“This was a difficult decision, but we felt that we needed a new direction at this time,” said Fordham Director of Athletics Frank McLaughlin in a statement. He added, “It’s a priority of the University to have a successful program in the competitive Atlantic-10 Conference.”

Last season the Rams finished 3-25 overall, finishing 14^th in the conference with a 1-15 mark and failed to make the post season tournament for the first time.  That led to rumors and speculation that Whittenburg would be dismissed but he returned for a seventh season and recently signed a contract extension for another three years.

Whittenburg was hired in 2004 after leading Wagner College to their first NCAA Tournament the year before. He could not be reached for comment but sources said Whittenburg was disappointed and would release a statement soon.  Others on the Fordham campus, including alumni who are major supporters of the basketball program up at Rose Hill reportedly had been looking for Whittenburg to be dismissed.

He complied a 69-112 record with the Rams and is 136-162 overall as a head coach in eleven seasons.  Assistant coach Jared Grasso will take over as interim head coach the remainder of the season. He will guide the Rams for their next game Saturday evening up at Rose Hill when Fordham takes on Bowling Green State University.

As the Rams struggled last season there were reports that Whittenburg got into clashes with numerous players, including one of his leading scorers Chris Bethel. Regardless Fordham has difficulty when it comes to stability retaining a head coach. Whittenburg succeeded Bob Hill the highly touted NBA coach who signed a 10-year million dollar contract.

After Fordham defeated Sacred Heart up at Rose Hill two weeks ago, their first win this season. Whittenburg commented a bit about the dismal campaign last year. “We really did not have a leader and there was too much outside influences that disrupted the kids,” he said.  There were references to outside coaches who knew his players, even some family members that may have caused some dissension by being too influential.

Alumni assisted in bringing Hill to Rose Hill paying for some of his salary, and Hill after a mutual decision to leave is still being paid.  McLaughlin said an immediate search is on as to who would guide the Rams in the future and Grasso is under consideration.

e-mail Rich Mancuso: Ring786@aol.com

And though this is a much different Fordham team, eight new players joining five veterans, the win came at the right time because most don’t expect Fordham to be any more competitive than their 3-25 finish of last season.  “The streak is over,” commented Whittenburg now in his seventh year at Fordham. “It’s a new season,” he said.

There is some optimism that this could be the beginning of the resurgence up at Rose Hill. Whittenburg alluded to the lack of chemistry with some of the seniors last season. Clashing with the coach behind the scenes, or as he says, “outside influences that got into the kids heads,”

In other words it was the ugliest season in Whittenburg’s tenure at Fordham with the exception of the first year in 2003-2004 when the Rams finished 6-22. The Rams finished last in the Atlantic 10 Conference and for the first time failed to qualify for the A-10 post season tournament with a 1-15 conference mark.

You saw things in their third game that offered some optimism, though Sacred Heart offers no comparison to some of the nationally ranked teams in the A-10. Things that the coach liked coming from 6-7 freshman Chris Gaston who scored 22 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and blocked five shots.

“I saw him as a freshman and how he can be in there with the bigger guys,” said Whittenburg who recruited Gaston out of New Hampton Prep School in New Hampton, New Hampshire where he averaged over 17.0ppg and 12 rebounds. In the season opener against Maine last week, Gaston got his first collegiate double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds.

Gaston made 8-of-16 shots for the Rams. He showed confidence on the floor, but Whittenburgh cautioned he is still a freshman. “I want to keep him focused,” he said about Gaston. “I had a talk with him. If you don’t play defense and just concentrate on scoring then I’m taking you out of the game.”

Gaston listened to that talk in the second half. Perhaps what happened last season was that lack of communication. Whittenburgh sees the difference with Gaston and some of the other newcomers.  “We executed better,” said the coach, words that were hardly said all last year.

“I am just going to do everything that I can to show them my ability,” said Gaston.  He knows that his ability could lead the Fordham program back to respectability. “It’s been developing all week as to what I can do,” he said. “This is a team effort and all we have to do is execute and take control.”

Part of that execution against Sacred Heart (2-1) was Fordham going on a 21-2 run over a span of 7:25 in the second half. That gave them a 72-51 lead. Gaston had eight points during the run and senior guard Brenton Butler, 15 points, also had eight during that span.

So it was a team effort and reason for optimism before traveling to Hartford, and taking on the Jaspers at Manhattan College for the annual Battle of the Bronx all in the next ten days.

“We’re gonna see the true test of our team,” said Whittenburg.

E-mail Rich Mancuso: Ring786@aol.com