Tom Pecora was considered an expert New York City recruiter at Hofstra and he has brought that skill with him to Fordham.
The first-year coach announced his 2011-12 recruiting class and, not surprisingly, it includes two talented city guards: former John F. Kennedy star Jeff Short and Lincoln standout Devon McMillan, both of whom are prepping at Evelyn Mack Academy in Charlotte, N.C.
“It’s always going to be a priority of ours and It’s a part of the responsibility of being a coach in New York City: you have to take care of your own first,” said Pecora, who had led Fordham to a 1-2 start. “My relationship with high-school and AAU coaches helps and obviously getting Devon and Jeff right out of the gate is gonna be a big help for us.”
The class also includes Ryan Canty, a 6-foot-9, 230-pound center spending his senior year at Brimmer and May School in Chestnut Hill, Mass.
McMillan, a speedy 5-foot-10 guard Brooklyn native known for his energy and defensive prowess, played at Newburgh Free Academy in Newburgh, N.Y. as a senior after spending his first two years at Lincoln, leading the Goldbacks to the Section 9 Class AA title before falling in the Class AA state championship semifinals.
The 6-foot-4 Short was The Post’s All-Bronx Player of the Year and an All-City first team selection after averaging 28.7 points, 14.0 rebounds and more than five assists per game as a senior.
“Jeff just scores the ball,” Pecora said of Short, who grew up five minutes from Fordham’s Rose Hill campus. “The sky is the limit for him.”
