Despite inconsistent first half of MAAC play, Jay Young believes Fairfield can still salvage season if Stags can make plays on both ends and play a complete game. (Photo by the Connecticut Post)
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — It was in late February last year that it started to click and fortunes started to turn for Fairfield.
The Stags, runner-up to Iona in the MAAC tournament championship game last March, used their suffocating defense to create offense, and thereby spring upsets of Monmouth and Saint Peter's once in Atlantic City. But in head coach Jay Young’s third season, the consistency has yet to take root through a 4-7 MAAC record to date, leading the former Steve Pikiell assistant to find a recipe for success with four weeks left in the regular season.
“We just can’t complete a game,” Young lamented after Sunday’s 62-56 loss to Siena, one in which Fairfield battled back to tie the Saints late before losing the game at the foul line. “It’s been the story of our season, and we just can’t get out of it right now. We’re going to have to, obviously, down the stretch.”
That is not to say the Stags lack capable offensive options. In fact, Young presided over a balanced attack Sunday, with Taj Benning and Supreme Cook taking on the majority of the load while Jake Wojcik and Jesus Cruz chipped in as well. Chris Maidoh’s productivity has increased this year, too, and the return of Jalen Leach on Sunday for the first time since November 28 offers yet another glimmer of hope for Fairfield to return to the stage it reached only 11 months ago.
“We’ve got to be way more consistent,” Young reiterated. “We got 40 from Woj and Taj against Rider, and they’ve struggled the last two games. It’s tough to win games when you score 56 and put so much pressure on your defense, so we’ve just got to do a better job on both ends, for that matter.”
“Around the basket, (Maidoh’s) been great. If we can get him in that five, six-foot area, he’s as good as anybody. That five spot has been very good all year for us with him and Supreme, but again, we need more consistency from some of the other positions. I’m hoping (Leach) can help us, it’s been so long since he’s done anything. He’s an offensive guy who can certainly help us, but we’ve got to get him a few more minutes and get him ready.”
Fairfield still has a somewhat favorable finish to the regular season on the horizon, and is still only one game out of the No. 5 seed, which carries the final first-round bye in the MAAC tournament. When informed that the wheels were set in motion late last season, Young’s optimism was on full display as he continues to search for a winning formula.
“We’re right there in every single game,” he said. “We just cannot make a play on either end of the floor that helps us in big moments, and unless that changes, we’re going to have the same result. But I’m confident we can get better on the defensive end. There’s room for improvement there, and there’s certainly tons of room for improvement on the offensive end, too.”
Fairfield’s opponent Sunday went through a similar revelatory moment two weeks ago following a loss to Iona, and has since reeled off four wins in its last five contests to once again join the list of challengers to the aforementioned Gaels.
“We’re growing,” Anthony Gaines declared on the heels of a 15-point, 8-rebound outing that solidified his own personal development. “I’m just being comfortable and adjusting to my new role. Yeah, I came from a different program — Big Ten, whatever — but my role here for this team is different, some of the things I’ve been asked to do are a little different. To find a way to do that and still contribute in other ways, whatever my team needs me to do to win, that’s what I’m trying to do.”
“That’s what it’s all about,” head coach Carmen Maciariello echoed. “I’m just really excited. I think these guys know how much we really care about them and are excited for the journey to come. I love Anthony Gaines. I think the biggest thing is him just staying with it. I’ve never wavered with Anthony or with my belief in him. When he shows how tough he is and what he can do to help us win — whether it’s getting a timely rebound or a deflection — at the end of the day, I thought his ability to play him in different positions has really helped us.”
Halfway through its recently concluded four-game homestand, it was noted that Siena was in a similar position two years ago when it came from the middle of the pack to win the MAAC regular season crown, and would likely have been the tournament champion if not for COVID-19. As a veteran who has been around to see Siena at its peak, Jackson Stormo had a unique perspective on his role helping the newer Saints acclimate to the program, and believes the fruits of their labor are paying off.
