Dereck Whittenburg begins his fourth and most anticipated season as Fordham’s coach tonight, when the visiting Rams take on Columbia.
The expectations were already high for his players. After all, the Rams won 18 games last season, and were predicted to finish fourth in the Atlantic 10 this season.
And now, with a contract extension finalized yesterday, Whittenburg can share some of the burden of those expectations.
“Dereck Whittenburg has done a great job getting Fordham basketball back on track and we are excited that he is committed to leading the Fordham program for years to come,” athletic director Frank McLaughlin said in a release announcing the extension through the 2012-13 season. “Dereck has made tremendous progress and has brought a remarkable amount of excitement to Rose Hill. We look for him to continue with that progress.”
Whittenburg, 46, mentioned as a candidate two years ago at N.C. State, his alma mater, won six games with the Rams in his first season, before improving to 13 his second. Eighteen last season was Fordham’s highest total since 1991-92.
“We have a good foundation in place,” he said, “that will allow us to have continued success in the years to come.”
tsullivan@nypost.com