Novice Coach Switches Coasts

[Zingo]

Coach S. stood outside of the San Jose State Campus at night smoking a cigarette. He didn't even smoke, he just needed something to take the edge off. Another 12 or 13 win season another Round 1 **** conference exit, he thought to himself. "5.5 point favorites against a 9-20 Air Force and we lose by ten. TEN?" He vented out loud and threw his half lit cigarette down on the sidewalk in frustration continuing to walk further away from the campus. Sure, he had been a rookie coach when he first arrived. Spent the first season unemployed, just looking for an opportunity. A complete unknown. When he finally got that chance and chose San Jose State, he was ecstatic to try to turn them into something of a contender. He wasn't expecting NCAA Tournament Champions, but at least an NIT bid maybe. Yet after four rough seasons, he had to move on. He had higher hopes for himself than repeated sub-mediocrity in a crowded division. No matter who he seemed to recruit, someone else just seemed to bring in someone better. I mean the Utah State Aggies brought in a Russian superstar, Leonov, and they still weren't even a top three team in the conference. San Jose had no chance with their diminished resources.

He was off to somewhere else. Four seasons was more than enough, even if he did consistently hit the board's goals and had a four star recruit on the horizon. His contract was up, he was tired of the repetition, and he was not going to spend another year deluding himself into thinking it would get better next season. He'd already done that enough. No, he needed a new team. The losing record wouldn't help his resume, but it wasn't atrocious. Plus there was that 2nd Team All-Conference kid a few years ago, Galloway? And a few nice upsets during his time there. He'd already done a few rounds of interviews but hadn't heard back yet when suddenly his cell phone rang. He recognized the number...

"Coach S. the board has decided that we want to offer you the job," the elderly but warm voice said, "congratulations on being selected as the next coach of the Fordham Rams."

[Wayne23]

Welcome! I look forward to reading this!

[PointGuard]

Enjoy the 3000 mile move. Moving from one high-cost city to another, huh! Good luck at Fordham. Keep the reports flowing to us.

[Zingo]

What a disappointing finish after an season of being so improbably close to something yet at the same time, so far. After a tremendous start, which included early season wins over Rutgers, Kansas State, and San Jose State, the Fordham Rams fell short of any tournament invites and finished 17-13. A conference tournament win still eludes Coach S. as the Rams fell to a 15-15 GW Team to end the season with a three game losing streak that included losses to St. Bonaventure and Richmond a few days prior. GW would end up losing the in following round but still received a CIT invite. Meanwhile Fordham, was on the outside looking in as other conference teams enjoyed post-season invitations.


A disappointing finish to the '25-26 season left the Fordham Rams wishing they left a bit more out on the court.

Despite this, the season did have some positives. Coach S. met the board's low expectations of attaining ten wins and not finishing last in the conference. Furthermore, the record had improved from Fordham's prior year (when Coach S. wasn't the coach and) as they went from thirteen wins to seventeen. Wallace Harris, the Senior Point Guard, also earned 2nd Team All-Conference Honors. Finally, it was Coach S.'s first winning season. All things said, it was not a bad year for his first with Fordham.

Coach S. sat in his office, reflecting on the past season and already preparing for the next. He was re-examining the reports of the incoming rookies for what must have been the umpteenth time. Ian Gibson and Barry McKenzie, decent regional players, probably never going to be anything special, but depth options at positions where the team is thin and maybe one of them could develop into a starter some day. Then there was T.J. Kirklin, a small forward just outside of the Top 50 at his position nationally, who should be able to contribute early to the team's success. Finally, there was the name that stood out the most on the list, Dan Peppers. He was from New Jersey, something that the Coach and kid had in common, and was hoping to stay close to family. After intensive recruiting that culminated in two home visits praising Fordham's proximity, Coach S. was able to convince Peppers to commit to Fordham. Peppers is a Top 100 National Prospect and Top 15 at his position of Power Forward.


