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By Joseph Staszewski
Brooklyn Daily
New York State’s top senior basketball player and Bushwick’s own Jon Severe is staying close to home at Fordham University.
The 6-foot-2 Christ the King shooting guard signed with the Rams at a press conference at the Middle Village, Queens school on Wednesday with his family by his side. He chose Fordham and coach Tom Pecora over Rutgers, Pittsburgh, West Virginia and Wake Forest.
Severe said he felt comfortable at Rose Hill, where is will likely start right way. The Rams, and especially assistant coach David Duke, were relentless in their recruiting.
“I felt at home,” said Severe, the best recruit Fordham has landed in more than a decade. “I felt comfortable. I was just ready for my decision.”
It was an emotional afternoon for Severe, who nearly choked up several times before announcing his commitment in front of a large contingent of fellow students in the school’s gym. Severe, named New York state’s “Mr. Basketball,” moved up his announcement date from May 22 — the Royals sports awards night — after growing tired of the recruiting process and wanting to end the ever-growing speculation about where he would land.
“I’m hoping he made the right decision here,” Christ the King coach Joe Arbitello said. “I think he did.”
Severe only added to the anticipation when, a day prior to the announcement, the 6-foot-2 shooting guard received an in-home visit from the new Rutgers coach, Eddie Jordan. Severe was considering the school before former Coach Mike Rice was fired. Severe and his coach both felt the timing wasn’t right.
“If Rutgers didn’t drag their feet in hiring Eddie Jordan the outcome might have been different,” Arbitello said.
Severe averaged 21.6 points per game this year. He led Christ the King to the diocesan, city and state Federation Class AA titles. Now he wants to bring that winning pedigree to a Fordham program that has struggled in recent years. The Rams squad hasn’t won more than 10 games during Pecora’s three-year tenure. Severe said he believes he can turn the whole program around.
“I know we are going to win,” Severe said. “You just got that feeling. You follow your gut. I’m use to winning. I think we are just missing a couple pieces.”
Reach reporter Joseph Staszewski at jstaszewski@cnglocal.com. Follow him on twitter @cng_staszewski.