The meeting with Big East New York City power St. John’s University, in which the Rams won up at Rose Hill Saturday evening, may have put Pecora ahead of his plan. Fordham certainly is a dominant squad and not showing any effects of a team that won five games the past two years.

The game was sold out, a rarity at Rose Hill. Fordham overcame a 20-point deficit, and showed no signs of a team that would quit. It was perhaps one of the most memorable games up at Rose Hill. And after their 84-81 triumph, that put Fordham over the .500 mark at 5-4, many in the crowd stormed the court

They were not storming the court for the “Red Storm” of St John’s.  It was the Rams of Fordham, believe it or not, who can truly say they are right now the premiere college basketball team in New York City.

“This wasn’t about me,” Pecora would say afterwards about the most significant win for a Fordham basketball team in the past five years. “This was for these kids, for the fans,” he said. Truly, after Saturday, at least for the time being the suffering was over up at Rose Hill.

There is still a competitive Atlantic 10 conference schedule to come in January, That will determine how good this Fordham team is, or if they truly are going to be a competitive basketball program once again in New York. Pecora has definitely seen the competiveness of his team and a revival of the interest since taking over the program last March.

“Saturday is going to be fun to play and fun to watch,” said Pecora after his team defeated Manhattan College earlier in the week up at Rose Hill in the annual “Battle of the Bronx.”  “These matchups revitalize New York college basketball,” he said about consecutive games against Manhattan and St. John’s.”

After that win over Manhattan, Fordham reached the .500 mark for the first time in three years. Pecora said more than once, something special is happening at Rose Hill.  There is no talk about the dismal past after an abysmal, 2-26 overall mark and 0-16 record in the Atlantic 10 Conference of last season under former coach Dereck Whittenburg.

They have already equaled their win total of the last two seasons. The players, many who have been a part of the previous losing seasons up at Rose Hill, believe there has been a change of culture. Their coach wants them to believe that.

“We don’t look at what happened here in the past,” said senior Brenton Butler had a game high 21 points for the Rams against Manhattan and was a big part of a 16-0 run against St. John’s that narrowed the gap. Butler averaging 15.3 points per game has now scored in double figures in seven of his last eight games and had 22 in the win Saturday.

The last Fordham win against the Red Storm came in December of 2000. The entire campus anticipated the matchup, a buzz about Fordham basketball that hasn’t been heard in a long time.

“It’s a great environment, it’s awesome, it’s exciting,” said Butler who had not heard this reaction about an upcoming game, the one with St John’s in his four years at Rose Hill. He is a five year player that wanted to stay and be a part of this new culture that Pecora has preached.

Pecora said his team stayed around and stole one late against St. John’s. To the contrary Fordham did not steal this one. They have convinced their faithful and suffering fans they are ahead of the plan to revitalizing basketball up at Rose Hill.

NOTES: Butler was named Most Valuable Player of the Manhattan game by writers at press row and received the Mike Cohen Award, a trophy in memory of the late New York City public relations executive and former Manhattan Sports Information Director….

Before tipoff prior to the Manhattan game, a moment of silence was observed for Freddy Schuman, “Freddy Sez” a fixture at Fordham and Manhattan games and also at New York Yankee games with his trademark frying pan and motivational sayings.  Also silence was observed for former New York Yankee and former Fordham baseball coach Gil McDougald who passed away last week.

e-mail Rich Mancuso: Ring76@aol.com

“Back-to-backs are tough. This is the second for us, and we have another one coming up.” head coach Anne Donovan said after the game. “We had a lot of motivation against Phoenix; the last time when we were there we stumbled. Today everyone was really focused. We just stayed with the game plan. You put your mind into it and get it done.”

The Liberty did just that having five players in double-digit scoring. Leading the way for New York offensively was guard Cappie Pondexter who had 28 points, from 8-for-15 shooting from the field. The MVP candidate was 3-for-7 from the three-point arc. Also having a stellar day shooting was forward Nicole Powell, who had a career-high 23 points. Powell who certainly powered the Liberty shot 8-for-10 from the field, and 7-of-9 from the three-point range.

“We played exceptionally well today, especially going back-to-back,” Pondexter said after the game. “Our focus is absolutely great. We really pushed the tempo, ran the ball down the court, and we set the tone from the beginning.”