The Fordham Men's Basketball Recruitment Class 2026


Coach S. set aside the reports and did a once over with the lint roller on his suit. Tonight was the end of season dinner and despite coming up short of true glory, there were still things to celebrate and Seniors to bid farewell. Perhaps next year would finally be the year Coach S. is able to breakthrough with his team finally. Perhaps... but perhaps not he thought as he sighed and shut the lights off as he left his office.

Also note: I will likely included more detail, end of season stats for the team later on, but given this was my first year with Fordham, I decided to forgo including them in this specific end of season analysis. Thank you for reading!

[Zingo]

January 10, 2027, 9:17AM Fordham Men's Basketball Coach's Office

"You're about to be in some hot water coach," Martin scowled. Martin Duncan was one of the board executives. He was a walk-on who didn't make the final cut for the Fordham '71 team that made the Sweet 16, the program's best finish, but he ended up becoming a graduate assistant before heading the business track and bouncing around NCAA teams before his alma mater offered him an executive position. He was one of the pivotal figures in pushing for Coach S. and was now in his office standing over and berating him.


The thing to know about Martin Duncan is that his bark is worse than his bite.

Coach S. sat at the table with his arms outstretched, hands loosely folded. It had definitely been a rough start to the season, no doubt about that. 6-7 (1-1) one week in to January, even pulling the minimum ten wins seemed like a tough ask at this point based on the first half of the season. "Well, the pre-season schedule was tougher, we had UCLA and BYU not to mention all three assistant coaches leavi-"

"Oh was it harder? How hard was that home f*cking loss to the 1-11 New Orleans Privateers!" Duncan interrupted.

Coach couldn't argue about that. There was no excuse losing to that team under any circumstances, especially at home. "We're working on it. We have some solid talent with Peppers and I just brought Martin off the bench to play PG which should make a difference for us."

"You better hope it does... I pushed for your candidacy on the board. Not quite sure why, maybe I thought I saw some potential in you, but we want a winning program here, or at least one that isn't a complete embarrassment," Duncan said. "Please make it happen... it'll be tough to justify keeping you in the long haul, the board might string you along for another year or two, but it'll only be to look for your replacement" he finished with a solemn tone, as he walked out of the office. At least he had the courtesy of telling me... Coach S. thought. Despite Duncan's demeanor, he cared about the coach, he just cared about the program more although he hoped for the coach's, and his own, sake that success was on the horizon.

Top Players(this season):
Dan Peppers (PF): 11.2 PPG, 1.8 APG, 7.6 RPG
John Knox (C): 12.1 PPG, 1.20 APG, 6.2 RPG
Thomas Sanden (SG): 7.9 PPG, 3.8 APG, 1.7 RPG

Current Record: 6-7 (1-1)
71 PPG, 70.9 OPPG, 16.3 APG, 31.4 RPG, NET 281

[PointGuard]

PHEW! I'm just glad Martin Duncan's image hasn't darkened Coach Fed's door at Boston College! I may have a nightmare about that picture.

[Zingo]

April 5, 2027, 10:04PM Fordham Men's Basketball Coach's Office

Coach S. sat in his office reflecting on another "okay" season as Martin poured him a glass of scotch. "You're getting there coach, you're getting there.." he said as he sat adjacent from the coach nursing his own glass as well. "It was a decent finish, 9-9 conference, we need some more of that next year!" Duncan raised his glass and swallowed the scotch quickly. Coach S. reciprocated. Martin leaned forward, the smell of scotch lingering on his breath, "you're hitting your pre-season goals, which keeps the rest of the board content, but I'm proactive and meeting with you throughout the season for a reason... it's because I know you're capable of more, I want to see us in some sort of tournament next year, really put Fordham on the map. Honestly I thought you were going to collapse in conference play this season, but the team did alright." Martin had the tendency to ramble when he got interested in things and Coach S. already envisioned the cogs in the old man's head operating at full speed. To be fair, he experiences the exact same thing, especially come recruiting season.

