On Saturday, Fordham resumes their 2025-2026 campaign against the Holy Cross Crusaders in the Bronx. Through the first month of this season, the Rams posted a 6-3 record, going 3-3 against DI opponents. Fordham debuted at 238 in the first NCAA NET rankings of the season, 11th out of 14 Atlantic 10 teams. As of late Friday night, the Rams rank 245th in the NET and 221st in KenPom. Through nine games in November, the Rams have shown flashes of quality play, but they have also repeated several mistakes that have led to tough losses or narrow wins against inferior opponents.
What worked and didn’t work for the Rams in November, and how can they use four very winning games in December to grow into a high-caliber Atlantic 10 team?
A quick (not really) schedule update
Before we get into Fordham’s strengths and issues on the field, let’s take a look at a few changes to the Rams roster, both for this season and the near future.
First reported by Jon Rothstein on Sunday, graduate guard Jace Howard has medically retired from basketball after suffering multiple concussions during his career. Howard, a transfer from Michigan, averaged 4.5 PPG in 2 games played for the Rams.
Additionally, senior forward Zarique Nutter is no longer part of the team. First reported by @fordhamhoopsfan on XI have independently confirmed his departure from Fordham Athletics. Nutter averaged 12.7 PPG and 5.7 RPG in 3 games played for the Rams (2 starts). Nutter was a transfer from Georgia State who also spent two seasons at Northern Illinois.
Howard and Nutter are the second and third players for Fordham to leave the team so far this season, joining Demetri Gardner, who left the team in early November.
While they can’t fill the departing players this season, Fordham welcomed three new signings as part of their 2026 recruiting class. On National Signing Day, Fordham welcomed Desmond Bellot Jr. from CATS Academy (Massachusetts). Bellot joined Hassan Koureissi (Archbishop Stepinac) and Frank Siaca Bey (Fairfax Christian School in Virginia), who signed on November 14 and 18 respectively. After Fordham’s 69-53 win over LIU, Coach Magpayo talked about his first recruiting class with the Rams.
After assembling a full roster in such a short time frame over the spring and summer, Magpayo and his staff had much more time to build relationships with these three new players. Magpayo emphasized that signing players not only affirms their commitment to play at Fordham, but also a commitment to helping build Fordham’s basketball culture.
“If they say yes to Fordham, it means something,” Magpayo said. “They’re being recruited by other schools, they’ve been being recruited for years. It’s a little different [than the portal]so when you become a freshman it means something to me. Hopefully you try to keep them for two to three years. I would love it if they stayed four, and I’m selling that, but it means a lot.”
Koureissi, a three-star recruit according to 24/7 Sports, is a particularly notable recruit for Fordham because he is from the New York area. When he visited Fordham earlier this fall to participate in a team workout, Coach Magpayo was very impressed with his leadership skills and championship position, honed during his time with a three-peat CHSAA squad looking to make the four-peat this season.
“He played with our guys,” Magpayo said. “When our guys say to me, ‘coach, we need him,’ then you know he’s good.”
Fordham’s finish in November
With a 6-3 record in November, let’s take a look at where the Rams have both succeeded and struggled.
Click here for thoughts on Fordham’s season-opening loss to NJIT.
For thoughts on Fordham’s win over D-III Mount Saint Mary, click here.
With a 1-1 record, the Rams hosted the Wagner Seahawks in a tight interborough game. In a back-and-forth first half, the Rams took a 9-2 lead but couldn’t keep up with Wagner’s early three-point ability, losing the lead and trailing by as many as 11 before cutting the deficit to 5 at halftime. Fordham entered the second half on a 13-5 run coming out of the break, but Wagner’s advantage on the offensive glass helped them take the Rams lead and keep the game tied.
After another neck-and-neck stretch, the game tied at 61 in the final 60 seconds. In the final 10 seconds, Dejour Reaves drove in from the left wing, stepped back into the arc and drilled a jumper to give the Rams a 63-61 lead with 6 seconds left. A John Awoke miss at the other end sealed the win for the Rams.
“I think we planned this perfectly,” Magpayo said after the match. “I think this is really going to challenge us [in preparation] for the A-10. I just think people come in here with an opportunity to see what they have in this area of the Bronx. When they come into Rose Hill, they come with all this purpose, swagger, fire and nothing to lose. They are difficult to win.”
Three days later, Fordham found themselves in another close match, this time on the road against Iona. In the opening minutes of the game, Christian Henry hit his first three-pointer, not only giving the Rams an early 3-2 lead but also activating a shooting ability that was still developing in Fordham’s first three games. Henry had three points from beyond the arc in the first half among 12 for 11 points in the first half.