Nicole Powell agreed saying, “It was a great win for us today, especially going back-to-back. Everyone is just getting better. That is the most important thing is that everyone keeps getting better.”

Coach Donovan liked what she had seen from her forward Powell saying, “When Nicole (Powell) shoots the ball like that we’re really hard to beat.” Also complimenting Pondexter Donovan stated, “Cappie Pondexter is so good, the best one-on-one player in the league. Then when you add Nicole Powell’s three against the zone, it’s a pretty deadly combination.”

Center Taj McWilliams-Franklin netted 13 points to go along with five rebounds. Forward Plenette Pierson had several nice driving lay-ups for the Liberty in scoring 12 points and grabbing nine rebounds. Forward Janel McCarville rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10 points along with grabbing six rebounds and dishing out six assist.

Pierson had this to say of the teams showing tonight, “We played really aggressively tonight, we were able to focus our defense on the League’s leading scorer (Diana Taurasi) and it frustrated her.”  When asked about her brand of play in the game Pierson said, “I was just trying to be aggressive, go after the loose balls and hustled and it was contagious.”

Every single player on the New York bench provided a key moment, stop, rebound, and point in the victory over Phoenix. Guard Essence Carson cashed in on several great scoring opportunities notching eight points while grabbing six boards. Center Kia Vaughn had several strong drives to the net tallying seven points, while grabbing five rebounds.

“It was a great team win,” Carson said after the game. “We were able to get the stops that we needed to and really stepped up today as a team.” The guard would continue to say, “We want to make sure that everyone on the team is ready. That every time someone touches the floor that they are ready to play and come out with a victory.”

Phoenix for the most part was not the offensive juggernaut, having all-time scorer Diana Taurasi kept to five points. Taurasi did have two very nice assists in the game, but it wasn‘t a typical game for league‘s leading scorer.  Stepping up to lead the Mercury offensively was forward DeWanna Bonner, who had 20 points and seven boards.  Guard Temeka Johnson scored 14 points and dishing out four assists. Center Kara Braxton provided a strong inside post presence netting 11 points and grabbing eight boards.

New York played with heart and hustled from the first quarter on. The Liberty and the Mecca was rocking most of the night as the crowd as the 9,645 exploded with energy throughout.  Those fans are going to be in for one wild ride.

“We’ve got a lot of games coming up where we’re going to log a lot of minutes and that locker room is not satisfied,” Coach Donovan said afterward. “Our goal of making the playoffs has been reached tonight, and now we’re going to set new goals for ourselves in the postseason.”

That ride will start on Tuesday as the Liberty square off with the Indiana Fever. The 7:00 p.m. game will be a battle for first place in the Eastern Conference. The Liberty and the Fever have had epic battles in the past and it should be another battle on Tuesday night.

One of the keys to success against the Fever, “Stopping Tamika Catchings,” Pondexter said after the game. “She is really a catalyst for the Fever on both ends of the court. Hopefully we can get her frustrated and not have her score a lot of points against us. Catchings has been on a rampage in this second half, she is a tough player. She sets the tempo of the team and hopefully we can come out and be aggressive and play really well at home.”

Nicole Powell had this to say of the Fever, “Indiana is such a great team they are both tough offensively and defensively. They got some really great offensive players; it’s going to be a challenge. For us we need to be sharp and we need to be ready.  It is going to be a fight; Indiana keeps coming at you so you need to be prepared.”

It was another gut wrenching back-and-forth affair between two competitive teams, as there was 19 lead changes along with the two teams being tied a whopping 14 times. Gritty defensive play and key buckets in the fourth quarter eventually gave the Liberty the much needed victory, as New York is now the fourth seeded team in the Eastern Conference.

Leading the way for New York was guard Cappie Pondexter who had 20 points; following was forward Janel McCarville who had 15 points. Taj McWilliams Franklin and Plenette Pierson both had 14 points each and Leilani Mitchell had 12 points with some crucial three-pointers down the stretch for the team.

“Honestly just going into the fourth quarter it was just one of those games where we would have to grind it out,” Liberty head coach Anne Donovan said. “Los Angeles played with a ton of confidence and we allowed them to play with confidence through three quarters.”

Helping out with the Sparks confidence was the play of legendary center Tina Thompson who had 18 points. Following was guard Marie Ferdinand-Harris who had 17 points. Forward Noelle Quinn had 13 points, while DeLisha Milton-Jones rounded out the scoring with 10 points and five rebounds.