"I'd love nothing more than to see this school do well. The story of my coaching career is getting my hopes up only to fall short again." Coach S. replied, finishing his scotch with a final, aggressive swig. This year St. Joseph's had knocked them out in the second round of the conference. At least I finally got my first conference tournament win Coach S. thought, but he still felt discontent, he wasn't really where he felt he should be. He needed something more than getting close each season, he needed something to get excited about, to build the program's prestige... and his own of course. He began to reflect upon the finish of last season...

Final Record: 15-16 (9-9)
73.1 PPG, 74.7 OPPG, 16.9 APG, 31.8 RPG, NET 235

A decent conference record gave Fordham a 15-16 finish which included Coach S.'s first career conference tournament win.

"The talent on this team is young," Duncan interjected, interrupting the thought.
"It is, but Peppers was out of Junior College..." the coach said, milling over the rising Senior's limited remaining time with the team.
"Yea, but Knox, the center? He was a stud this year," Duncan went on.

They chatted a bit about the players and how they performed the past season. Certainly there had been some improvements, but there was still more room to grow, although the best talent was going to be around for a least one more year.


An asterisk denotes a starter.

"Remind me of who is coming down the pike next year?"
"We have a few prospects coming in. Managed to recruit internationally actually, Canadian kid, Frechette, is coming in."


Fordham Men's Basketball Recruit Class 2027

The two spent another hour chatting, mostly about basketball, as usual, before Martin got up and decided to head out. "If I were you, I'd call that athletic director of yours... get him to get a better schedule going for you" *hic*
Martin definitely had one too many scotches, Coach S. thought, as he but it didn't really matter at this point. The season was over, the ambition was still there but it was wavering. Coach S. wouldn't be shocked to find himself sitting in this same position next year thinking about and talking about the same exact things he did this year, except he'd be a year older and a year into mediocrity with no tournaments (he wasn't even thinking of NCAA at this point, just anything would do), no credentials, no prestige, no advancement. He quickly fumbled for his phone and dialed the athletic director.

"Coach S? Why are you calling my personal line so late?"
"Do me a favor. Don't f*cking schedule UCLA or BYU next year." *click*

Other Notable Facts From the Season:
NCAA Final: Memphis over Gonzaga. Memphis claims their first NCAA Tournament Title in School History. Gonzaga is still looking for their first.
ATL-10 Championship Game: VCU over St. Joseph's.
Team MVP[s]: Dan Peppers & John Knox
Best Win: 79-75 @Dayton (#11)
Worst Loss: 77-79 v. New Orleans Privateers
This was Coach S.'s 5th season. His overall record sits at 82-100.

[Zingo]

PHEW! I'm just glad Martin Duncan's image hasn't darkened Coach Fed's door at Boston College! I may have a nightmare about that picture.

You just made me laugh out loud, hahaha!

[Zingo]

January 3, 2028, 12:22PM Gyro King, 50 E. Fordham Road, Yonkers, NYC

"Hope you boys had a good holiday break." Coach S. said while wearing his brown bomber jacket and holding the door open to Gyro King for Dan Peppers and John Knox. "It was alright. What's going on coach?" said Knox as they headed inside to get a bite to eat, waiting to place their order.



"Well, I invited you two and Sanden, who couldn't make it because of a family thing, out to eat today to discuss the rest of the season and just make sure you stayed focus. I really think we have a chance to make a run this year, or at least put up a respectable showing. But I've been in this position before with my former team, the second half is where the rubber hits the road. Every single one of these conference games counts."

"Great speech coach, what movie did you pull that from?" joked Peppers. Knox chuckled as the coach struggled to conceal his own grin.

"Relax 'Dr. Peppers,' I'm being serious. These games do matter and I brought you both here because it is obvious to me that you two and Sanden are really the ones carrying this team right now. I'm hoping you can give it your all as we continue to push forward. You guys might even have the potential to be All-Conference if you push hard down the stretch and that's something that you'll always have..." Coach S. remarked as he turned his attention away from the boys and glanced up at the large menu hanging above the counter as they line inched forward.

"We won't let you down coach. I can't speak for everyone, but I know we will step up to the plate," Knox said.

