The Fordham University men’s basketball program struggled exceedingly this season, particularly in its latter days. The Rams lost nine of their last 10 games. Following their loss in the second round of the Atlantic 10 tournament that marked the end of their season, the university decided to part ways with Head Coach Keith Urgo.

On Wednesday, March 12, Fordham entered the first round of the A-10 tournament against the University of Rhode Island Rams. In their matchup on Feb. 5, Fordham won 80-79 with a last-minute basket from graduate student forward Matt Zona. Just days before the A-10 tournament, however, on Saturday, March 8, Fordham extended their losing streak to eight when they suffered an 86-67 loss to them.

Fordham came with fervor to win in Washington, D.C. and they displayed it in the first few minutes of the matchup. Four minutes into play, they held a five-point advantage against the opposing Rams, 13-8. With 6:47 left on the clock, a 15-4 scoring run built the Fordham lead to 22 for a total of 38-16 (their largest lead of the night), with junior forward Romad Dean scoring the first seven of the 15 points. Fordham’s defense then went cold, and Rhode Island chipped away to get the lead down to 12, 49-37, at the half.

Rhode Island got it to a six-point game early in the second, but this was the closest it got as graduate student guard Japhet Medor, senior guard Jackie Johnson III and Dean dominated on offense. With about five minutes remaining in the half, Fordham’s advantage returned to digits until the end. Fordham won 88-71.

Rhode Island struggled with foul trouble throughout the game, giving Fordham 17 points at the line. But above all, the way Fordham came out in the first, taking the first swing on the Rams, gave them the win. “The way we started the game,” Head Coach Keith Urgo said in a post-game interview, “really dictated the entire 40 minutes.” Medor and Johnson had a combined 55 points, and Dean added 14.

With the win, the following night, Fordham was set to battle the seventh-seeded George Washington University Colonials. The Rams struggled in the first and trailed by eight at the break, 43-35. However, a 10-5 run in the early minutes of the second made it a one-possession game with a score of 48-45. Midway through the half, the Colonials advanced their lead back to 13, 66-53, but by 2:18 left, a 19-4 run by the Rams gave them their first lead of the night at 74-72. However, over the next minute, three shots from behind the arc by Colonial guard Trey Autry secured the George Washington win. The game ended 88-81.

The Rams put up a strong fight as Johnson III scored 35 points for the Rams (shooting 11-of-18 from the field, 7-for-9 from behind the arc). Medor struggled in the first, going 0-for-7 from the floor, but eventually added 13 to the board. Junior forward Joshua Rivera also added 11. In the end, the Colonials just had a better performance in ball movement, scoring and physicality on defense. With the loss, Fordham closed the season at 12-21. George Washington improved to 21-11.

Fordham Athletics director Charles Guthrie announced on Thursday, March 20, that the university was letting go of Urgo after three seasons and they will “commence a national search for its next head coach.” Urgo took over the Fordham Rams after Head Coach Kyle Neptune left for Villanova in 2022. Urgo practically resurrected the program in his first season, giving them their best record in over 30 years. The team went 25-8 and tied for second in the A-10; Urgo was named conference coach of the year. Sadly, the Rams have yet to reproduce this early success, as the team earned a combined 25 wins in the past two seasons. Within his three years, Urgo went 50-49.

Some possible names for the job include Van Macon (current assistant coach at St. John’s University), Mike Hopkins (former head coach of the University of Washington), Kimani Young (current associate head coach at the University of Connecticut) and Bruiser Flint (current assistant coach at the University of Arkansas).

Fordham hasn’t been to the NCAA tournament since 1992. The Rams are entering a period of uncertainty that comes with any team adjusting to a new head coach, but the university is reportedly investing in its program and will have a men’s basketball budget that ranks in the top third in the A-10 in the coming years.