Former Lincoln guard Devon (Fatty) McMillan became the second local product to follow Tom Pecora from Hofstra to Fordham, the talented guard told The Post Thursday night.
McMillan, a 5-foot-11 combo guard known for pushing the ball and playing relentless defense, verbally committed to the Rams once he was released from his National Letter of Intent on Thursday, joining Bishop Loughlin’s Branden Frazier, his teammate on New Heights. Former Boys & Girls standout Lamount Samuell Jr., who is finishing up a postgraduate year at Notre Dame Prep (Mass.), has also signed with Fordham.
“Me and Branden were always talking about that, we were just saying we should go to Fordham, stick with Tom Pecora,” said McMillan, who spent his senior year at Newburgh Free Academy. “It makes me feel very comfortable that I don’t have to go with people I don’t know and try to start new friendships.”
McMillan was extremely familiar with the coaching staff, which he has known for more than a decade. Growing up in Hempstead, L.I., McMillan attended Hofstra camps as a youngster and built a rapport with Pecora and assistants David Duke and Van Macon.
“I like how they’re on me to excel in the classroom,” he said. “They are worried about my future outside of basketball.”
McMillan, though, isn’t concerned about Fordham’s recent struggles. The Atlantic 10 school had a 5-51 record the last two years and a winless season last year in the Atlantic 10, but Pecora has quickly assembled a solid recruiting class and has built winning teams at Hofstra.
“Even though they’re rebuilding, we’re going to be young and we’re going to be able grow and get better,” he said.