Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Fordham

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Fordham: Fordham Coach Looks Forward to New Season (Photos by Gary Quintal) By Howard Goldin BRONX, NEW YORK, OCTOBER 23- The early fall is th...

Fordham

Fordham Coach Looks Forward to New Season

(Photos by Gary Quintal)

By Howard Goldin

BRONX, NEW YORK, OCTOBER 23- The early fall is the time that the seasons of several important team sports converge. This week, the World Series and college football are moving forward, the NFL season is taking shape, the new seasons of the NBA and NHL are beginning, the college basketball conferences are previewing the next season at their annual media days. 

The Atlantic-10 Conference held its Media Day at 

Barclays Center last Tuesday. The location was chosen because Barclays will be hosting the A-10 Championship in March for the third straight season. 

Each of the 14 head coaches in the currently misnamed conference (there are 14 teams in the Atlantic-10) met with members of the media to discuss the upcoming season. Much of interest was told to reporters during the lengthy event, but this article will focus on the only New York City team in the A-10, Fordham University.

Although hundreds of college teams compete in thousands of games each season, a number of coincidences regarding Fordham personnel show college basketball is a small world. Fordham’s coach Tom Pecora began his career in coaching as an assistant to Bob Mckillop at Long Island Lutheran 30 years ago. McKillop, now in his 26^th year as the coach at Davidson, was also at Media Day as Davidson is the newest member of the conference. 

Pecora was an assistant coach at UNLV under coach Rollie Massimino during 1992-93. Massimino’s grandson, Matt, is on this year’s Fordham roster. Paul Hewitt, the coach at George Mason, was an assistant coach at Fordham.

Fordham finished last in the A-10 last year and was chosen to be last in the pre-season poll revealed. Yet, before the season begins, hope springs eternal. Pecora enthused, “This is the best time of the year. I like the anticipation and the unpredictability of a college basketball season.” 

Coach Chris Mooney of Richmond reiterated the feeling in his interview, “All coaches are excited and optimistic this time of the year.”

Several of the teams, including Fordham, took overseas trips during the off-season. The Fordham coach believes the trip to Canada will benefit his team for several reasons, “the practices, the cultural experiences and competing together.” He feels the bonding experience is invaluable for a team with “seven new bodies.”

Hewitt, who traveled with his team to Spain, spoke even more strongly, “The trip to Spain will help us more than anything that happened last season.”

Pecora spoke very positively of several of the newcomers. Eric Paschall, 6-6, was a standout at Dobbs Ferry High School in Westchester County and the New England Prep School player of the year at St. Thomas More in Connecticut. Pecora told of the youngster’s versatility on the court, “He’s 17 years old; he can play positions 2, 3 or 4; we expect a lot of Eric.”

He said of Chris Sengfelder, 6-8, of Germany, “He’s really been a big surprise.”

Pecora also anticipates improvement in his returning players. Last year’s prize recruit, Jon Severe of Brooklyn, was on the A-10 All-Rookie Team and has been selected as a preseason choice for A-10 Third Team. Pecora explained the opposition game plan last year was to stop Severe from scoring, “He was being defended by grown men. This year, there’ll be less of a burden.” 

He also talked of why he expects two upperclassmen to improve, “Senior Bryan Smith is finally playing his natural position. The offensive game of Junior Ryan Rhomes, 6-8, has blossomed.”

Fordham’s home arena, the Rose Hill Gym in the Bronx, has been oft-criticized as the oldest Division I gym and for its limited seating of 3,200. Yet, Pecora praised it as one of Fordham’s strengths, “Rose Hill is a special place. It reeks of tradition. It’s a great home court advantage. Sixteen games there is a good thing.”

Shaka Smart, the coach of the unanimous choice for first place in the A-10, VCU, reminisced of his first visit to Rose Hill, “They had Smush Parker and a hell of a team. Bob Hill was the coach. It was different and a challenge.”

Pecora, a native of Queens Village said of himself, “I’m born and bred there. It’s important for me to be a part of New York basketball.” Thus, he is exceptionally pleased to be playing against St. John’s University at Madison Square Garden (December 14) and against Manhattan College, its Bronx rival, at Barclays on December 28.

Fordham’s season will begin on November 14 at the Rose Hill Gym against the New York Institute of Technology.

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Another Bloody Week

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Another Bloody Week: Another Bloody Week   (A paramedic tends to one of two wounded men who were shot along East 204 Street in Norwood.- -Photo by Steve Smith) ...

Another Bloody Week

Another Bloody Week

 

(A paramedic tends to one of two wounded men who were shot along East 204 Street in Norwood.-

-Photo by Steve Smith)

3 Dead, 4 Wounded After Another Deadly Week Across the Borough

By David Greene

BRONX, NEW YORK, OCTOBER 22- At least three men are dead and several others were wounded and are recovering after a week of violent, unrelated incidents across the borough.

Sometime after 11 p.m., on Wednesday, October 15, police officers from the 52nd Precinct were called to the scene where two people were shot at Decatur Avenue and East 204 Street in Norwood. Both men were expected to recover.

