The days of Fordham being the doormat of the Atlantic 10 could be coming to an end.
At least that’s what the school’s administration is hoping for after it announced yesterday that the Board of Trustees approved a major bump in funding for the men’s basketball program, moving it from the bottom third of the conference to the top third.
The move likely signals a change in direction for Fordham’s coaching search.
After firing Dereck Whittenburg in December following a disastrous start and defections from the embattled program, assistant Jared Grasso was promoted to interim head coach.
And while Grasso has won fans — particularly among local high school coaches for his work ethic — the fact that AD Frank McLaughlin can now afford to spend more, likely means that a higher profile name will wind up in The Bronx when a decision is made by April.
“The time is now, and the will is there,” Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham, said in a statement. “With this renewed commitment, we believe the Fordham basketball program will be a force in the A-10. We are determined to succeed.”
With a contract likely worth between $500,000-600,000 and a total package close to $700,000, coaches who could end up as possible candidates include names like Pete Gillen, Paul Hewitt, Mike Brey, Fran McCaffery, Mike Rice, Tim Welsh, Steve Lappas and — longest of long shots — Bob Knight.
The Rams are clearly in need of a turnaround. They entered last night’s game at Richmond 2-21, 0-11 in the Atlantic 10, after going 3-25 and 1-15 a year ago. They also saw their top player, Jio Fontan, leave the school earlier this season. He’s now at Southern Cal.
For his part, McLaughlin supported Grasso yesterday: “The players have responded well to Jared, are playing hard every game, and have made significant progress since Jared was appointed as head coach.”
High school coaches were intrigued by the news.
“One of the biggest problems with Fordham was that you’d never see them,” said Christ the King coach Joe Arbitello, whose program routinely produces A-10 level talent. “Jared’s done a great job. Knowing what I know now about them putting more into the program, I’d definitely send one of my kids there. That hasn’t been an option lately.”
Fordham also has looked into playing more games in places like the Meadowlands, and some administrators think that if the Big East splits at some point, the Rams could be included.