2007-08 Fordham Basketball Preview

Fordham Rams

Overall Rank: #87

Conference Rank: #7 A-10

2006-07: 18-12, 10-6, 4^th (t)

2006-07 postseason: none

If you do not believe just how good the A-10 will be this year, take a look at Fordham. The Rams return five starters and a handful of roleplayers from a team that tied for fourth in the conference last season. Fordham will be better, but so will the rest of the conference and that will make it extremely difficult for Coach Dereck Whittenburg to take the Rams to the next level. Yet, they have the talent to do so and reaching the NCAA Tournament is a realistic and obtainable goal if they can manage to make it through the conference without too many stumbles.

Who’s Out:

Dominic Osei is the lone impact loss in the Bronx. The 6-5 forward was slowed over the last two seasons with a shin injury, but he still earned 12 starts during his senior campaign. Osei was never a prolific scorer, but he was a solid defender and would do the dirty work. Seldom used Dan Blaine and Demetrius Phillips will not be suiting up for the Rams in the 2007-2008 campaign.

Who’s In:

The Rams do not need any newcomers to make an impact, but they may have found somebody who can as a freshman. Mike Moore, a versatile 6-5 combo guard, is a quality scorer and can do a little a bit of everything. He will likely find himself down the bench a ways this year, but he has the ability to earn some quality minutes. Redshirt freshman Ryan Munson will add some depth on the wing, but is not expected to make a big contribution this year.

Who to Watch:

Marcus Stout is the star of the perimeter and averaged 15.3 points per game. He is a dangerous long range shooter and will use his quickness to get to the basket. Stout is also a pesky defender and, speaking of pesky defenders, point guard Kevin Anderson fits into that category as well. The 6-3 senior is not a prolific scorer, but he will efficiently find his teammates. Brenton Butler did not earn a start last year, but he is the most consistent shooter on the team and averaged 9.5 points per contest as a freshman. Butler may play the sharpshooter role off the bench again this year. Herb Tanner did not put up as good of numbers during his freshman campaign, but the 6-4 guard came on strong at the end of the year and will play a bigger role off the bench this season.

Final Projection:

Stout may be the go-to-guy on the perimeter, but there is some competition as the star of the team. Bryant Dunston, a 6-8 forward, averaged 14.5 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game last year. Now a senior, Dunston is expected to dominate the interior all around the A-10 even more than he did last year. Sebastian Greene complimented Dunston quite well last season and has developed into a solid contributor. At 6-7 Michael Binns has good size for a small forward and started 18 games last year, but he may be relegated to the bench when the team wants to play with a smaller, quicker lineup. With even more talent emerging like 6-5 forward Chris Bethel, Fordham does not lack the firepower and experience to make a run at the conference title. But neither do about a half dozen other teams in the A-10.

Projected Post-season Tournament: none

Projected Starting Five:

Kevin Anderson, Senior, Guard, 3.7 points per game

Marcus Stout, Senior, Guard, 15.3 points per game

Michael Binns, Senior, Forward, 5.3 points per game

Sebastian Greene, Senior, Forward, 9.5 points per game

Bryant Dunston, Senior, Forward, 14.5 points per game

Complete Top 144 Ranking | 2007-08 Preview | Discuss the Preview