The Mike Magpayo effort acquired off to a rocky begin Tuesday Evening within the Bronx, because the Fordham Rams dropped their season opener to the NJIT Highlanders, 72-61. Regardless of spectacular nights offensively from Dejour Reaves (21 factors) and Zarique Nutter (15 factors), Fordham struggled defensively and from past the arc, permitting an NJIT workforce with out their two greatest gamers (Sebastian Robinson and Melyn Ebonkoli) to go away the Bronx with a double-digit victory.
What went unsuitable for the Rams, and the way can they proper the ship of their remaining non-conference slate?
Protection
Regardless of a back-and-forth begin to the primary half that noticed Fordham rise up by as a lot as 5, NJIT tore out of the under-4 timeout with a 13-4 run to enter the break up 11. Whereas Fordham would minimize the deficit to as shut as 4 factors within the second half, they’d by no means totally shut the hole en path to an 11-point loss. Guarding the arc was particularly troublesome for the Rams, as NJIT completed the evening 12-22 from three. NJIT’s bench was stuffed with gifted shooters, together with true freshman Rocco Awad, who shot 4-5 from deep for 12 factors in his collegiate debut. Nevertheless, NJIT’s efforts past the arc had been made rather a lot simpler due to loads of defensive miscues from Fordham, together with a number of unsuccessful switches that led to open pictures.
“I simply felt like our switching communication was very, very poor,” Coach Magpayo mentioned postgame. “I actually do consider that there’s going to be about seven threes . . . of these 12 [made] threes [that] are most likely from miscommunication.”
For example, Magpayo cited an NJIT three to go up 50-44 as emblematic of Fordham’s points all sport. After reducing the lead down to three with 11:25 to play within the second, Fordham saved 4 defenders within the backcourt to defend the inbound. Nevertheless, this left Quentin Duncan extensive open for a cross-court inbound cross that became a large open proper wing three. Duncan would end the sport 2-4 from three-point vary.
After I talked to Coach Magpayo in late October, constructing a defensive identification was a key focus for him and his teaching employees. Whereas Tuesday’s sport reveals that they nonetheless have a methods to go, there have been small stretches of stable protection that allowed Fordham to chop into NJIT’s lead. Sophomore G Ryan Pettis led the best way on a number of of these, hounding NJIT ballhandlers in transition and making an attempt to strip away balls on inbound passes. In line with Magpayo, Pettis was particularly dropped at the ground towards the Highlanders to decelerate their runs.
“I’m looking for defenders proper now, and Ryan’s proven that he’s keen to actually give attention to that facet of the ball,” Magpayo mentioned. “He’s keen to sacrifice in apply, he’s a ball hawk, and he can guard the purpose of assault.”
Consistency
Whereas there have been stretches of stable play for the Rams, their incapacity to increase their strengths throughout 40 minutes was one other dagger for them. Whereas just a few changes had been made as the sport progressed, they had been unable to cancel out NJIT’s offensive onslaught. For instance, Fordham had a troublesome time forcing contact from the Highlanders within the first half, drawing simply 3 NJIT fouls within the interval and taking pictures 1-4 from the free throw line. Because the second half opened, Fordham was significantly better at controlling the physicality. NJIT dedicated their third foul of the second half by the 18:16 mark, and put Fordham within the bonus with 12:18 left to play. Rebounding on each ends, particularly on offense, was stable as properly, however for Coach Magpayo, Fordham ought to have had a extra vital benefit on the glass.
“We would have liked to win the rebounding rely, and to be trustworthy, we would have liked to crush them much more,” Magpayo mentioned. “That was most likely the primary key; simply to be sure that we’re the tougher enjoying workforce, and [that] we would have liked to crush them on the boards [with] much more measurement and girth.”
General, Fordham outrebounded NJIT 45-37. The Rams recorded 19 rebounds on the offensive finish, scoring 17 second likelihood factors.
Offensively, Fordham confirmed that they had been wanting to shoot the three, however a 4-24 efficiency from past the arc left rather a lot to be desired. Though Fordham ultimately adjusted to attempt to get extra pictures inside, their poor begin from the sector set the desk for NJIT taking and holding the lead for the latter 24 minutes of the sport.
“I believe that the unlucky factor is that we didn’t begin like that [with inside looks],” Magpayo mentioned. “After the primary half, making the changes, watching the movie, however actually understanding that we have now the offensive coaches on our employees [to conclude] that we’re not getting sufficient paint touches and throwing the ball in, and that was the primary offensive key for us, as a result of they [NJIT] do love to protect the three.”
Fordham shot half as many three-pointers within the second half than they did within the first, scaling again from 16 to eight.
Pushing Forward
Whereas changes had been clear on offense, the clear focus for Fordham is discovering, then creating their defensive identification. Coach Magpayo referred to as again to that a number of instances within the postgame presser.
“We’ve to be so significantly better defensively,” Magpayo mentioned. “And till we determine that out, [until] we’re keen to stay our chest in there, stick our nostril in there and be gritty, we’re going to have a troublesome time.”
The Rams return to motion Friday after they host D-III Mount St. Mary at 7:30 PM.
Roster Replace
First reported by the Fordham Hoops Weblog (@fordhamhoopsfan on X) Wednesday evening, senior G Demitri Gardner is now not on the Fordham Rams roster. A10Talk independently confirmed Gardner’s departure Thursday afternoon, and his profile has been faraway from Fordham’s roster on-line. A switch from D-II Augusta College, Gardner averaged 23.2 factors per sport in 2024-25.
