The Fordham Rams are zeroing in on their next head basketball coach. That head coach is reportedly coming from the state of California in UC Riverside’s Mike Magpayo.
Fordham Finalizing Deal With Mike Magpayo
According to insider Pete Thamel, Fordham is in the process of hiring Magpayo to be their next head basketball coach.
The 2023 Big West Coach of the Year was able to guide UC Riverside to the NIT this season after posting an overall record of 21-13.
Sources: Fordham is targeting UC Riverside coach Mike Magpayo to be the school’s next coach. Sides are in discussions and a deal is expected to be finalized soon. He went 21-13 this season, reached the NIT and has a five-year track record of success.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) March 28, 2025
Magpayo made history in July of 2020 as the first-ever Division I college basketball head coach of full Asian heritage to be hired.
After posting multiple 20-win seasons over the last three seasons, Magpayo will look to change things in the Bronx once his deal is finalized.
If he can do just that, he could have the opportunity to climb to an even better position later on down the road in his coaching career.
Fordham Desperately Needs a Bounce-Back Season
The Rams have not exactly had success over the last four decades. In more recent years, the team has been at the bottom of the Atlantic 10 Conference.
In the last 18 years, the team has posted an overall record above .500 just twice. Since the 1990-1991 season, the Rams have posted 20 or more wins once, which happened in 2022-2023.
Their last NCAA Tournament appearance was in 1991-1992. Simply put, the school and the fan base are in desperate need of success, which is why they are hiring Magpayo.
Magpayo, who has had plenty of success in his brief coaching career, has the chance to change the fortunes of the program. Now, the Atlantic 10 is one of the more underrated conferences in the country.
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Teams such as VCU, George Mason, Loyola-Chicago, Dayton, St. Joseph’s, Saint Louis, St. Bonaventure, and George Washington all posted a conference record that was .500 or better this past season.
Fordham posted a 3-15 conference record and ended up at the very bottom of the standings. Magpayo has a long road ahead of him as he hopes to turn the ship around, but his track record should give the program and its fans plenty of hope moving forward.
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