The Jio Fontan Era at Fordham is over.
Fontan, a 6-foot-1, 185-pound sophomore point guard from Paterson, N.J., opted Monday to leave the Atlantic 10 program after mulling it over with his family this past weekend.
“Honestly, I just felt like my time was done there,” Fontan said Monday by phone. “I was ready for a new challenge.”‘
Reached by phone Monday afternoon, Fordham’s interim coach, Jared Grasso, politely declined comment.
Fontan said he spoke Monday with Fordham athletic director Frank McLaughlin and that he expected to get a conditional release later Monday that will prevent him from playing for any other Atlantic 10 schools, or any schools in the tri-state area.
Wherever he goes, he will have to sit a year as per NCAA transfer regulations, meaning he wouldn’t be eligible until December 2010.
“I spoke to Mr. McLaughlin and he did tell me I was getting my release papers today,” Fontan said. “Mr. McLaughlin was real cool about it. He thanked me for giving it another shot. He was real cooperative. He lived up to his word which was real admirable.”
Fontan initially announced last Wednesday that he would be departing Fordham at the end of the semester. A day later, head coach Dereck Whittenburg was fired and Grasso was named interim head coach.
Fontan then decided to think about it for a couple of days because of his close relationship with Grasso, who recruited him out of St. Anthony in Jersey City.
“On Wednesday I had my dad call Mr. McLaughlin and tell him I was done. I didn’t want to play anymore. I was done,” Fontan said.
“The next day Coach Grasso became the [head] coach and it kind of threw a wrench in everything. I felt I owed it to him to sit back and think about the situation because of Coach Grasso and how close we are. He spoke to me throughout the day and last night [Sunday] we had the best talk ever since he became the head coach.
“He did a good job of recruiting me [again] but we’re so close I wanted him to be real with me and be my friend again. He did a good job of recruiting me and also showing that he cared about me as a regular person.
“Even yesterday I was still leaning toward leaving but I wasn’t 100 percent sure. Today [Monday] I woke up with the feeling that I wanted to leave and I gave him a call and he wished me good luck.”
Fontan said he believes in Grasso and wishes the Fordham program nothing but the best going forward.
“Hopefully, the Fordham community and the fans can back him up because he’s got a chance to do something special,” he said.
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