Bob Hill recalls a recent day on which his Fordham basketball team had to borrow practice time in an old, aluminum-sided gym that lacked heat.

        When it returned to campus, though, there was a new big-screen TV in its meeting room, and the incredulous players yelled for Hill to come see. “It was like we got a Christmas present,” Hill said.

        Today, the Rams (4-8, 0-1 Atlantic 10) visit Xavier (9-3, 1-0), which has its own big-screen TVs ... and a $46 million arena to put them in. In their first visit to Cintas Center, the Rams will see how the other half lives.

        “There isn't a day that I came to work and said, “I wish we had this or that,'” XU coach Thad Matta said.

        Such is the state of XU basketball, which has been supported well by the administration the past two decades and responded with winning records in 18 of the past 19 seasons.

        Fordham, at least facility-wise, is where the Musketeers were in the Schmidt Fieldhouse days.

        “This has been perhaps the most difficult thing I've ever tried to do,” Hill said of the rebuilding. “I'm in the process of changing an entire culture. I knew it'd be hard, but I didn't think I'd have to fight battles day in and day out.”

        Hill, 52, is in his 31st season coaching basketball. He was a success in the NBA, with a seven-year, 257-212 record coaching New York, Indiana and San Antonio.

        But his Fordham team often can't get practice time on campus, because it must share with other teams. When school is on winter break, the 14 players must share two suites on campus. There's often no heat or food available on campus over break.
       “Just because I'm here doesn't mean we're going to start winning every day,” Hill said. “Fordham, to their credit, has done their best to help out. But it's a slow process. We call it the Fordham drag.”

        Fordham's facilities aren't unique. Five of the 12 A-10 schools play in arenas that seat 5,000 or fewer fans. Only the league's three most successful schools have built new buildings since 1988: XU (2000), Temple (1997) and Massachusetts (1993).

        “We feel very fortunate to have our facilities and the support from the university,” XU athletic director Mike Bobinski said. “Having all these things in place now will be to our benefit for years to come.”

        ABOUT FORDHAM:

        Every Rams starter is 6 feet 4 or taller. Fordham has outshot its opponents, 43.3 percent to 41.5, and posted a plus-3.0 average rebounding margin.

        But its turnover margin of minus-3.0 is the worst in the A-10.

        Point guard Smush Parker, a transfer from Southern Idaho Junior College, averages 16.9 points, 5.7 assists and 2.8 steals.

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