BROOKLYN, NY — Following Fordham’s seven-point loss to VCU on Wednesday afternoon in the second round of the A-10 Men’s Basketball Championship at the Barclays Center, which ended with a final of 69-62 — Rams head coach Keith Urgo stepped up to the postgame press conference podium with two seniors alongside him. Kyle Rose, and Antrell Charlton, a pair of individuals, who define what Fordham Basketball instills in a student-athlete, striving to better themselves on-and-off-the-court.
Rose, a 6-6 guard, out of Marlboro, Maryland, became a Rams legend throughout the course of his five-year collegiate career at Rose Hill, showcasing his passionate grit and toughness on a consistent basis, while amassing to 141 games played, the most-ever in program history.
His teammate Charlton, a Live Oak, Florida native, who is also a guard, listed at 6-5, spent the last three seasons in the Bronx, proving time-in-and-time-out that he is a key-piece to Fordham’s authentic style of play: a style that forces every last bit of energy out of opponents through their physicality, and court awareness.
Fordham postgame press conference following their second round A-10 Championship loss to VCU, on Wednesday, March 13th – Image Credit: Latino Sports
“What I’d like to do more than anything honestly is just,” Urgo said emotionally, then paused for approximately seven seconds, and proceeded, “thank these two guys right here…
They (Rose and Charlton) have been trailblazers for our program, a program that was really down and out. And now, no one wants to play Fordham because of the way these guys play everyday, not just on game-day. Their toughness, their physicality — they gave us a chance to win games where nobody thought we had a chance, so, I’m forever grateful for these guys.”
“I think they put the Fordham Basketball program kinda on the map — in a place where we are a destination for plenty of players and plenty of recruits. As a result, we are trending upwards and I don’t expect to ever turn back, so, I just want to publicly thank these two for all their sacrifice, and their commitment to me, to our staff, and to the university.”
In their final game as Rams, Rose compiled a game-high 19 points on a 50% clip from the field (6-12 FG) with three steals, as Charlton, despite going scoreless (0-4 FG), made an impact, recording three assists, three steals, and one rebound.
Rams guard Antrell Charlton in A-10 Championship second round loss to VCU at the Barclays Center – Image Credit: Fordham Men’s Basketball
“I look at my career as pretty tough but also, I was hoping that it becomes inspiring to those out here, especially with the transfer portal going around,” Rose noted. “I hope those that are watching can realize that even though I fell short to a championship, I felt like I became a better man and a greater person. By staying here at Fordham, I felt like I developed a lot of perseverance, became more resilient, and determined. You don’t know what you can find if you stay in a position like I did…
I’m thankful that everyone continued to believe in me, because I didn’t come in here the best player, but I felt like I left here the best man, so I’m thankful for that.”
Kyle Rose was 4-6 from behind the arc in Wednesday’s A-10 Championship second round loss to VCU at the Barclays Center – Image Credit: Fordham Men’s Basketball
The Game Changer
Fordham vs. VCU, a Rams vs. Rams affair, in front of a crowd of 7,725, included 11 lead changes, and 11 occasions where the score was tied. Fordham fought until the very end, but got blundered in the final minute with VCU forcing their way to the charity stripe, and banking clutch free throws (6-6 FT in the last 26 seconds). Additionally, throughout the entirety of the contest, VCU went to the free throw line 39 times compared to Fordham’s 18.
What’s Next for Virginia Commonwealth and Fordham?
The No. 5 seeded VCU Rams (20-12 overall), will face the No. 4 seeded UMass Minutemen (20-10 overall), tomorrow afternoon, March 14th, at 2:00PM ET – watch on USA Network.
Fordham ends their 2023-2024 season with an overall record of 13 wins and 20 losses, 7-13 vs. Atlantic-10 opponents. Now, although the Rams finished seven games under .500, the record does not tell the story.
Like any camaraderie, and even more so with the Rams, as nearly half of the team is underclassman (8), it takes time to develop as a group. Will Richardson, Joshua Rivera, Elijah Gray, and Romad Dean, all current sophomores, put their potential on display as a group as their year went along, developing cohesiveness.
Fordham Rams in A-10 regular season matchup against George Mason at Rose Hill Gym – Image Credit: Fordham Men’s Basketball
On the young core improving, Charlton said: “at the end of the year everyone was trying to win. When you’re a younger player, you don’t know much as far as trying to win. You think everything is about your way of affecting the game in scoring. Throughout the year and by the end of the year, I feel like they found out that they can rebound, or say they’re not having the best scoring game, like there are other ways to affect the game. That growth, and them playing hard, they just gave it all they got. Just playing hard, playing together, playing for the team.
Rose added: “To piggyback off of that, I feel like the entire group has a big upside. So if they can come more together, and show more connectivity, the sky’s the limit for those guys honestly because they are extremely talented and extremely athletic.”
Robert Rizzo is a journalist and editor of Latino Sports – Email: RobertRiz994@gmail.com
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