Zach Braziller

Zach Braziller

College Basketball

Fordham men’s basketball lands talented freshman class

Fordham has yet to turn the corner on the basketball court, but coach Tom Pecora feels his Rams have made a major dent on the recruiting trail.

Last year it was Jon Severe, an all-Atlantic 10 freshman selection from Brooklyn; this year’s class is a foursome led by Dobbs Ferry star Eric Paschall. It also includes Serbian guard Nemanja Zarkovic and redshirt freshmen Antwoine Anderson and Manny Suarez, who were partial qualifiers and didn’t play last year.

“It’s time for us to turn the corner, I’m well aware of that,” Pecora said in a phone interview. “The way to do that is to have talented players. We have more talent than we’ve had in the past and we have more experience.”

Friday brought a dose of bad news, however, with associate head coach David Duke expected to accept the head-coaching position at Adelphi by early next week, sources told The Post. A Cardozo High School graduate, Duke came to Fordham with Pecora from Hofstra, and was a key to this class.

Paschall said he will be disappointed to see Duke go, but understands he has to do what’s in his best interests. It doesn’t change how he feels about Fordham.

“I think we can be very good,” Paschall said. “I hope to make the NCAA Tournament, finish top five in our conference. I’m very excited. I like the coaching a lot, playing with Jon and all the kids there it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

Zarkovic’s coach at Montreal’s College Jean-De-Brebeuf, Mike Chmielewski, described him as a leader, a take-no-prisoners competitor who is a knockdown jump-shooter and dynamic playmaker. The 6-foot-3 guard, who likely will split point-guard duties with Anderson, led College Jean-De-Brebeuf to a provincial championship.

“He’s gonna make his teammates better — that’s why they were recruiting him,” Chmielewski said.

Chmielewski said he believes Zarkovic can make an immediate impact because he has faced Division I players before. In the summer, when U.S. teams made trips north of the border for exhibition games, Zarkovic excelled with his club team, Brookwood Bounce Elite.

“He’s already played against that level — that’s the main thing,” Chmielewski said.

Still, the crown jewel is the 17-year-old Paschall, a well-rounded 6-foot-5 wing who was the Class AAA Player of the Year in the New England Prep School League, known for elite post-graduate talents. A well-rounded scorer, Pecora expects Paschall to make a similar impact to that of Severe.

“I think he was an absolute steal for them,” Scout.com recruiting analyst Evan Daniels said. “He’s a tremendous get for them.”


Lincoln wing Desi Rodriguez signed with Seton Hall on Wednesday and teammate Elisha Boone signed with St. Peter’s. Brooklyn Law & Tech guard Matt Scott signed with Niagara on Friday.

Westchester Community College JUCO guard Giovanni McLean made an official visit to Oklahoma on Wednesday and verbally committed on Friday. The 5-foot-10 guard was considering St. John’s, Fordham and Duquesne.

McLean’s teammate, Keith Thomas, made an official visit to St. John’s on Monday and said he “really enjoyed himself.” He made an official to South Florida on Wednesday and has scheduled a visit to Miami next week. He’s expected to make a decision shortly thereafter.

Hallice Cooke, a combo guard from St. Anthony of Jersey City, is transferring from Oregon State after one season. The freshman already has drawn interest from Iowa State, Creighton, Rutgers and Minnesota.

Rhode Island head coach Danny Hurley and VCU coaches were at Tottenville on Wednesday to see junior forward Nakye Sanders.

Temple, Manhattan and VCU coaches were at Monsignor Scanlan on Wednesday to see junior forward Jonathan Nwankwo. He picked up an offer from Drexel on Friday.

Spring Valley junior point guard Rickey McGill Jr. de-committed from Manhattan on Thursday night. The talented floor general said he picked a school too early in the process and was turned off by coach Steve Masiello attempting to land the head-coaching position at South Florida. Drexel offered McGill a scholarship on Friday.

Former St. John’s commit Darrick Wood of Hutchinson Community College JUCO committed to DePaul on Wednesday.