Now 1-6, Fairfield hopeful slow start is merely a fraction of its future self

By Pete Janny (@pete_janny)

FAIRFIELD, Conn. — No one ever said it was going to be easy for Fairfield after having its head coach step away just less than three weeks before the season started, while knowing the injury bug is also real, with both Alexis Yetna and Birima Seck still on the mend.

Following a 78-67 home loss to Iona Friday, the Stags are still searching for answers about the team they still think they can be. After all, not every MAAC team is lucky enough to feature an experienced backcourt the likes of Caleb Fields and Brycen Goodine, who came off the bench last night against Iona. That is an important tandem to have in a conference that runs through guard play, as displayed by the guards on the court last night between both Fairfield and Iona.

Fields scored a season-high 21 points last night as he looks to be returning to his old self after a preseason injury sidelined him for the road tests at Boston College and Rhode Island. He established some confidence going to the rim early once Fairfield was able to break the Iona press, and hit a big three just before the first-half horn that cut Iona’s halftime lead to 35-31. The senior later added two late 3-pointers, finishing with four overall. His ability to shoot the ball from outside needs to remain a tangible threat for him to fully unlock the player he showed he could be during his first rodeo in the MAAC last season.

“He was good today and he’s starting to get his legs back under him,” interim coach Chris Casey said. “We are going to need him to play well to have a chance to win.”

Goodine was mostly quiet, finishing with seven points, but his one-handed dunk over Idan Tretout with a little over nine minutes left got the Stags back to within three and precipitated a loud reaction from the Mahoney Arena crowd for the first time on the night. Goodine is averaging 15 points, 3.5 rebounds, and a pair of assists per game in what may be shaping up to be a healthy season for him this year after he was restricted to four games last season. 

Junior college transfer Jasper Floyd has been something of a revelation for the Stags as well, showing flashes of dynamic play this season as he looks to continue to grow his confidence in the backcourt. He can play either guard position, and once again showed his package of creating in the paint for his teammates or taking it to the rack himself. He has a knack for steals too, recording two more last night after prying away six in a loss to New Hampshire last week, only scratching the surface of the player he can be.

“I have a ton of confidence in Jasper and think he’s a very good player,” Casey said. “I think he turned it over too much today. He can’t have that. Again he’s coming from JUCO and he’s getting his first taste of D1 basketball and playing significant minutes.”

Casey likes the togetherness Fairfield is playing with while down two projected starters in Yetna and Seck, who transferred from Seton Hall and New Mexico, respectively. The Stags had trouble grabbing defensive rebounds in the second half, helping Iona build the necessary momentum it needed to win. Getting Yetna and Seck back — who stand a combined 13 feet, seven inches — will help Fairfield improve in all aspects, but especially rebounding and shot blocking, the latter an area in which the Stags only entered once on Friday.

 

“They are definitely good players, so they are going to help us,” Casey said, hinting at a late December or early January return for both Yetna and Seck. “How they are going to help us and how much that definitely remains to be seen.”

Fairfield is still not doing enough of the little things to win games. Against Iona, the Stags were 7-of-14 from the free throw line and turned the ball over 17 times. They badly missed on their assignment with Iona sharpshooter Wheza Panzo, who exploded for six threes in the second half alone.

“I think we are playing extremely hard,” Casey reiterated. “The biggest thing for us is we need to learn how to go from being competitive to winning games.”