“It’s funny that you say that,” he said. “I can view that as either having experience and having new guys come in, or I can view myself as a senior on the team. We had a good year last year, this year, we had to rebuild. We basically have a whole new team, but everyone’s come to put in the work — especially the freshmen — and we’ve seen a lot of good things from all of them, so it’s coming along.”
“A lot can be said for the fact that we didn’t have too much time as a whole team, so it was definitely a process. It started out slow, not how we wanted it to, but we just kept working every day and putting it together piece-by-piece. Now, we’ve got to keep building on this into March.”
Maciariello concurred, citing further common threads between his first team and his current one.
“It’s really interesting,” he admitted. “I think it tells a little bit about me and how I coach, and maybe my demeanor’s changed a little bit as the season goes on. But I just think these guys are understanding what Siena basketball is. Sometimes it takes a little longer, and we also had guys get healthy then, right? Elijah Burns finally got healthy and that helped a ton. I think it helps these guys, now they see the light.”
“Nick Hopkins only has so many games left in his college career, so maybe the light bulb goes on for some of these guys to realize, hey, every single second matters. When you want to win a championship, it has to be done in every second of your life, it has to seep through your DNA. Everything has to be a championship mentality.”
Scoring Leaders
1) Jose Perez, Manhattan (19.0 PPG)
2) Marcus Hammond, Niagara (18.3)
3) George Papas, Monmouth (16.1)
4) Walker Miller, Monmouth (15.1)
5) Colby Rogers, Siena (14.6)
6) Tyson Jolly, Iona (14.6)
7) Matt Balanc, Quinnipiac (14.5)
8) Shavar Reynolds, Monmouth (14.4)
9) Jao Ituka, Marist (14.3)
10) Ricardo Wright, Marist (14.0)
Rebounding Leaders
1) Kevin Marfo, Quinnipiac (10.7 RPG)
2) Nelly Junior Joseph, Iona (7.9)
3) Supreme Cook, Fairfield (7.9)
4) Dimencio Vaughn, Rider (7.7)
5) Fousseyni Drame, Saint Peter’s (7.1)
6) Jackson Stormo, Siena (7.0)
7) Nikkei Rutty, Monmouth (7.0)
8) Anthony Gaines, Siena (6.8)
9) Dwight Murray, Jr., Rider (6.8)
10) Walker Miller, Monmouth (6.4)
Assist Leaders
1) Jose Perez, Manhattan (4.6 APG)
2) Dwight Murray, Jr., Rider (4.4)
3) Kevin Marfo, Quinnipiac (4.0)
4) Noah Thomasson, Niagara (3.6)
5) Dylan van Eyck, Iona (3.3)
6) Ahamadou Fofana, Canisius (3.3)
7) George Papas, Monmouth (3.0)
T-8) Elijah Joiner, Iona (3.0)
T-8) Matthew Lee, Saint Peter’s (3.0)
10) Marcus Hammond, Niagara (3.0)
Field Goal Percentage Leaders
1) Jordan Jones, Marist (.684)
2) Josh Roberts, Manhattan (.683)
3) Dylan van Eyck, Iona (.595)
4) Warren Williams, Manhattan (.561)
5) Supreme Cook, Fairfield (.552)
