Often, a team will need to witness their own shortcomings before fully turning a corner, and the Fordham Rams may be more aware of their faults following a trip to the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Just days before Thanksgiving, Fordham Men’s Basketball traveled to St. Thomas for the 2023 Paradise Jam Tournament.
After defeating Norfolk State University 77-64 in the tournament’s opening game, the boys from the Bronx dropped the next two contests of the weekend to Abilene Christian University and Kent State University, 59-45 and 79-72 respectively.
This season’s Paradise Jam marked Fordham’s third appearance in the tournament, and the first time that they were able to win their opening match.
Following a gut-wrenching loss to Cornell in which the Rams did not maintain a consistent first half attack, they got out to an aggressive start against a Norfolk State team that was undefeated.
“Our guys came out with a lot of energy and aggression,” said Fordham head coach Keith Urgo. “The last couple of days our practices have been extremely intense. We’re trying to get back to our identity of defending and rebounding. I thought Antrell Charlton and Kyle Rose did a fantastic job.”
Defensively, Rose and Charlton combined for nine rebounds and four steals. Offensively, they collectively tallied 18 points. Their ability to serve as dual threats proved critical against a Norfolk State team that entered the game averaging 89.0 ppg.
Also key to the Rams’ win was the play of senior forward Abdou Tsimbila. He collected a career-high 16 points and also swiped down a team-high eight rebounds.
At the half, the men in maroon led 43-33, and had drained 17 of 25 free throw attempts. While a 68% clip from the charity stripe is not anything to write home about, it was better than the 11 of 17 free throws that the Spartans were able to make in the first half.
Norfolk State was able to trim the Rams’ lead to eight early in the second act thanks in large part to Jamarii Thomas and Kuluel Mading. In fact, the two lead the Spartans scoring attack with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
The Spartans could not keep their rally on a consistent trajectory. A 16-2 Fordham run eventually gave the Rams a commanding 61-39 edge that would be too much to fully overcome.
Two days after defeating Norfolk State, the team that resides in the Bronx faced an Abilene Christian squad that was hot from the jump. The Wildcats scored the first 12 points of the game, and went on to outscore Fordham 32-16 in the opening half.
On the whole, Abilene Christian was a step quicker than the maroon. They outshot Fordham from the field and from downtown. The Wildcats received important individual showings from three upperclassmen who set the tone.
Junior Ali Abdou Dibba led the charge with 18 points, five boards and two assists while seniors Hunter Jack Madden and Airion Simmons collected eight and six points, respectively.
Tsimbila put up a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds, but he was one of only two Rams to reach a double figure scoring mark.
Senior Japhet Medor poured in 10 points of his own, but Fordham never seemed to truly threaten the Wildcats. A 12-7 run shaved a 15-point Wildcat lead down to 10 in the second frame, but it would not be enough.
Following their winner’s bracket loss to Abilene Christian, the Rams took on a fiery Kent State squad for third place. Unfortunately for the Rams, the Golden Flashes were able to win the day with a strong second half push.
Fordham enjoyed a competitive first act in which they shot 50% from the field and from range.
Their offensive production was aided by the experienced Medor, who would go on to post a team-high 18 points on the night. Additionally, sophomores Joshua Rivera and Will Richardson posted 14 and 10 points, respectively.
All things considered, the first half was an improvement from what transpired one day prior against the Wildcats. But, Kent State came out firing in the second period. The Golden Flashes outscored the Rams 14-2 over the first eight minutes of the half to take a 54-45 lead with just over 12 minutes remaining. Fordham managed to cut the deficit to five three times over the next eight minutes, but could not overtake their opposition.
Fordham shot 25% from the field in the second half, and couldn’t keep pace with their output from the first 20 minutes.
Four Kent State players finished the game with double-digit scoring figures, including Chris Payton Jr. who put up a team-high 23 points en-route to helping his team enjoy a third-place finish in the Paradise Jam.
The Rams’ two losses dropped them to a 2-3 record on the young campaign.
Some will say a trip is about the journey and not the destination, and if the Rams’ recent excursion proved anything about their season, it’s that there is both room for growth, a recipe for success and a lot of basketball left to be played.
The scene then shifted back to Rose Hill on Monday night for the renewal of a historic rivalry.
Many of the best competitors know how to keep their friends close and their enemies even closer. There’s no mistaking that Fordham and Manhattan College are close in terms of geographical proximity and historical basketball acumen.
Monday night’s edition of the “Battle of the Bronx” ended with a commanding 93-61 Rams’ victory over the Jaspers. After a competitive first half, Fordham was able to lock down in the second frame with a brand of Bronx toughness that simply wins ball games.
The two teams had not met since 2021 when the Jaspers defeated Fordham 66-60 at home. This most recent reunion marked the 114th meeting between the two borough neighbors.
Prior to the opening tip, it was revealed that Manhattan would be without redshirt sophomore Ben Rumpel for the rest of the season due to a knee injury. The guard was averaging 9.8 points this season and had been a key factor in Manhattan’s scheme.
Even with Rumpel’s absence, the Jaspers fought valiantly in the first half. As a team, they shot roughly 53% from the field across the opening 20 minutes. Overall, their offensive attack was spearheaded by Daniel Rouzan and Briggs McClain. Rouzan collected a team-high 15 points on an efficient 7-14 night from the field while McClain enjoyed a 10-point evening that included two made three-pointers.
At a certain point though, it became clear that the team just seconds away from the Bronx Zoo were the more ferocious bunch. The Rams closed out the first half with a 12-6 run to take a 47-36 halftime lead, and then opened the second half outscoring the Jaspers 20-7 over the first five minutes.
The Rams limited the Jaspers to 31% clip from the field in the second half and began to play their trademark style of bully ball.
When all was said and done, the Rams had outrebounded Manhattan 42-33 and had also forced 20 Jasper turnovers.
Medor was named the Johnny Bach MVP of the game after scoring a game-high 16 points. The senior also contributed six assists and three steals, cementing a complete performance.
In addition to their usual stout defense, the duo of Charlton and Rose each scored 14 points. Further, sophomore Elijah Gray had 15 points off the bench and also swiped seven boards in the process.
In many ways, Fordham played one of their best offensive games of the season. Receiving a stellar showing from Medor, strong shooting nights from both Rose and Charlton, and a double-figure scoring burst off the bench from Gray was a perfect storm.
Such a combination did not appear towards the late stages of the Paradise Jam tournament, but could be an ideal formula going forward.
The win granted Fordham their 55th program win against Manhattan. While the Jaspers still lead the all-time series 59-55, the Rams’ flexed their muscle in a fashion that will afford them bragging rights, at least until the two squads inevitably meet again.
The now 3-3 Fordham Rams will continue their season against the Fairleigh Dickinson University Knights at Rose Hill on Thursday, Nov. 30.