“It was definitely a playoff feel tonight. I thought it was a good test for us,” Sparks head coach Jennifer Gillom said. “It was a good matchup for us, a good one but a tough one as well. I thought they had a really good balance scoring on the inside, outside, which was a tough matchup for us. But I thought our team played well up until the last two or three minutes of the game and that’s showing signs of growth.”

The crowd of 14,307 along with special guest alumni Teresa Weatherspoon and Sue Wicks were on hand to witness one of the more thrilling victories for New York in this young 2010 season. As the Liberty had the 45-43 lead over the Sparks going into the locker room at halftime, as Plenette Pierson drove a lay-up along with two good free throws by Mitchell to give them that lead.

Los Angeles would make the final two quarters close by controlling much of the third quarter. DeLisha Milton-Jones had a driving lay-up at the 4:30 mark in the third quarter to give the Sparks the 53-52 lead. Marie Ferdinand-Harris hit a jumper with 3:36 remaining to give Los Angeles the 55-54 lead. The end of the third quarter would not end the way New York wanted it too as two good free throws by Milton-Jones with 23 seconds left to give the Sparks the 63-62 lead.

“I think the difference in the third quarter was our ball movement,” Milton-Jones said of the Sparks turn around in that frame. “Our aggressiveness as a team really turned on our offense.  When we are aggressive like that then the baskets come a lot easier and you have scoring all over the court, as opposed to one or two players dominating.”

In the fourth quarter New York would really step up the energy and their play as Taj McWilliams-Franklin, who was so strong in the inside post all night long had a rebound and a lay-up at the 9:44 mark to give New York the 64-63 lead. Leilani Mitchell hit one of her many huge three point shots at the 8:20 mark to make it 67-66 in favor of New York.

“I just wanted to go out there and create something in the post, get the team going” McWilliams-Franklin said after the game. “For me to be able to get the rebounds tonight it was about timing and boxing the other team out and a lot of those missed shots were falling to me perfectly. I was there and had some put backs, and that is something that we as a team are going to have to do every night is to get those rebounds.”

Janelle McCarville who was another strong performer for New York tonight hit a jumper with 5:12 remaining as New York tried to keep pace with Los Angeles, who kept fighting back with key buckets all evening long. One of the bigger baskets for the Sparks was a jumper by Noelle Quinn at the 3:45 mark to cut the Liberty lead to 73-72.  The heart of the team started to show in the final minutes as Cappie Pondexter had a huge block and defensive rebound which led to a Plenette Pierson jumper for the 75-72 lead with 2:17 remaining.

“For the first time in a long time the ball went into the net more than it usually does,” McCarville said of her 7-of-12 shooting from the field, which included some nice jump shots. “Everyone has been in my ear and getting my confidence up, telling me to stop thinking and keep shooting. I couldn’t be prouder of the win tonight, with all of the stars that are on the Sparks we were able to take care of business and it was a great win.”

Leilani Mitchell who has been playing huge all season long for the Liberty had series including a driving lay-up; a steal and  two good free throws to give New York the 79-72 lead. Forward Nicole Powell had her second huge three-point shot of the night with 1:52 remaining to make the lead 82-72.  New York continued to grind out the game as McCarville continued a fine offensive showing by hitting a driving lay-up with 48.9 seconds left to pad the Liberty lead to 86-76. Mitchell had two good free throws to make the score 88-79 as Plenette Pierson had a huge block to go along with a Pondexter rebound to cap the New York victory.

“Leilani is playing with so much confidence right now,” Anne Donovan said of her point guard. “She came into this year really fighting for the point guard position and gained the trust of the players with every practice and every game. What we have now is the product of a lot of hard work on Leilani’s part.”

Of the fourth quarter the point guard had this to say, “The last few minutes we really buckled down and we knew we needed a win. We’re still trying to make the playoffs so I think when it came down to it we really got the stops when we needed them.”

The quest for a playoff spot continues for New York as they face the Connecticut Sun for a 4:30 p.m. Sunday evening game at Madison Square Garden.

Really, who cares? Well at one point this writer did have an interest that is until this off season NBA story knocked baseball coverage from the headlines. Simply put the Lebron James drama has become an escapade and epitomizes what has become of a sports world becoming more bizarre by the day.

