Mike Magpayo has been hired as the new men’s basketball head coach, as announced by the Fordham Athletics Department on March 29. This announcement comes nine days after Charles Guthrie, director of Intercollegiate Athletics and Recreation, announced that former head coach Keith Urgo would be leaving the program.
Magpayo has been in the University of California, Riverside men’s basketball program since 2017. For the last five years, Magpayo was the head coach for the Highlanders. As the head coach at Riverside, Magpayo had a cumulative 89-63 record with 55-32 in conference play. This year, the Highlanders finished with a 21-13 record, making it the second 20-win season under Magpayo.
While at Riverside, Magpayo received some impressive awards, including the 2022-23 Big West Coach of the Year, the first in Riverside history. In the previous season, he was the recipient of the Rising Coaches Trailblazer Award for being a significant figure in the sports industry who has paved the way for diversity, equity and inclusion.
Magpayo shared his enthusiasm to be coming back to New York City and joining the Ramily on the Fordham Athletics website.
“The excitement for this thrilling opportunity to lead Fordham Basketball is through the roof. I believe there is great potential in this program and I intend to maximize all of it going forward. The combination of New York City attitude and academic excellence will be on full display when talking about Fordham Basketball going forward,” Magpayo said.
He is the first head coach that Guthrie has hired since joining the Rams earlier this year. Guthrie said via the Fordham Athletics website that Magpayo’s coaching style is what placed him at the top of the nationwide search.
“Mike has a passion for nurturing student-athletes and his data-driven analytics makes him the perfect fit for Fordham. His strategic approach to coaching and recruiting has been proven to be successful. We can’t wait for Mike and his family to get to Rose Hill,” Guthrie said.
According to the Fordham Athletics website, Mike Magpayo will be officially welcomed as a Ram at a press conference on April 2 at 1:30 p.m. in the Rose Hill Gymnasium.
