Country roads take Fairfield home after Stags’ 0-3 start

By Pete Janny (@pete_janny)

Head coach Jay Young and his Fairfield team arrived back to campus late Wednesday afternoon less than 24 hours after dropping a 78-65 decision to the Xavier Musketeers. 

Playing this game on a Fox Sports national telecast, tipoff was set for 9 p.m. from the Cintas Center, one of the premier venues in the Big East with every bit of a homecourt advantage. To boot, the Stags showed up in Cincinnati undermanned, simply looking to stay competitive without two important pieces. Despite the high stature of the venue and its opponent, Fairfield had a two-point advantage at halftime, and started the game much like it wanted to finish it. Instead, the Musketeers outscored the upset-minded Stags by 15 in the second stanza and averted the scare. 

Jake Wojcik and Brycen Goodine were the two Fairfield players who remained on campus for what Young called an “internal thing.” The absence will be short-lived, according to Young, and both players will return immediately, but not without losing another game to work on their crafts. Wojcik is shooting 20 percent from the field without a 3-point make on the young season, while Goodine, a transfer from Providence, has only played 31 minutes total across two games. 

As a result of Wojcik’s absence, TJ Long got the nod for his first career start. Long, who Young calls more of a scorer than shooter, was his normal aggressive self, with eight points on only 3-of-13 shooting. Meanwhile, the bigger story for Fairfield was the emergence of its alpha, Supreme Cook, who filled up the stat sheet with 19 points to lead the Stags. After battling injuries early on, Cook showed clear signs of the elite player he can be for his team, as well as a top big man in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, not backing down from Xavier’s two-headed frontcourt monster in Zach Freemantle and Jack Nunge, who combined for 38 points, with the former posting a triple-double line of 15 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists. 

As expected, the Xavier big men got their points, but not without feeling pressure on defense from Cook, who went right at them. The budding star brought out an array of offensive moves, getting his baby hook shots to fall and using the glass to his advantage. Cook set the tone for the Stags’ offense by hitting three of his first four shots to help give his team a 23-14 lead at the 9:35 mark of the first half.

“He has always had some success against bigger guys,” Young said of Cook, who is already in his third year at Fairfield. “He did a great job, just to wrestle with those guys for the amount of time on defense.” 

It took Xavier longer than expected to settle in, but once it did, the Stags defense was under nonstop duress. Impressive shot-making and increased opportunities in transition later on in the first half were huge for Xavier. A 10-0 run gave the Musketeers their first lead of the game at 24-23, with the big three of Freemantle, Nunge and Adam Kunkel methodically exploiting any miscues in the Fairfield defense.

“Some of our defensive lapses were a product of our offense, you know, quick shooting and a couple of turnovers,” Young said. “Those guys just wear you down physically.” 

Prior to Tuesday night, Young had described his team as “a good group who likes each other.” Despite lacking the talent against Xavier, this sense of fortitude and togetherness with Young’s team held strong and the Stags were able to go into the half with a lead, backed by a pair of corner triples from Zach Crisler and continued success from Caleb Fields down the stretch of the first half. Fields looked good again in this game, registering 14 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals.

“I thought in the first half, we had six or seven possessions that were some of the better ones we had all year,” Young said. “We need more of them and showing these guys what it looks like when everyone is touching the ball and having success.” 

After finding ways to make Xavier shoot poorly in the game’s opening minutes, the Musketeers gave the visitors a taste of their own medicine to start the second half. Fairfield had a stretch of close to four minutes without a field goal made after back-to-back baskets from Cook. And while Xavier reclaimed the lead, the Stags still refused to be buried. 

“We knew they were going to make a run,” Young said of Sean Miller’s Musketeers. “I challenged our guys to fight back, and they did.” 

The closest the Stags got from there was within three with 12:16 left, when Fields pushed the tempo and located James Johns, Jr. on the wing for a sweet-stroking three. The play was a sight to behold for Fairfield fans, giving them a glimpse of their team’s exciting potential. Fields to Johns for three could be a common theme as they start to play more together. Right now, it’s a steady buildup for Johns, but Young has every bit of confidence in the four-star recruit who dropped 13 points in the loss at New Hampshire. The Stags are only shooting 30 percent (22-for-72) from beyond the arc through three games, which may make Johns all the more important moving forward. At Xavier, they shot just 29 percent (7-of-24) from downtown. 

Young’s experienced roster only has three freshmen, including Ant Davis, Jr. and Michael Rogan, both of whom will be redshirting this season, per Young. Davis’ status had been previously unknown, and the Virginia native will now retain an extra year of eligibility. Rogan committed to Fairfield a week after being offered by the Stags last fall and played his final prep year at South Kent in Connecticut.

The early morning flights and road trips are becoming a weekly staple for the Fairfield program. Young remains as upbeat as a coach can be for an 0-3 team, despite not getting as much sleep because of the busy travel schedule. Now in his fourth season at Fairfield, Young understands the ingredients that go into winning and is starting to see a little more of them by the day; the only hangover being the final score lines against these tough non-conference opponents on the road.

Fairfield’s attention turns to a Friday night matchup on Staten Island at Wagner (2-1). From his observations of their film, Young compared the Seahawks to the Saint Peter’s teams coached by Shaheen Holloway based on their defensive exploits. Wagner has already defeated Temple, who triumphed past Villanova this past Monday.

“I know that Donald (Copeland) and Sha are very tight,” Young said. “I felt like I was watching Saint Peter’s film with the way they get at you defensively.” 

There’s nothing like home sweet home, especially with a new arena waiting in the wings in Leo D. Mahoney Arena. For Fairfield men’s basketball, that will have to wait until December 3, when the Stags host a Saint Peter’s team now led by former Wagner coach Bashir Mason. The Stags are counting down the days.

“The women open it up this weekend,” said Young, in reference to the Fairfield women’s home games against Stonehill and Michigan. “It looks beautiful.”