Gaston, who has led the Rams in scoring and rebounding in each of the past three seasons, gives the Rams frontcourt a much needed veteran presence.

“We’re finally healthy,” Pecora told The Post. “We have Chris back, he’s practiced all week. Their spirits have been good and they had a good practice [Friday].

“It’s a fresh start. We’re a better team than 1-8. I think we’ve been the victim of some injuries, and victims to a really bad schedule. We’ll never play a schedule like this again.”

In addition Gaston’s return, the Rams are getting to a point in their schedule where they will actually get to play at Rose Hill. Fordham has played just one game at the historic Bronx gym, and after playing last week in Madison Square Garden, will get a shot to turn the Barclays Center into their home away from home.

“We’re getting to a point where we are getting close to some home games, we’re playing at Barclays, which has to be become one of our new homes as we move forward,” Pecora said. “I’m excited about playing at Barclays, it’s a beautiful building and I’m thrilled to be a part of their future plans.”

One positive that has come from the absence of Gaston has been the emergence of Ryan Canty, who has anchored Fordham’s frontcourt over the past four games, scoring in double figures and picking up his first career double-double with 15 points and 16 rebounds in a 58-47 loss to St. John’s last week.

“If [Canty] can keep playing like this and we can get Chris playing the way he’s capable of playing, I think that’s a pretty formidable baseline,” Pecora said.

Along with Canty, who is a sophomore, freshmen Jermaine Myers, Jeff Short, Ryan Rhoomes and Travion Leonard have been thrust into playing major minutes early in their collegiate careers and while the growing process has been a bit rough, there has been some growth.

“Every practice you have with a young team is vital,” Pecora said. “As a coach you really gauge your team by the questions they ask in practice. When they start asking those really good questions, you start to say ‘Okay, they’re getting it.’”

And with A-10 play just around the corner, the players will need to pick it up even quicker if Fordham hopes to play in Barclays again this season when the conference tournament is held there in March.

“You can’t speed up the calendar but I expect our young players to mature between now and then,” Pecora said.

asulla-heffinger@nypost.com