Courtside Observations: Fordham vs. Villanova
By: Ray Floriani, Columnist
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - Eighth ranked Villanova used a dominant
second half performance to defeat Fordham 96-58 at the Izod Center.
On a day where a Winter storm watch was in effect for the region,
nearly 6,000 came out for the contest billed as the "Izod
Classic'. The courtside observations....
1. The score did not do justice to the effort by Fordham. Alberto Estwick hit a running three-pointer at the buzzer as the first half ended. The Fordham sophomore brought the Rams within nine (46-37) at the break. "That (shot) gave our kids a lift," Fordham coach Jared Grasso said. "They left the floor feeling excited." In retrospect, Grasso feels the Rams gave 23 solidly competitive minutes. With 17 minutes remaining it was a three possession game. The last 16 minutes, Fordham managed two field goals as Villanova enjoyed a 37-12 run. "We struggled shooting in the second half," Grasso admitted. "They (Villanova) are too good a team to do that against. That's why they are a Final Four team."
2. To borrow a quote from The Who, ‘the kids are all right'. Chris Gaston the 6-foot-7 freshman, Fordham's leading scorer, had a team leading 12 point, four rebound effort. "Chris did a good job but ran out of gas the second half," Grasso said. "Chris wants to be a pro and I told him this is the level you must reach, Villanova has (future) pros on the floor."
Estwick, a sophomore, added 10 points and three steals while another frosh, 6-3 guard Lance Brown, had a solid 11 point, nine (team high) rebound afternoon. "Our young kids have been thrown into the fire," Grasso said. "It's part of the process. Our kids will only get better from games like this. And we will get better sooner than people think."
3. Villanova can come at you inside or out. Choose your poison. Scottie Reynolds (17 points, tied for team honors), Corey Fisher (17 points) or Reggie Redding (15 points) can knock down perimeter shots. Corey Stokes shoots 2 for 11 but pulls down a team leading 10 rebounds from his guard position. In the paint, Antonio Pena shoots 7 of 9 from the floor and scores 17 points as Fordham has no answer for his post moves and footwork on the blocks. "If you don't score the flood gates will open," Grasso said. "Once they get it going they can put up points against anybody in the country."
4. Villanova had a lesson on defense and learned from it. "We were up 15 at Temple (Nova's only loss on December 13) and got a little complacent, Villanova coach Jay Wright said. "Today we reminded them at the half of the value of playing every single possession. We need defensive cohesiveness in the Big East (games). A lot of times they talk about offensive cohesiveness. That is important but defensive cohesiveness is equally as important."
5. Hire Grasso. He's committed to his job and coaches with passion and energy. Has a reputation as a recruiter but can draw up the X's and O's just as well. Hopefully, when it is all played out, Grasso will have an offer from the Fordham administration. "Watching their games on tape you can see the energy they (Fordham) play with," Wright said. "Today they played with that energy as well. In the first half they drove to the basket, shot threes, overall it was a case of our depth wearing them down." In the second half with the issue settled and the difference in the 30 something range, Fordham kept working and scrapping... and players on the bench still rose to greet teammates on substitutions. That says a lot about the influence Grasso has had in the short time as the decision maker on the Fordham sideline.
6. Antonio Pena caught onlookers' attention. But no one should be surprised. "When we had Dante Cunningham and Shane Clark out a little bit last season, Antonio (Pena) filled in very well for us," Wright said. "They were seniors and when they got back in the lineup Antonio didn't play as much. Now he's an upperclassman (junior) and has the minutes. He has learned to be a ‘go to' guy and has really gotten better. He can defend and rebound but also passes well from the post. That gives us a really good inside/outside combination."
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