Head coach Tom Pecora announced the signing of three new players on Thursday. (Sam Joseph/The Fordham Ram)
By Max Prinz
On the eve of its first game of the 2014-15 season, the Fordham men’s basketball team announced the signing of three new Rams to National Letters of Intent.
Jesse Bunting, Joseph Chartouny and Matt Zignorski will join the Rams in the 2015-16 season.
“We are excited that all three young men have decided to join the Fordham basketball family,” head coach Tom Pecora said in a statement. “They all will be a solid fit at Fordham, both on and off the basketball court. We look for all three having very successful senior seasons with their respective programs.”
Bunting is a 6’7″ forward in his final year at Tabor Academy in Marion, Massachusetts. He averaged 20 points and 11 rebounds per game for Plymouth North High School in 2012-13, before transferring for his senior season. The Plymouth, Massachusetts native also received interest from 12 other Division I programs, including Atlantic 10 schools Saint Joseph’s and Duquesne.
“I’m thrilled to be able to play basketball in the Atlantic 10 at a prestigious school like Fordham,” said Bunting. “The feeling I got from the coaching staff and players was that they all want to make the team better and the focus they place on academics is great. I’m looking forward to being a part of the Fordham program.”
Chartouny is a 6′ 3″ guard from Montreal’s Collège Jean-De-Brébeuf where he played with current Fordham freshman Nemanja Zarkovic. Northpolehoops.com ranked Chartouny the No. 4 prospect in Canada.
“I’m very happy to have picked Fordham to further my education and basketball career,” said Chartouny. “I’m already preparing myself for next year and my goal is to get better every day and be ready for what comes next. To attend Fordham is a great decision for both my basketball future and for my career after college. And to be able to attend school with my best friend makes it even better.”
Zignorski is another 6′ 3″ guard who averaged 12 points and made 53 three-pointers last season as a junior last season at Pope John XXIII High School in Sparta, New Jersey. He led the Lions to a 20-8 record and the NJAC American Division title. Pope John also won the Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex Tournament for the third-straight year, with Zignorski earning MVP honors in last year’s tournament, and moved onto the semifinals of the Non-Public North A Tournament.
“I had a middle school coach who always told me that my brain would take me further than my knees, which is why I chose Fordham,” said Zignorski. “Fordham is a great academic school with an outstanding business school. Coach Pecora and his staff also played a big part in my decision as they made me feel comfortable and I’m excited to have them be responsible for my progression both as a basketball player and as a man.”
Fordham plays its first contest of the 2014-15 season Friday night at 8 p.m. against NYIT.
Max Prinz is the Sports Editor for the Fordham Ram.
