In the absence of Chuba Ohams and Onyi Eyisi, Fordham’s freshman forward, Joel Soriano, has stepped up with strong performances in the last four games.
Soriano has earned a double-double in four straight games. He has given the Rams much-needed rebounding and inside scoring. Since Soriano became starting center, back in February, he has averaged 9.9 points per game and 11.4 rebounds per game. He is nearly averaging a double-double in his last nine games.
The freshman also provided the spark his team needed to recently get back in the win column. Soriano posted 14 points and pulled down 15 rebounds to help lead the Rams to a huge 63-52 road win over George Washington. The victory snapped Fordham’s ten-game losing streak.
With the win, Fordham improved to a 8-21 overall, 2-15 in the Atlantic 10.
Soriano has been a consistent bright spot for the team. The Rams have seen its starting backcourt struggle with their shooting. There’s also been little to no help from the bench this season.
Fordham’s head coach Jeff Neubauer has been impressed with Soriano’s defensive progress so far.
“As far as Joel, I don’t know if I’ve seen a guy improve defensively as much as he has in his freshman year,” said Neubauer.
The future looks bright for Fordham and Soriano. A healthy Chuba Ohams and a healthy Onyi Eyisi, added to the mix, positions the Rams for improvement.
With Ohams interior scoring, along with Soriano’s rebounding and defense, the Rams could find themselves in the middle of the A-10 standings. If things break right, they could be a formidable threat in the A-10 tournament next season.
Adding Eyisi gives Fordham a frontcourt that can go toe-to-toe with any team in the conference.
With Antwon Portley leaving after this season, Fordham needs to recruit well this summer to find his replacement. If they can add another knock-down shooter, to pair with Jalen Cobb, this could be a team that goes from one conference win this year to eight next year.
With only two games left before tournament play look for Soriano to keep the double-double streak going as the Rams look to end the season on a high note.