6) Jordan Cintron, Niagara (.549)
7) Nelly Junior Joseph, Iona (.548)
8) Ajiri Ogemuno-Johnson, Rider (.545)
9) Jao Ituka, Marist (.544)
10) Jackson Stormo, Siena (.537)
Free Throw Percentage Leaders
1) Daryl Banks III, Saint Peter’s (.912)
2) Doug Edert, Saint Peter’s (.867)
3) Shavar Reynolds, Monmouth (.865)
4) Matt Balanc, Quinnipiac (.836)
5) George Papas, Monmouth (.829)
6) Quinn Slazinski, Iona (.828)
7) Jose Perez, Manhattan (.820)
8) Marcus Hammond, Niagara (.814)
9) Mervin James, Rider (.804)
10) Dwight Murray, Jr., Rider (.796)
3-Point Field Goal Percentage Leaders
1) Doug Edert, Saint Peter’s (.460)
2) Colby Rogers, Siena (.425)
3) Nick Hopkins, Siena (.414)
4) Marcus Hammond, Niagara (.404)
5) Daryl Banks III, Saint Peter’s (.403)
6) Anthony Nelson, Manhattan (.400)
7) Tyrese Williams, Quinnipiac (.398)
8) Walter Clayton, Jr., Iona (.397)
9) Samir Stewart, Manhattan (.394)
10) Ricardo Wright, Marist (.388)
Steal Leaders
1) Dimencio Vaughn, Rider (1.8 SPG)
2) Nick Hopkins, Siena (1.7)
3) Jordan Cintron, Niagara (1.6)
4) Anthony Nelson, Manhattan (1.5)
5) Elijah Buchanan, Manhattan (1.5)
Blocked Shot Leaders
1) KC Ndefo, Saint Peter’s (2.5 BPG)
2) Nelly Junior Joseph, Iona (1.8)
3) Jackson Stormo, Siena (1.3)
4) Jordan Jones, Marist (1.1)
5) Josh Roberts, Manhattan (1.1)
Power Rankings
1) Iona (19-4, 11-1 MAAC)
Last Week: 1
Last Game: Sunday 2/6 at Niagara (L 80-71)
Next Game: Friday 2/11 at Siena, 9 p.m.
2) Saint Peter’s (11-8, 9-3 MAAC)
Last Week: 2
Last Game: Sunday 2/6 vs. Marist (W 66-50)
Next Game: Friday 2/11 vs. Rider, 7 p.m.
3) Monmouth (15-7, 7-4 MAAC)
Last Week: 5
Last Game: Sunday 2/6 at Quinnipiac (W 76-63)
Next Game: Tuesday 2/8 vs. Marist, 7 p.m.
4) Siena (10-9, 7-4 MAAC)
Last Week: 3
Last Game: Sunday 2/6 at Fairfield (W 62-56)
Next Game: Friday 2/11 vs. Iona, 9 p.m.
5) Niagara (11-11, 6-7 MAAC)
Last Week: 8
Last Game: Sunday 2/6 vs. Iona (W 80-71)
Next Game: Saturday 2/12 at Fairfield, 1 p.m.
6) Quinnipiac (11-10, 6-7 MAAC)
Last Week: 4
Last Game: Sunday 2/6 vs. Monmouth (L 76-63)
Next Game: Wednesday 2/9 at Fairfield, 7 p.m.
7) Manhattan (11-9, 4-7 MAAC)
Last Week: 7
Last Game: Sunday 2/6 at Canisius (L 77-70)
Next Game: Tuesday 2/8 at Rider, 7 p.m.
8) Fairfield (10-12, 4-7 MAAC)
Last Week: 6
Last Game: Sunday 2/6 vs. Siena (L 62-56)
Next Game: Wednesday 2/9 vs. Quinnipiac, 7 p.m.
9) Rider (8-13, 4-7 MAAC)
Last Week: 9
Last Game: Friday 2/4 at Siena (W 74-60)
Next Game: Tuesday 2/8 vs. Manhattan, 7 p.m.
10) Canisius (8-16, 4-9 MAAC)
Last Week: 10
Last Game: Sunday 2/6 vs. Manhattan (W 77-70)
Next Game: Saturday 2/12 at Marist, 7 p.m.
11) Marist (8-13, 3-9 MAAC)
Last Week: 11
Last Game: Sunday 2/6 at Saint Peter’s (L 66-50)
Next Game: Tuesday 2/8 at Monmouth, 7 p.m.
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