It may matter to fans of Lebron where his next destination takes him. And it certainly has helped the National Basketball Association get the spotlight in what has tended to always be a slow and dull off season.  Even the baseball players are speculating the next move for Lebron.

It has become talk of the town. “New York of course,” said Ike Davis the rookie first baseman of the New York Mets He wasn’t the only one offering an opinion before the Mets took on the Cincinatti Reds at Citi Field.

And Davis is a noted fan of the Phoenix Suns having attended Arizona State University.  It was the talk of the media, baseball experts discussing what uniform Lebron will wear in November It, did not matter that the Reds were in first place days before the All-Star break, or that the Mets were trailing the Atlanta Braves by two games in their division.

It’s been all about Lebron, and what reportedly had been planned for weeks by ESPN, and members of the James team will no doubt draw a record number of viewers Thursday evening for the spectacle. Around 9:10PM Eastern Lebron will make his statement and tell the world what everyone has been waiting for.

But who cares, not when there are good baseball pennant races prior to the Mid Summer Classic.  Not even a Presidential news conference or address from the Oval Office will get as much attention as Lebron will get on a summer evening in July.

That, my friends, puts this all in perspective.  Lebron either way wins by landslide. His legacy may be known more for this media frenzy and free agency bonanza.

e-mil Rich Mancuso: Ring86@aol.com

Om Thursday, a press conference was held at Fordham’s Rose Hill campus in the Bronx to introduce Pecora. The remarks from all parties at the conference were that there will be a cooperative and concerted effort to improve the level of success of the program but that the methods of improvement will be done in total conformity with the ideals that guide the Jesuit institution of learning. The spirit of cooperation was cited by Pecora,

“It takes a university to raise a program.” The high level in which change will be brought about was stated by the Executive Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Frank McLaughlin, “We are an educational institution, not a basketball factory.” The concern for the student athletes in the basketball program was described by the university’s president Father Joseph McShane, “We believe he [Pecora] will give the players the kind of college athletic experience they expect at Fordham. Our student athletes deserve the same kind of care and attention to personal development on the court as they receive in the classroom, and we are confident that Tom is the coach to deliver that experience.

“He [Pecora] gave the Pride {Hofstra] a reason to be proud.” McLaughlin spoke of on the court success expected, “We are extremely confident that Tom will build a successful program at Fordham to become competitive in the Atlantic 10.” All three speakers gave thanks to many for their cooperation in allowing this partnership to be made possible. Among those cited for cooperating were: the athletic director and president of Hofstra University, local high school and AAU coaches, the basketball leadership of the Atlantic-10 colleges and Fordham’s search committee.

Pecora, in explaining his decision to leave Hofstra after 16 years and come to Fordham, said, “I thought it was the right time to accept a new challenge.” He said it was a family decision that included his wife and three children.” He clearly stated that he was not a patient man and that based upon what he learned it attempting to better the Hofstra basketball program, he would recruit effectively in the metropolitan area for Fordham,

“I have a long-standing relationship with high school coaches in the area. Having been through this process, I know how to do it [improve the basketball program]. We can get the best players in the country because of the conference.” He intends to take no short cuts to achieve success, “The only way I know how to do it is the right way.”

Pecora was born, resided and worked in the metropolitan area through almost all of his life. He was born in Brooklyn. He moved with his family to Queens when he was a young child, attended Martin Van Buren High School in Queens and graduated from Adelphi University in 1983. He remained on Long Island to serve as an assistant coach at Long Island Lutheran High School after graduation. His next position was as an assistant at Nassau Community College (1978-89).

For the following three years, he was the head coach at the State University at Farmingdale (1989-92). He left the area for two years, one as an assistant at UNLV and the other as an assistant at Loyola Marymount. The next 16 years he devoted to Hofstra University. He served as assistant for seven seasons before taking over the head coaching duties in 2001. Hofstra was a 20- plus game winner in four of Pecora’s nine seasons at the helm. The team finished 19-15 this year and was invited to the CBI tournament and appeared in three pot season NIT tournaments under his helm.

In the first round on Tuesday, the 13^th seeded Red Storm (17-15) upset the Connecticut Huskies (17-15), 73-51. St. John’s began the contest with great intensity and took a 10-2 lead at 15:15. A free throw by Paris Horne gave the Red Storm its first double digit advantage, 22-12, at 10:48. The first half ended with St. John’s leading, 35-22.

