Fordham Men’s Basketball (MBB) introduced prominent talent to the 2024-25 season’s roster. Head Coach Keith Urgo was busy during the offseason securing new commits, including one of the highest rated recruits in Fordham MBB history, as reported by Fordham Sports.
Jaden Smith, Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) ’28, is a 4-star recruit as stated by ESPN, making him only the second in program history. The 6-foot-11 center was picked up from Kenwood Academy in Chicago and previously committed to play for Arizona State University. In the end, Smith chose the Rams over the Sun Devils, turning down the University of Louisville, Xavier University, University of Michigan, Butler University and Virginia Tech University as well.
In an interview with ZAGSBLOG, Smith said, “I chose Fordham because I love the culture there. They have a family type environment and I have a great relationship with the coaches already.”
“We think we’ve truly found a diamond in the rough with Ryan Pettis.” Coach Keith Urgo
Coach Urgo recognized Smith’s special skills. In particular, his ability to alter shots on defense, said Urgo. Smith’s contribution to the team brings an exciting buzz surrounding Fordham MBB. Fordham Sports reported that Coach Urgo “can’t wait to watch him light up Rose Thrill.”
Alongside Smith, the program welcomes three more rookies: Kingston Price, FCRH ’28, Aleksander Pachucki, FCRH ’28, and Ryan Pettis, FCRH ’28.
Pettis, the first commit of the 2028 class, comes out of East Palo Alto, California, where he played at Junipero Serra High School. The 6-foot-4 guard averaged 14.4 points in his senior season.
“We think we’ve truly found a diamond in the rough with Ryan Pettis,” Coach Urgo said to reporters at Fordham Sports. “He has size, speed and the ability to score at all three levels while excelling on the defensive end. Ryan fits perfectly with what we’re building here at Fordham and we can’t wait to welcome him to Rose Thrill.”
Price, who made First Team All County this past year according to NY NJ Sports World, became the final addition to Fordham MBB’s 2024 recruiting class.
Pachucki is a 6-foot-5 guard from Toronto. He’s coming from Hoosac School, one of the nation’s top prep leagues. In his last season at the prep school, Fordham Sports detailed that Pachucki averaged 18 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals per game, which earned him All-New England Preparatory School Athletic Council honors.
In his comment to Fordham Sports, there was much to say about Pachucki. “It’s not easy to excel the way he did against outstanding prep school competition, and we think he can surely contribute to what we’re building at Fordham, especially on the perimeter,” Urgo said.
Price, who made First Team All County this past year according to NY NJ Sports World, became the final addition to Fordham MBB’s 2024 recruiting class. The 6-foot-2 guard comes from Severna Park, Maryland. Fordham Sports explains that he led his high school basketball team at Severn School to their first MIAA B Conference title in 31 years. Price concluded his career with 1,279 points and a team-high 17.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per game.
Matt Zona and Jackie Johnson III join the roster with previous college basketball experience.
Zona, a New York native, spent his last four years playing at the University of Notre Dame. In his final season with the team, the 6-foot-9 forward appeared in all 33 games for the Fighting Irish with six starts.
Urgo recognized Zona’s skill on the court, but also his strong leadership in his comments to Fordham Sports. “I’ve known Matt since his high school days at Bergen Catholic and he embodies everything we want our Fordham program to be. He’s relentless, he’s a leader and he’s a terrific student. We can’t wait to see the impact he will have on every facet of our program,” he said.
Johnson will also contribute collegiate basketball familiarity to this season’s roster. The 5-foot-11 guard from Wichita, Kansas, spent his first year in the Atlantic 10 at Duquesne University. Since then, Fordham Sports highlighted that he played his last two years at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where he averaged 5.4 points in 14.7 minutes pergame.
In his first year at Duquesne, Johnson averaged 9.5 points per game. Coach Urgo explained his final choice for this season’s team to Fordham Sports, “Jackie is a proven talent with considerable experience who can help us immediately in multiple facets of the game. He’s proven that he can excel in the Atlantic 10 and we can’t wait to see him do it again,” Urgo said.
These new recruits anticipate a thrilling era of Fordham men’s basketball.
