A-10 Notes: Fordham one of most improved teams in conference
Rams have already beaten Davidson, VCU and UMass
The Fordham Rams have pulled off three of the biggest upsets in the Atlantic 10 this season, though if they keep winning, they won?t be seen as upsets for long.
The Rams beat Davidson 60-54 on the road Jan. 11. That was a surprising victory then but not as much so when Fordham beat Virginia Commonwealth 69-67 in overtime Wednesday in New York City. That win thus lessened the shock when Fordham beat Massachusetts 71-68 on Saturday in Amherst, Mass.
Since finishing in the bottom three of the conference eight straight seasons, Fordham has made major strides. It finished eighth last season at 8-10, and it?s eighth this season at 3-4. Dayton (15-4, 6-1) plays at Fordham (9-11, 3-4) at 9 p.m. Jan. 31.
?Our group certainly has made progress over the last two weeks,? said Fordham coach Jeff Neubauer on Monday on the weekly A-10 coaches teleconference. ?There have been several reasons for that, one of which is our freshman class. Chuba (Ohams) has really given us a lift over the last four games. Civat (Havsa) also got into the UMass game and played seven really valuable minutes. To see those guys who didn?t play in the first 15 games grow into a role where they can help us means a lot.?
Eastern Kentucky grad transfer Javontae Hawkins leads the team in scoring (14.4 points per game) and was named A-10 Co-Player of the Week on Monday after scoring 22 points against VCU and 18 against UMass.
?He?s a huge reason our team has improved,? Neubauer said. ?He?s playing much better basketball now than he was in the first 15 games. He has done a much better job making decisions. There were situations three weeks ago when he would have taken a shot. Now he?s making one more simple pass. We ask our guys to learn, grow and improve. Sometimes you think, ?This guy is in his fifth year of college basketball. Is he going to learn?? Javontae is an example. Yes, guys can improve in their fifth year of basketball, even at this time of year.?
Game of the week: In addition to the 9 p.m. Dayton at VCU game Friday, the week features one other matchup between teams with winning A-10 records. Richmond (11-8, 5-2) plays host to Rhode Island (12-6, 4-2) at 8 p.m. Wednesday.
Richmond started the A-10 season 5-0 and then lost 75-59 at Dayton on Thursday. Its 82-77 loss to George Mason at home in front of a sold-out crowd Sunday was a bigger surprise.
George Mason (13-6, 3-3) led by as many as 23 points before Richmond rallied in the second half, three times getting as close as five points. The Patriots built their early lead by shooting 57.1 percent in the first half.
Player news: Rhode Island guard Jarvis Garrett has missed the last two games with an unspecified illness. Coach Dan Hurley said they expected tests Monday to shed light on Garrett?s condition.
?Today is a big day for him in terms of his immediate playing future,? Hurley said.
Garrett averages 7.9 points per game. His numbers had fallen in recent weeks in part because of his illness. Freshman Jeff Dowtin has stepped into the starting lineup and averaged 8.0 points in wins over UMass and Duquesne last week.
?Jarvis was in bad physical shape while he was playing 25 to 30 minutes,? Hurley said. ?It?s helped our team to have somebody at full health out there and having somebody who could potentially be great down the line like Jeff.?
Rams have already beaten Davidson, VCU and UMass
The Fordham Rams have pulled off three of the biggest upsets in the Atlantic 10 this season, though if they keep winning, they won?t be seen as upsets for long.
The Rams beat Davidson 60-54 on the road Jan. 11. That was a surprising victory then but not as much so when Fordham beat Virginia Commonwealth 69-67 in overtime Wednesday in New York City. That win thus lessened the shock when Fordham beat Massachusetts 71-68 on Saturday in Amherst, Mass.
Since finishing in the bottom three of the conference eight straight seasons, Fordham has made major strides. It finished eighth last season at 8-10, and it?s eighth this season at 3-4. Dayton (15-4, 6-1) plays at Fordham (9-11, 3-4) at 9 p.m. Jan. 31.
?Our group certainly has made progress over the last two weeks,? said Fordham coach Jeff Neubauer on Monday on the weekly A-10 coaches teleconference. ?There have been several reasons for that, one of which is our freshman class. Chuba (Ohams) has really given us a lift over the last four games. Civat (Havsa) also got into the UMass game and played seven really valuable minutes. To see those guys who didn?t play in the first 15 games grow into a role where they can help us means a lot.?
Eastern Kentucky grad transfer Javontae Hawkins leads the team in scoring (14.4 points per game) and was named A-10 Co-Player of the Week on Monday after scoring 22 points against VCU and 18 against UMass.
?He?s a huge reason our team has improved,? Neubauer said. ?He?s playing much better basketball now than he was in the first 15 games. He has done a much better job making decisions. There were situations three weeks ago when he would have taken a shot. Now he?s making one more simple pass. We ask our guys to learn, grow and improve. Sometimes you think, ?This guy is in his fifth year of college basketball. Is he going to learn?? Javontae is an example. Yes, guys can improve in their fifth year of basketball, even at this time of year.?
Game of the week: In addition to the 9 p.m. Dayton at VCU game Friday, the week features one other matchup between teams with winning A-10 records. Richmond (11-8, 5-2) plays host to Rhode Island (12-6, 4-2) at 8 p.m. Wednesday.
Richmond started the A-10 season 5-0 and then lost 75-59 at Dayton on Thursday. Its 82-77 loss to George Mason at home in front of a sold-out crowd Sunday was a bigger surprise.
George Mason (13-6, 3-3) led by as many as 23 points before Richmond rallied in the second half, three times getting as close as five points. The Patriots built their early lead by shooting 57.1 percent in the first half.
Player news: Rhode Island guard Jarvis Garrett has missed the last two games with an unspecified illness. Coach Dan Hurley said they expected tests Monday to shed light on Garrett?s condition.
?Today is a big day for him in terms of his immediate playing future,? Hurley said.
Garrett averages 7.9 points per game. His numbers had fallen in recent weeks in part because of his illness. Freshman Jeff Dowtin has stepped into the starting lineup and averaged 8.0 points in wins over UMass and Duquesne last week.
?Jarvis was in bad physical shape while he was playing 25 to 30 minutes,? Hurley said. ?It?s helped our team to have somebody at full health out there and having somebody who could potentially be great down the line like Jeff.?