The Red Storm never led by less than eight points in the second half. The team surged ahead during the final eight minutes. St. John’s climbed to a game-high 25 point advantage with 46 remaining after a 22-6 scoring run. After the contest, Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun profusely praised the St. John’s team, “they [St. John’s] came out with purpose, physicality and quite frankly handed us our butts. They knocked us all off our screens. They completely outplayed us. They were much hungrier than we were.” Calhoun clearly foresees a great improvement for New York City’s only representative in the Big East Conference, “They certainly have a bright future ahead of them. They’ll be one of the better teams, I think, in the Big East, certainly top five or six next year.”

The second round game against Marquette (21-10) was reminiscent of the contest between the two teams at Carnesecca Arena in Queens late in the regular season when Marquette edged St. John’s, 63-61 in overtime. Marquette scored the first six points of the contest on Wednesday, and held the lead throughout the first half. After an opening second half basket by Marquette’s David Cubillan, St. John’s went on a 22-10 scoring run to tie the game at 39 with 10:46 left to play. The game was tied four more times in the next seven minutes, but St. John’s again fell short by two points, 57-55. St. John’s was without the services of its second leading scorer Dwight Hardy. The Bronx native has made an important contribution to the team’s improvement this season. Hardy’s leg injury, suffered  late in the regular season, has kept him out of the lineup. The highly competitive contest excited the large local crowd in attendance. After the conclusion of the exciting contest, Marquette coach Buzz Williams gave credit to his counterpart at St. John’s, “Coach Roberts doesn’t get the credit he’s deserving of for how hard his team plays. ..If you were to ask our players who is the hardest playing team in the league, they would tell you St. John’s. I don’t think teams play hard just for one another. I think they play hard for one another and for their coach. I think that’s what St. John’s does. I think that’s what they did yesterday. And I thought they were the hardest playing team today.”

As the final position for the Atlantic-10 playoffs ended in a three-way tie between Fordham, LaSalle and Rhode Island, the tie-breaking procedures were needed. Rhode Island was eliminated as it was defeated by Fordham and LaSalle during the season. A coin toss decided that Fordham would be included. Fordham coach Cathy Andruzzi expressed her elation for Fordham’s inclusion,

“I’m so excited and happy for our players…I am very thankful for the opportunity to continue playing and I am so excited about being in the Atlantic-10 tournament.” This will be Andruzzi’s first A-10 tourney as Fordham’s head coach. Fordham is scheduled to meet St. Joseph’s on Friday, March 5 at 2:30 PM.” In the only meeting between the two teams this season, St. Joseph’s edged the Rams, 62-57.

Randall Hurst, the one senior on the squad, was honored prior to the contest. Hurst came to Rose Hill two years ago to play with the team and earn her degree in Visual Arts and Architecture. The Detroit, Michigan native was reared in West Bloomfield, Michigan, the same town as Fordham teammate Kristina Bell. Hurst was a star on her high school basketball team. She spent her collegiate freshman year at the University of Central Florida. She remained in Florida for her sophomore year at Daytona Beach Community College. During her two years at Fordham, Hurst led the Rams in scoring and rebounding. Her 13.2 points per game average is seventh in team history.

Hurst was escorted on court for the pre-game ceremony by her parents. The young woman gave credit for their support throughout her life, “My parents have been very supportive of me and love coming to watch me play. They have been watching me through high school and came to almost every AAU tournament I played in. I’m always excited for my parents to see me.”

Hurst is hopeful of continuing her basketball career after her graduation. She said, “I’d like to go overseas to play, preferably in Europe.” Several of Fordham’s most successful players such as Lisa Carrol and Mobolaje Akiodoi continued their playing careers overseas. Fordham’s greatest female basketball player, Anne Gregory, played professionally in France after graduating from Fordham. Hurst articulately expressed what it feels like to end one phase of life and to begin another, “It’s scary and exciting at the same time. You don’t know what to expect.”

Hurst’s time on court ended unexpectedly early as she injured her knee four minutes into the game and was not able to return. After the contest, she assured those concerned that she was fine. The visitors from Cincinnati took a 10-0 lead in the early minutes. Xavier’s highly respected front court  tandem, Amber Harris and Ta’Shia Phillips, scored all ten of those points. At that point, it appeared that Xavier was well on the way to an easy 15^th consecutive victory.

