(December 20, 2005) ?C Fordham University head men??s basketball coach Dereck Whittenburg announced today that freshmen forwards Chris Bethel (Bronx, NY/St. Raymond??s) and Demetrius Phillips (Baltimore, MD/Notre Dame Prep) will join the team at the conclusion of the first semester. The two will be eligible to join the squad on Friday, December 23rd. Bethel, a 6-5, 210-pound forward is a graduate of St. Raymond??s High School in the Bronx where he averaged 14.0 ppg, tenth best in the CHSAA AA, and 10.0 rpg as a senior after averaging 8.0 ppg and 10.0 rpg as junior for the Ravens, leading the team in rebounding for the past two years. He helped St. Raymond??s win the New York City Catholic High School??s Athletic Association Championship in his sophomore and junior seasons, compiling a 22-8 overall record in 2003-04, 10-3 in the CHSAA. Bethel was selected to play in the Jordan Classic Game in Madison Square Garden last spring, scoring four points and adding three rebounds in the game. He also was named to one of the Top 20 High School Players in New York by Newsday in 2004-05. A native of the Bronx, Bethel resides just a short bus ride from the Fordham campus. Prior to committing to the Rams, he also considered Kent State, Rhode Island and Saint Joseph??s. He is the first CHSAA AA level player to appear with the Rams since Bevon Robin (Rice High School) committed to Fordham in 1996. Phillips, a 6-8, 212-pound forward, graduated from Northwestern High School in Baltimore in 2004 before attending Notre Dame Prep in Fitchburg, Massachusetts in 2004-05 where he was 70th rated fifth-year player in the country by HoopScoops, averaging 11.0 ppg and 6.0 rpg. Phillips, who averaged 13.0 ppg and 11.0 rpg and 3.0 blocks/game as a senior at Northwestern High School, chose Fordham over George Washington, La Salle, Pepperdine, Rhode Island and Loyola (IL).