Kyle Neptune is hitting all the right notes for Fordham in his first year as head coach.
It’s still early, but it’s looking like the Rams, under Neptune’s guidance, are finally on the right track.
Wednesday night’s 72-71 home win over Duquesne improved Fordham’s overall season record to 9-5. Moreover, it marks the first time since joining the Atlantic 10 in 1995-1996 that the Rams open conference play 2-0.
A driving layup by Antonio Daye Jr, with four seconds left, sealed a hard-fought victory for Neptune’s squad. The Rams trailed by as many as 13 in the first half. A 12-0 run in the second half gave Fordham a 45-44 advantage. It was a back and forth battle between the two teams with Duquesne giving a resilient effort.
The last time the Rams opened conference play 2-0 was in 1993-1994 when the Rams opened the Patriot League schedule with wins over Holy Cross and Bucknell.
“Honestly, we just look at it as, this is over and we’re going forward to the next game,” Neptune said afterwards when asked for his reaction to Fordham’s fast start. “Every team we play against we know is going to be as talented or more talented. We don’t even have time — it is what it is — they’ll be happy today, we’ll have to go tomorrow and have another battle on our hands. So we don’t have time to think about records or anything else like that.”
“We have guys that haven’t even been here,” Neptune continued.” They weren’t part of any of that stuff. Our staff wasn’t here for any of that, we haven’t been part of any of that stuff. We’re looking forward to right now and what we can do with this squad and make the Fordham community proud.”
Neptune is a first-year head coach, however, he brings a winning pedigree to the Bronx. During his time as an assistant coach under Jay Wright, Villanova earned five Big East men’s basketball tournament titles, as well as two national championships in 2016 and 2018.
Early on, the Rams have shown to be a resilient basketball team. They defend, rebound, and the players are responding to Neptune’s presence on the sidelines.
Fordham has just two winning seasons since last reaching the NCAA Tournament in 1992. They’ve seen quality prospects transfer out of the program. Neptune, at just 36 years of age, has his hands full but first impressions still go a long way. So far, so good.
Yes, it’s only January, but the Neptune and the Rams are worth watching as conference play begin to heat up.
[…] Daye scored the game winning layup against Duquesne, Wednesday night at Rose Hill Gym. The win gave Fordham their first 2-0 start ever in Atlantic 10 play. […]