"I hope so, just remember to stay focused... oh, can I get the Shish Kebab platter please?" coach said as he placed his order.

"Am I the only one who sees the irony here?" Peppers snickered.

"Ah, can it Peppers."

Top Players (this season):
John Knox (C): 14.7 PPG, 1.3 APG, 8.0 RPG
Dan Peppers (PF): 13.1 PPG, 1.6 APG, 6.4 RPG
Thomas Sanden (SG): 11.9 PPG, 1.9 APG, 5.3 RPG

Current Record: 8-3 (0-0)
72.6 PPG, 68.0 OPPG, 16.3 APG, 34.3 RPG, NET 140

[Zingo]

April 5, 2028, 7:38AM Fordham Men's Basketball Coach's Office

Coach S. sat in his office with the door locked, something he almost never did, and sat browsing his computer for open coach listings. The only silver lining was the return of Knox and the strong incoming class. But did it even matter? Fordham wasn't outpacing the rest of the division and this division was strong yet again. Seven teams from the A10 made tournaments, three in the NCAA Tournament and out of those seven, St. Louis Billikens were the last in at 18-14 (9-9). The Fordham Rams meanwhile finished 16-15 (7-11) culminating in a dreadfully disappoint conference run that lead to the coach rethinking his future with the team yet again. They were the best team in the A10 to not receive a tournament invitation.

Final Record: 16-15 (7-11)
72 PPG, 71.9 OPPG, 17.0 APG, 32.8 RPG, NET 161

Not listed is Fordham's loss to Dayton in Round 2 of the A10 tournament 62-88.

There was no-one to chat with, no rousing party to attend, just a man staring bleakly at a screen wondering how and why he couldn't do more. 16-15 (7-11). That's just slightly worse than when he first arrived. Three years of efforts, going on four, just to plateau. At least it was better than losing at San Jose State and being just below average each year he mused. Every season seemed to have games where the Rams prevailed against superior teams and dropped to inferior ones. This year however, there was no upsets by the Fordham Rams, excluding potentially Georgia. It was a season of finishing in the middle of the pack, with a few frustratingly close results or wins against other middling, or weaker teams, that was the ultimate difference.


An asterisk denotes a starter.

The coach examined the reports on the incoming recruits. Last year's hadn't yielded much immediate results, with Franchette yielding 4.0 PPG, 2.0 APG, .7 RPG over an average of 13.2 MPG. Meanwhile Kennedy Cravens wore the redshirt for his first season.


Fordham Men's Basketball Recruit Class 2028

Two four star, top 100 recruits at the same position due to simultaneous acceptances. A blessing or a curse? It remained to be seen. Maybe one would have to be Redshirted either their Freshman or Sophomore season. Maybe one would slide to SG. Maybe they'd both be busts... or stars. Who knew at this point. He could only speculate on what was in front of him and, at least on paper, it seemed like a positive. Radl could hopefully serve as the heir apparent to Knox, who was graduating next year. Maybe there was something to have hope in... Coach S. stopped browsing and took in a sip of coffee, staring out the glass windows overlooking the team's indoor court. Maybe he still had business at Fordham.

Other Notable Facts From the Season:
NCAA Final: Texas (70) over Maryland (51). Texas claims their first NCAA Tournament Title in School History. Maryland missed out on what would have been their second title.
ATL-10 Championship Game: VCU (73) over Dayton (70)
All-Conference First Team: Dan Peppers PF, SR: 12.4 PPG, 1.6 APG, 6.0 RPG, 1.3 SPG, 1.0 BPG
All-Conference Second Team: John Knox C, JR: 13.4 PPG, 1.1 APG, 7.2 RPG, 1.2 SPG, 1.1 BPG
Team MVP[s]: Dan Peppers
Best Win: 80-76 v.s. Rhode Island Rams
Worst Loss: 71-83 @ UMASS Minutemen
This was Coach S.'s 6th season and 3rd with Fordham. His overall record sits at 98-115. This was the first year Coach S. had a First-Team All-Conference player on his roster.
Dan Peppers graduates this year.