The Rams fought back tenaciously and took the first and only lead of the game, 32-31, on a three by freshman Arielle Collins.  The Rams remained competitive until falling behind by double digits, 60-50, with 7:33 left in the game. Xavier scored the final six points to win by 15, 74-59. The victory was Xavier 15^th straight. The Musketeers ended A-10 Conference play with a perfect 14-0 mark.

Xavier superior bigs, Harris (6-5) and Phillips (6-6), made the difference in the contest. The duo grabbed 23 of their teams 50 rebounds contrasted with 28 boards for the Rams, blocked five shots and scored 39 of Xavier’s 74 points. Harris achieved her 12^th double-double of the season and Phillips her 17^th.

Four players on Fordham scored in double figures. Several of the team stepped up after the elimination of Hurst, Fordham’s leading scorer early in the contest. Sophomore Becky Peters displayed her talent, energy and leadership during a team-high 37 minutes on court. She led Fordham in scoring with 17, but was no less effective on defense garnering a career high of five steals. When complimented upon her leadership skills, she responded, “I have five siblings.”

The players on both teams are now looking forward to the next phase of the 2009-10 season. Fordham could show the team’s continued improvement with a good showing in next week’s A-10 tournament and Xavier could demonstrate that its highest ever rating is well-deserved by an outstanding NCAA Tournament performance.

The statistics Gaston has reached are not only impressive for a college freshman but are among the best of any player in the A-10. He has already accomplished a double-double 16 times this season, but has double figure averages in points and rebounds. Among Atlantic-10 competitors, Gaston ranks fourth in scoring average (17.6 ppg.). He ranks second among Fordham freshman with 450 points, exceeded only by Bevon Robin with 495.

Gaston has three games remaining in which to break the Fordham mark. This should not be difficult as Gaston has scored 32 points in three different games. His field goal percentage has only been bettered by eight A-10 players. The great shooter and aggressive offensive threat is no less effective on defense.

Although only 6-7, Gaston is second in the A-10 with 10.9 rebounds per game. His leaping ability not only contributes to his capability to rebound but makes him one of the top shot blockers in the conference. He is seventh in the conference in shots blocked with 1.8 blocks per game. In a February 6 contest against A-10 leading Charlotte, Gaston tied his season-high of 32 points in a single-handed attempt to win the game.

Fordham coach Jared Grasso effusively praised Gaston, “He’s the best freshman in the league. Today, he was the best player in the league. He’s fun to coach.” In the early minutes of the second half, Gaston scored 14 straight points for Fordham. When asked whether Gaston took the responsibility or whether he as coach asked Gaston to accept the load, Grasso replied, “It kind of happened hand in hand. He loves to compete [and] I have a lot of confidence in him.”

With Gaston as centerpiece and last week’s decision of the Board of Trustees of Fordham to greatly increase its spending on men’s basketball, the Rams made be much improved in the near future.

The group then traveled to Rhode Island to participate in a prep school tournament. The students and staff returned to New York City on the weekend for a round of sightseeing. Orellana said the trip had several purposes, to play basketball on U.S. soil, which most had never done, expose the youngsters to the eyes of U.S. scouts and give the players the experience of seeing New York City and the East Coast.

Orellana is an experienced basketball coach with many years of experience of coaching in the United States. He was an assistant coach at Division I colleges on both U.S. coasts, St. Francis in Brooklyn, Farleigh Dickinson in New Jersey and in California at the University of California-Irvine and the University of California-Fullerton. He also coached youngsters on the high school level and internationally in Venezuela.

In 2004, Orellana left his position in California to follow his dream of founding a basketball school overseas where he could help international players gain a scholarship to Division I colleges in the U.S. His first effort in this regard gave him the knowledge and experience to begin the Canarias Basketball Academy three years ago. Spain’s archipelago may seem a strange place to develop talented basketball players, but thus far,

Orellana has been successful. After his team’s game against Monroe, Orellana explained, “It was always a dream of mine to establish a basketball academy. We [CBA] offer an alternative to U.S. prep schools. Ninety per cent of our boys are looking for a scholarship to U.S. universities and ten per cent are hoping to play professionally in Europe. This experience has given me my greatest satisfaction. These are great kids. They have no baggage. They only want to play basketball and improve.” Approximately 30 of the 50 current students are from the United Kingdom. The director said, “We’ve had great success with U.K. players.”

