Almost two weeks after firing Tom Pecora as its head basketball coach, the Fordham Rams have found his replacement in Jeff Neubauer, per Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports. Neubauer spent the last 10 seasons at Eastern Kentucky, where he posted a record of 188-134 and won two Ohio Valley Conference championships with the Colonels.
However, the question presents itself. Fordham was looking to replace a coach in Pecora that went an awful 44-106 (13-69 Atlantic 10), so why bring in someone from a barely mid-major program instead of someone with a slightly higher profile, even if just as an assistant with a powerhouse program?
Granted, it’s not as though Neubauer is the worst possible candidate the school could have chosen. Prior to his position at Eastern Kentucky, he was an assistant at West Virginia under current Michigan coach John Beilein and was on the staff of the Mountaineers team that made the Elite Eight in 2004. Before that, he also worked with Beilein at Fordham’s A-10 rival Richmond for five years, so it’s not as though the school just hired a random person on a whim. In fact, Neubauer’s Colonels were 21-12 (11-5 OVC) and shared the OVC East Division title with Belmont before losing to them in the conference tournament. Moreoever, EKU ranked 66th in the nation in scoring, so Neubauer clearly has some idea of what he is doing.
But that doesn’t take away from the fact that Fordham is in something of a dire situation right now. The team hasn’t made the NCAA Tournament since former coach Nick Macarchuk led it to a first round elimination in 1992 — back when the Rams played in the Patriot League, and freshman standout Eric Paschall just announced that he would be considering a transfer to a different school. Given how he posted 15.9 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, this is a major red flag for the program.
On top of that, the A-10 is becoming more and more competitive each year, with schools like Virginia Commonwealth, Dayton, Davidson and even Rhode Island showing zero signs of slowing down. It’s becoming harder for the Rams to keep up and given this new hire, perhaps seeking a return to the Patriot League or even the Colonial Athletic Association just to have the chance to be a big fish in a smaller pond is an idea to consider.
Don’t get me wrong. I don’t doubt Jeff Neubauer’s coaching abilities for a second. He was a longtime assistant for a top-of-the-line coach for almost a decade, and his EKU teams did a good job of proving that they could run with the big dogs, even in defeat. All I’m saying is that in terms of a hire, Fordham could have done better.
Just up the hill from Fordham, former Kentucky player and Rick Pitino assistant Steve Masiello has done a fine job with the Manhattan Jaspers of the MAAC, going 79-53 in four seasons and winning two conference championships, plus two trips to the NCAA Tournament, albeit to the round of 64 and First Four, respectively. Heck, even former Jaspers and Seton Hall Pirates coach Bobby Gonzalez would be a solid hire, despite his own red flags, as he is known as a fine recruiter and could help bring top local talent to the university.
But the situation is what it is, and Neubauer will be manning the sidelines for the Rams next season. He’s in for an uphill battle, but hopefully can stay the course and slowly get Fordham’s program back to prominence and bring in some top recruits to help the team stand out.
Hopefully, this will not be a decision that AD Dave Roach comes to regret.
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*Section Photo credit to Andy Lyons, Getty Images; Featured Photo (above) credit to Associated Press
