Fordham 76, Queens College 57: Quotes, Takeaways & Nuggets

Fordham head coach Jeff Neubauer's opening statement:
"I was really proud of our team's effort to start the game, and that's something we talk about all the time, is we talk about 'go get the lead,' and our guys did a terrific job. The first five we put on the floor went and snatched the lead, they were very aggressive and their effort was really, really good. We'll improve as far as 40 minutes of effort, but I'm really proud of how we jumped on them and got the lead. Also, some of our rebounders did well. Ryan Rhoomes was very active around the rim, and I was really pleased with Jesse Bunting. As a freshman, for him to play so well, I don't even know if he scored, I don't care, but he was really solid."

On Christian Sengfelder (17 points, 8 rebounds) and his quick start setting the tone:
"Well, I can't tell you how important it is just to play with the lead, and so Chris has been a guy that's got the guts to go make a shot early. He's done it in some of our scrimmages and he did it again today. He's obviously a very important piece to our team just because he's an experienced player, and I'm happy he's part of our squad."

On Fordham's efficiency and valuing the ball:
"Well, it's all about effort. That's what it's about on the defensive end, and our effort at certain parts of the game was terrific. I really didn't feel that we played very hard to finish the first half. That was very surprising to me that we had guys out there that weren't playing as hard as they've ever played, and so it's early in the season and we've got to do a better job as coaches getting our message across. Value-wise, for us to turn it over 15 times, we can do much better than that, so 15 turnovers is way too many for our team and we'll learn from this experience. That's what these games are about here in November, learning and improving."

On Jon Severe (14 points, 4 assists, 3 steals) and his improvement:
"Yeah, I think Jon's efforts in both of our first two games have been really good. I mean, he's just played good basketball, he's played unselfishly, he's made a difference on both ends of the court, especially playing defense, so we're really pleased with what Jon gave us."

On Ryan Canty and any potential injuries:
"Ryan's fine."

Mandell Thomas (13 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds) on transition in philosophy:
"It's an easy transition. Coach emphasizes sharing the ball and defense, but for me, that comes natural. I always like to share the ball, I don't like to just go out there and get myself even though I've got great scorers, as you can see. Like you said, four people in double figures, so sharing the ball, (that's) great team offense."

Neubauer on Ryan Rhoomes (14 points, 8 rebounds) and his second half emergence:
"If Ryan's gotten the ball more in the second half, I'd give our players credit. They've done a good job giving him the ball. He's also done a very good job, he did a good job today, of getting it off the glass. So that's what we need from him. He did a terrific job, even where we missed some shots, he gave us second opportunities so I really liked his effort tonight. All of our guys are going to improve by light years, however, we're getting even better."

On whether his system tailors itself to Severe:
"I think that's a good point. To me, any guy that has speed and quickness and athleticism like Mandell or Jon Severe, they want to take advantage of that speed, quickness, and athleticism, and so our defensive system is not built on being strong. It's not a power system. Instead, it's built on being quick and anticipating, so you're right. When guys are athletic and playing at their best, then they are great fits for our defense."

More on Sengfelder:
"Christian anticipates very well, so there are guys that maybe don't move as quickly as others, they have great anticipatory skills. He's one of those guys, and then the other thing is, Christian is a workhorse, he plays so hard, so when you play with great effort, it doesn't matter how fast you are or how athletic, the effort makes up for so much."

On tonight's home crowd:
"I'm going to say one thing, and I'm never going to say it again during my time here at Fordham: I'm incredibly disappointed with this crowd tonight. So to have a game in New York City, opening day of the season, and only have 2,100 people here is incredibly disappointing. I won't say that again, but I can't believe we didn't have 3,000 people here. And all I'm saying with that is, there are Fordham people all around this city that want this program to be good, there's nowhere else they should be other than this gym, and if we're going to have a home court advantage, we need more people acting like those students that were in here tonight. I really thought the students that were in here were really great. Their energy was terrific. But this place only seats 3,000, and we can't even fill it on opening night? That's not a good sign."

Thomas on feeding off the home crowd:
"Yeah, most definitely. It brings a lot of energy to the crowd. It hasn't been real easy, like Coach said, since I've been here, but certain games when we're playing a high-caliber team, they definitely show up then. But when it's like a regular team, they don't really show up as much. It's difficult, but as a player, you can't really focus on that. You've still got to go out and perform anyway."

Nuggets of Note:
- Although they played a Division II opponent in Queens College, Fordham looked much crisper and efficient on both ends of the floor, a far cry from the past five years under Tom Pecora. The Rams played with a purpose defensively through most of the night, save for a few minutes in the first half when Queens got within single digits after a 14-1 run to start the game. On the offensive end, there was fluidity and a shared understanding of what was happening on the floor, unlike the perpetual ball screens of Pecora's system, which were never fully executed.

- Jeff Neubauer will lament the 15 turnovers, but will no doubt take pride in 20 assists and a 69 percent assist rate on made field goals, not to mention a transition defense that turned 23 miscues into 21 points. Those numbers will not exactly set the world on fire, but given what little the Rams had to work with in the past, it is a significant improvement.

- Of the three freshmen to see noticeable playing time, each one contributed well. Joseph Chartouny, who got the start in the backcourt alongside Mandell Thomas and Jon Severe, scored seven points while adding five assists and two steals against only one turnover. Jesse Bunting, whom Neubauer praised at the start of his press conference, had a respectable four points and two rebounds, while Nych Smith had a three-point, two-assist, two-steal outing.

- The Rams ended the night shooting 55 percent (29-for-53) from the field, with an effective field goal percentage of .613, numbers that were practically nonexistent under the prior regime. Granted, the stats came against a Division II competitor, but the fact that Fordham played smart for the majority of the contest, exploiting size advantages and finding what best suited them should stand out above the disparity in team quality.