The U.K.’s Danny Thompson is one of the British successes. After two years at the CBA, Thompson was given a scholarship to Fordham University in the Bronx this fall. Thompson reacted to the news with exuberance, “Everything about Fordham University excites me,…getting a world class education, living in New York City and playing in the Atlantic 10.”

He spoke with gratitude of his experience at the CBA, “My two years at CBA have been great. I can’t imagine being more prepared for the next level. I want to thank CBA for what they’ve done. People have all kinds of opinions about CBA but unless you’ve lived it, you can never understand how valuable it is.”

Thompson was joined at Fordham this season by a second CBA alum, Farho Alihodzic. The Bosnian native was a member of Great Britain’s U20 National Team. The 6-10 post-player has started several games as a Fordham freshman this season. An additional one dozen CBA students were given Division I scholarships to U.S. colleges during the past two years.

On Saturday, February 6, after a contest with Charlotte, Fordham’s head coach, Jared Grasso, spoke very enthusiastically of Orellna and the CBA, “Their coach [Orelllna] was an assistant coach when I played in the NEC. We developed a very close relationship. He does an excellent job over there. He’s very good at what he does. They hold three practices a day.”

He explained the reasons why CBA students make a fine fit at Fordham, “In Fordham, you could recruit in Europe because you can sell New York City and our fine education.” Grasso’s strongest words of praise for the CBA were, “I would send my son there.”

McGuire was born in the Bronx on January 25, 1926. The family moved to Rockaway to be near the bar and grill owned by McGuire’s father. It was on the playgrounds in Queens and at St. John’s University where McGuire honed his considerable basketball skills.  Serving in the armed forces and graduating from St. John’s in 1949, McGuire was drafted by the New York Knicks. After his first two seasons with the Knicks, Dick’s younger brother, Al, became his backcourt teammate. They played beside one another for three seasons until Al was traded to Baltimore.

The slick ball handler led his team in assists in his first seven seasons with the club. He was elected an All-Star in five of his eight years with the Knicks. Only Walt Frazier and Mark Jackson surpassed McGuire’s total of assists as a Knick. Interestingly, both offered gracious words of praise yo a man they considered as a mentor. McGuire was Frazier’s coach when the latter joined the Knicks in 1965. Jackson, a fellow St. John’s grad, was scouted by McGuire. Both attested to the integral influence McGuire had upon their success in professional basketball and to McGuire’s innate decency.

McGuire was traded to the Detroit Pistons after the end of the 1956-57 season. He returned to the Knicks organization as coach for the 1965-66 season. He remained until his death. After his coaching duties ended, McGuire held a variety of positions, assistant coach, chief scout, director of scouting services. He was named senior basketball adviser in 2004. His son, Scott, joined the Knicks as a scout in 1988.

McGuire was the recipient of a number of well-deserved honors during his lifetime. He was one of the rare athletes whose uniform number hangs in the rafter of Madison Square Garden. The number 15 that he and Earl Monroe wore as Knicks was retired in 1992. In the following year, McGuire was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, where he joined his younger brother, Al, the former NCAA champion coach of Marquette and esteemed basketball broadcaster. They are the only pair of brothers in the Naismith Hall. In the spring of 2009, McGuire received the first Knickerbocker Legacy award.

This award is given in recognition of Knickerbocker Pride, Tradition and Class. It was announced at the ceremony that the award would be renamed the Dick McGuire Award to further honor its first recipient. The newly named honor will be awarded at MSG on February 22, Legends Night.

My final personal memory of McGuire was a long chat we had in the perss room at MSG on Janury 13. McGuire was scouting at a college doubleheader involving his Alma Mater against the Cincinnati Bearcats and Fordham against the Dayton Flyers. McGuire, self-effacing and soft-spoken as always, reminisced of his past experiences and shared his opinions of current players including the Bearcats highly touted freshman Lance Stephenson. McGuire was very positive in his personal outlook and thankful to still be a regular at MSG. He was, of course, extremely pleasant, courteous and friendly.

McGuire has left behind his wife of 54 years, four children, seven grandchildren and a multitude of admirers. One of those admirers was Knicks president Donnie Walsh, who commented, “He’s been a part of this, almost like the bricks, and so I don’t know of anybody in the league that I can say that about in the same way. So, it’s a terrible loss for us.” Each member of the team will be wearing the number 15 on his jersey for the remainder of the season.