Fordham, gearing up for conference play, will close out 2018 against LIU Brooklyn, at Rose Hill Gym
Fordham guard Antwon Portley — Image Credit: Fordham Athletics
Before the season started all of the Atlantic 10 predictors had Fordham dead last in the conference. Fast forward a few months later and Fordham now sits at the top of the conference tied for the best overall record. At 9-3, the Rams have proved that they belong with some of the best teams in the conference.
How did they get here? Well take a look at their star point guard Nick Honor, who is their leader in points. Then take a look at their other guard Antwon Portley, a transfer from Saint Peters University. He’s Fordham’s best shooter at 40 percent from the 3-point line and leader in assists. Lastly, their front line of Chuba Ohams and Onyi Eyisi both lead the team in blocks and are at top of the list for rebounds.
The X Factor for Fordham is Ivan Raut
If Raut gets it going then Fordham becomes a problem for a lot of teams. The sophomore guard had a nice shooting touch against James Madison last game. Raut scored nine points going 3-3 from the 3-point line. Coach Jeff Neubauer believes Raut’s shooting consistency is important to Fordham’s success.
“He’s a proven shooter at this level,” said Neubauer. “And when he starts getting it going that’s going to add another dimension to our offense.”
Fordham demolished James Madison, 75-48, and now look to close out their final game of 2018 against Brooklyn LIU. This should be a win against an under .500 team. The Rams then tip off 2019, and their conference schedule, with a Saturday afternoon showdown against VCU. This is going to be the their first real test against a really good team and a conference foe. They’re a few spots away from Fordham in the overall standings, but both teams are close in terms of talent, which should make for a great game on January 5th.
Neubauer is confident in his team and believes they can go far this year because of one thing, depth.
“We simply just haven’t had bodies the last two years and the fact that we have 10 guys right now, that are healthy and we can put into games, it really is just a whole other world.”