At 9 a.m. on Thursday, October 16, police at the 40th Precinct in Mott Haven were called to Lozada Playground on East 135 Street, where a 50-year-old man was discovered lying face up with multiple stab wounds to the head and chest. He died a short time later at Lincoln Hospital.

Police have not yet released the name of the victim and continue to hunt for the man's killer.

Police in the Soundview section were called to the El Carbonocito Restaurant on Watson Avenue at 1:15 a.m. on Saturday, October 18, after a patron involved in a dispute reportedly pulled out a machete from inside an umbrella and began hacking his victim.

The unidentified victim was slashed in the neck, back and shoulder and was rushed to Jacobi Hospital in "likely to die" condition. The victim has since been upgraded to “stable."

Detectives would release surveillance video of the assailant, who is described as a Hispanic male, 5 foot 7 and wearing a white T-shirt and a NY Yankees baseball cap. The individual also had a large tattoo on his right arm.

At just before Midnight on Saturday, October 18, cops in the 48th Precinct were called to a disturbance at 2052 Mapes Avenue in the Tremont section, where they discovered a 26-year-old man stabbed multiple times in the torso, just inside the building's lobby.

The victim, who was later identified by police as Angel Mejias, expired from his injuries six-hours later at St. Barnabas Hospital.

Police say a 19-year-old male surrendered to police a short time later in connection with the incident. One published report stated that Mejias had a long standing feud with his assailant.

At 1:40 a.m. Saturday officers in Longwood were called to 775 Fox Street where they discovered 46 year-old stabbing victim Regino Montero of nearby Tiffany Street. Montero died a short time later at Lincoln Hospital.

Police say Montero, a retired member of the U.S. Army, was involved in a dispute with a group of men, when one of the assailants plunged a knife into his stomach.

Police have since released surveillance video of the suspect showing a man wearing blue jeans, a black sweatshirt with white writing and a baseball cap.

Less than 20 minutes later, police in University Heights were called to Burnside Avenue and Andrews Avenue where officers from the 46th Precinct discovered a male victim who had been shot in the torso and leg.

Police say the 23-year-old victim was rushed to St. Barnabas Hospital and was listed in stable condition.

Anyone with any information on any of the incidents is urged to call CRIMESTOPPERS at (800) 577-TIPS. All calls remain confidential.   

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Bronxites walk for a cure

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Bronxites walk for a cure: Bronxites walk for a cure (Photos by Gary Quintal) On Sunday, October 19th approximately 8,000 people from all over the 5 boroughs and We...

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Bronxites walk for a cure

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Bronxites walk for a cure: Bronxites walk for a cure (Photos by Gary Quintal) On Sunday, October 19th approximately 8,000 people from all over the 5 boroughs and We...

Bronxites walk for a cure

Bronxites walk for a cure

(Photos by Gary Quintal)

On Sunday, October 19th approximately 8,000 people from all over the 5 boroughs and Westchester gathered at Orchard Beach in the Bronx to walk for a cure. Participants were adorned in pink tutus, wigs and feather boas. Together they had raised $565,000.00 for the fight Agaisnt Breast Cancer at the Making Strides of The Bronx, NY

This is the American Cancer Society's largest fundraising event each year, uniting nearly 300 communities to finish 

the fight. This event takes place the 3rd Sunday in October each year. If you wish to make a donation it is not too late visit their website http://makingstrides.acsevents.org.

More than 108,000 New York City residents rallied together on October 19 in every borough of the city for the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer community walk, raising approximately $5.6 million in all five boroughs.

“Sunday’s event was an inspirational example of passion in action,” said Jennifer Podoll, Vice President of Community Engagement for the American Cancer Society. “I’m so proud of how our community responded and how every participant, volunteer and sponsor took positive steps to help finish the fight against breast cancer.”

While significant progress in the fight against the disease has been made, more needs to be done. Breast cancer remains the most common cancer among women in the U.S. other than skin cancer, and is the second leading cause of cancer death after lung cancer. The chance of a woman developing invasive breast cancer at some time in her life is about 1 in 8. In 2014, approximately 232,670 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer and more than 40,000 will die from the disease in the U.S.

Since 1993, Making Strides Against Breast Cancer has been the American Cancer Society’s rallying cry to build awareness and generate funds to fight breast cancer. In that time, 10 million walkers in nearly 300 communities across the nation have collected over $594 million.

With one in every two newly diagnosed women turning to the American Cancer Society for help and support, Making Strides Against Breast Cancer funds are used to make a difference by:

• Helping people take steps to reduce their risk of breast cancer or find it early when it is most treatable;

• Investing in groundbreaking cancer research to find, prevent, treat, and cure the disease;

• Providing free information and services to help people facing breast cancer when and where they need it including transportation, lodging, wigs, support programs, financial assistance, and more;

• Ensuring access to mammograms for women who need them.

For additional details about Making Strides Against Breast Cancer and how you can get involved visit makingstrideswalk.org. For free breast cancer information and resources visit the American Cancer Society’s website at cancer.org or call 800.227.2345 any time day or night.