NEW YORK — Former Fordham point guard Jio Fontan is here at Madison Square Garden watching his former St. Anthony teammate Travon Woodall play for Pittsburgh against Indiana in the Jimmy V Classic.
The 6-foot-1 Fordham just received his conditional release from Fordham and said he plans to visit Indiana this coming weekend and USC the following weekend.
“Those two visits are the only ones set,” Fontan told me. “Indiana this weekend and USC the following weekend.”
Indiana hosts John Calipari and No. 4 Kentucky on Saturday at 12 on CBS.
Fontan also hopes to visit Tennessee, Miami, Kansas State and Oklahoma State in coming weeks. (He called me Wednesday to add that Tennessee had just offered and he was hoping to visit.)
Fontan’s release prevents him from playing for another A-10 school or any program in the tri-state area.
One Atlantic 10 coach told me it was unfair of Fordham to prevent him from playing locally, but Jio doesn’t mind.
“I’ll take the release if I can get it,” he said.
FORDHAM WINS BEHIND GASTON’S 25
Speaking of Fordham, the Rams got a huge 93-77 victory Tuesday over Stony Brook for just their second win of the year.
Freshman big man Chris Gaston, a former St. Anthony standout, scored 25 points and grabbed 11 boards and Brenton Butler,who now takes over for Fontan, added 25 points.
Alberto Estwick, yet another former Bob Hurley player, tallied 16 points and onetime Paterson Catholic standout Lance Brown put up 15 and 6.
Fordham (2-5) was playing its second game under interim head coach Jared Grasso.
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