While the Rams led by as many as 11 at the period, a cold streak from the field late in the half gave Iona’s offense an opportunity to take a three-point lead at the break. In the second half, Fordham kept it close with several big plays from Dejour Reaves and Ryan Pettis, but the continued woes of three and inability to make trips to the line made the difference as Iona earned the 76-71 win.
- Two dominant wins at home
Now 2-2, the Rams returned home that Sunday to host another D-III squad in the Manhattanville Valiants. While the Valiants played like their namesake in the first half, trailing just 25-23 with 3:54 to play in the period, Fordham turned up the heat in the second half and cruised to a 96-62 victory. Just like against MSM (NY), Coach Magpayo was able to reach deep into the bench to try out different rotations. Redshirt freshman Abass Bodija finished with a season-high 15 points.
Four days later, the Rams traded a pair of buckets with LIU to enter the first media timeout tied at 6. However, a strong first half from deep saw Fordham rise early and never look back, never trailing the rest of the game en route to a 69-53 win. Reaves led all Rams with 16 points, while Rikus Schulte finished with a 10-point, 12-rebound double-double. In a well-rounded individual performance, Schulte attributed his success against the Sharks to the team’s growing chemistry.
“I feel like it definitely helps me that we play better together as a team,” Schulte said after the game. “We’re getting to know each other, we’re playing together, we’re getting more energy. We’re more aggressive and I think it helps everyone, and all our stats are going up.”
The win over LIU was Schulte’s second double-double of the season to that point.
- A 2-1 finish at the Northern Classic
With a record of 4-2, the Rams traveled north over Thanksgiving Break to compete in the 2025 Northern Classic in Laval, Quebec. Featuring three games in three days at a venue nearly 400 miles from home, the Northern Classic gave the Rams a taste of tournament action. Throughout the weekend, Magpayo and his coaching staff worked around the clock to ensure the players were prepared for each match with such a short turnaround time.
In Game 1, the Rams faced D-II Franklin Pierce, Fordham’s third non-Division I opponent this season. The first half started as expected, with the Rams leading until the final six minutes of the game. On a 16-6 run heading into the final media timeout, Franklin Pierce had pulled within 66-61. Fordham held off the Ravens’ attempt to escape with a 74-72 win, but the slim margin certainly served as a reminder not to slow down in games, even against likely weaker opponents.
“Brad Stevens says the game honors toughness,” Magpayo said. “If you lose your lead for a moment, anything can happen. We lost our lead, turned the ball over a few times, missed a few free throws. If you lose your lead and then try to recover and get back, it’s too late.”
Fortunately for Fordham, they regained their lead just in time to close out the win, and tightened their lead against Albany the next day. With a 2-0 layup from Christian Henry to open the scoring, the Rams boat raced the Great Danes en route to an 88-68 win. Henry, who finished the game with a career-high 29 points, found plenty of opportunities to use his size against Albany’s smaller guards. According to Magpayo, Akira Jacobs played a big role in Henry’s opportunities from the floor, using his spacing to draw defenders away from Henry so he could attack the paint.
“[He] had a fierceness against him,” Magpayo said. “I really think there are some guys who can really push us to our ceiling, and I think Akira is one of them.”
Jacobs finished with 16 points, 4 rebounds and 1 assist against Albany. As a team, Fordham finished with their best performance of three this season, 10-21 (47.6%).
On Sunday, Fordham and Colgate faced off to determine the de facto champion of the Northern Classic. The first half started with a defensive battle with Colgate leading 16-11 at the under 8 timeout. Both teams had each other’s numbers defensively, with plenty of strip steals and tough stops to keep the scoring low early. Colgate pulled away toward the end of the half to lead 30-17 at halftime, and in the second half Fordham couldn’t find the same shots from Saturday to close the gap. The Rams got as many as 6 in the second half before falling 72-62. Abass Bodija led all Rams with 12 points off the bench. Reaves and Henry each scored 11. Despite the loss, Coach Magpayo felt his team gained valuable experience against a high-quality, mid-major program.
“That’s a Matt Langel-coached team that has made five NCAA Tournaments in eight years,” Magpayo said. “They have a championship mentality. I got to scout them live during the Colgate-Albany game and I thought, ‘Yes, this is what a winning program looks like.'”
The Raiders have won 5 of the last 7 Patriot League tournaments.
Looking ahead
Today, Fordham takes on another Patriot League opponent in the Holy Cross Crusaders (KenPom 306), who enter the weekend with a 3-6 record. Despite the Crusaders’ rough start to the season, Coach Magpayo told me he expects a Dave Paulsen team with a “great offense, physical defense,” and playing “their best basketball right now.”
The Rams and Crusaders tip off at the Rose Hill Gym at 2 p.m.
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