Fairfield progressing as life without Nelson beckons

Sydney Johnson has spent past seven months reconstructing Fairfield in aftermath of Tyler Nelson's graduation, and believes Stags can still contend in MAAC this season without all-time leading scorer. (Photo by Vincent Simone/NYC Buckets)

By Dan Gardella (@GardellaDan)

Special To Daly Dose Of Hoops

FAIRFIELD, Conn. -- Seven months ago, the Fairfield Stags fell a few points short from preventing a three-peat by the Iona Gaels and earning a spot in the program's first NCAA Tournament since 1997. Now, there is what seems like a culture swing since last season.

While Fairfield loses its all-time Leading scorer in Tyler Nelson -- selected third overall in Saturday's NBA G League Draft by the Greensboro Swarm -- along with second-leading scorer Ferron Flavors, Jr., who transferred to Cal Baptist, head coach Sydney Johnson brings in four newcomers -- three freshmen and a junior college transfer -- to fill out the roster while key players such as Jonathan Kasibabu, Jesus Cruz, and Matija Milin return for another season.

The difference from this year’s team to last year’s, you ask? Depth. Especially at the guard spot. Last season, five guards saw significant time on the court. Three of them are gone (Nelson, Flavors, and Jerome Segura). In their place, the Stags welcome Neftali Alvarez, Felix Lemetti, and Landon Taliaferro to the backcourt along with returning Cruz, Aidas Kavaliauskas, and Taj Benning to the rotation. Having such depth in the backcourt allows Fairfield the opportunity to return to the uptempo ways that have earned the program the "Running Stags" moniker.

“We want some fluidity. We want to get up and down,” Johnson said. “That’s what we’ve
embraced. We really want to score, we want to share the ball, we want to get up threes. We want to play fast.”


In the summer, Johnson expressed his desire to, at times, utilize a four-guard lineup, allowing the Stags to turn up the tempo and outrun teams. Now, his dream is a reality. Among the newcomers preparing for their Stags debuts, Neftali Alvarez comes to Fairfield as the top-ranked point guard in the state of Florida last year and brings a new dynamic to the team. Along with Kavaliauskas, Alvarez brings both a scoring and passing mentality to the program. Another guard who enters the season under the radar is Taj Benning. Benning, a sophomore from New Jersey, appeared in 25 games last season and only averaged ten minutes per contest. However, he made significant progress throughout the spring and summer and could see time in the rotation.

“I want Taj to be aggressive," Johnson said. "He’s a strong kid who is fundamentally sound. I want him to bring his personality on the court. I think he’s had a really good spring, summer, and fall. I see him in the mix.”

This season, similarly to last season, Jonathan Kasibabu’s voice will speak volumes to a young locker room who will grow as the season progresses. Along with Matija Milin, Kasibabu will lead the Stags with a unique form of leadership: Trust.

“The way I lead is I like to believe in guys and I like to encourage guys.” Kasibabu said. “I
realized that you get a better response from a guy if you encourage them and believe in them, because they believe in you.”

So far, the message Kasibabu, as well as other players who have been through the college grind before have said, has gotten through to the underclassmen.

“I talk with Jonathan, Aidas, and Wassef (Methnani) two times a week," Alvarez said when asked about what he has learned from the leaders of the team. "What I learn from them
is how you practice is how you should play. In practice you can make mistakes. In games, you cannot.”

With the spring, summer, and now fall sessions coming to a close, it is almost time to put
months of preparation to the court as a new season begins. In Johnson’s eyes, the game plan is laid out. All that is left to do is execute.

“I think it is reps and experience," he said. "Every team needs their time to grow. This team needs its time to grow. There’s specific players that things are a little bit new to them. When they get that time, the result is going to be really really good. I feel like there is a championship that rests in this team.”