Greg Nero has a Lasting Impact

When a student is recruited to play at the collegiate level, they hope to give the school everything that they want: a good character, a clutch performer, and a legendary hero. For five years, Fairfield Stags fans had the pleasure to watch an athlete who gave his program everything that they could hope for. He only stood 6 foot 7 weighing 215 pounds but his contribution for the team far exceeded his duty to perform on the court. His true image to the Stags will be shown as his extreme dedication off the court.

When Greg Nero first donned the #44 Fairfield jersey, he began his collegiate career with the fastest start in Stag history. He led the team scoring in each of his first 6 games, the first Fairfield rookie ever to do so. The streak was highlighted by a performance against the state benchmark UCONN Huskies in Hartford. That game is by most fans considered his most memorable moment. The early success wasn't a surprise for Nero. He came to the Stags after a successful career in Red Hook, New York when he led his team to four Section 9 championships after comiling a 92-8 overall record.

He continued his freshmen success ending the year 6th among MAAC rookies in scoring. He was also one block shy of the team lead and second in free throws.

2007 was a new year for Nero and he was gaining some conference attention. His sophomore year was the first time in his career he was named to an all-MAAC team and his season was one of the most consistent among the squad. Along with Jon Han, they were the only Stags to score a point in every game on the season. He played in 2 less games than his rookie campaign but managed to raise his rebound average by a board a game.

The effects of 2008, would change his entire career and his life. The forward set career bests in almost every offensive category scoring over 13 points per game. He would never dip below double figures at any point in 2008, and tallied 10+ points in 20 of the 28 games that he competed in. Midway through the year he seemed a step slower. He missed a few games for a back injury he sustained throughout the year, but he was able to return for the MAAC tournament.

The game was against Manhattan. After participating in the first tournament win he ever experienced as a Stag, he was unable to recall even playing in it. The Stags entered the first round match-up limping to the finish line. They lost Jon Han afetr the guard left the team, and their future star forward Anthony Johnson was battling for his life with a blood clot on his lung. However, Nero did not want to be another Stag victim. Playing through a case of mono and back pain, he led Fairfield to their first playoff victory in years. However, after that game he did no remember playing in it. He went to the hospital after the contest but was able to return the next day against eventual champion, Siena.

The next summer was filled with hope. Fans were preparing for the return of all the players who fell last season, which included a healthy Greg Nero. However, his desire of playing that year would fall short. Unable to move from his bedside for nearly a year, his basketball play would not be the only aspect on his mind. Instead now he was fighting for his life. He did not have the strength to arise from his bed, nevermind fighting for a loose board. He didn't have the short term memory to recollect a movie he just watched, nevermind memorizing a playbook, or the focus to have a conversation, nevermind playing a complete 40 minutes. Instead he would watch the team or listen to the games on the radio not even able to pick up a basketball.

Until a time when he felt healthy enough to attend a Stag's game. He sat on the bench looking at his teammates when a ball rolled his way. After he picked up the ball he said that it was the first time he touched a basketball in months.

He tried to make a comeback. Risking a relapse he fought to play as a fifth year senior. His teammates raved that during practice it looked like he did not miss a beat. When he first jogged on to the court in the exhibition game against the University of Bridgeport, it was a feel good moment for all. The few fans in attendance gave him the applause that he deserved. From where he was to where he was at that point on the court of the now Webster Bank Arena, a place where he must have felt at home, gave even more hope to one of the most promising years in history. He would play in 8 games in the regular season.

It feel appropiate that his final game for the Stags would come in front of his home crowd on campus at Alumni Hall. It gave his fans a final time to cheer on an athlete that was one of the most dedicated athletes ever to roam the Fairfield campus. He would end his Fairfield career with 945 points, 463 rebounds, 96 assists, and 80 blocks. If he were to finish the year there is no doubt he would have reached his milestones such as 1,000 points scored. He would have his name forever etched on the banner at Alumni Hall. He would be remembered forever. However, he does not need that accomplishment for his character to be remembered. He was one of the most personable and nicest athletes on the team who literally gave the team 110 percent, his entire body.

Whatever he decides to do after he graduates, all he has to remember is that he has changed the character of the Fairfield University basketball program.

Nero NOT Returning

According to the Poughkeepsie Journal, Greg Nero has left the team for health reasons. He says that he does plan to attend school in the spring semester and that his goal from now on is to graduate, he is six credits away from doing so. Nero's last game came at Alumni Hall against Howard. He was averaging over 5 points and 3 rebounds a game.

Rutgers 68 Fairfield 53

The Fairfield University men's basketball team (1-1) dropped their first game of the year against the Big East team in the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (1-1). Click here for the complete recap and boxscore.

The Least You Should Know:
-Warren Edney had 12 points in the game but only 1 in the second half.

-Greg Nero had 1 point

-Derek Needham had a team high 14 points but went 5-20 from the floor including 2-10 from behind the arc.

-The Stags did not have one point in the paint in the second half.

Well if the Stags keep playing like this, I think the MAAC is much more wide open than others think. They could not get anything going on offense. I do not know how a team does not score a close range shot in the second half. What is also disturbing is that Derek Needham only had one less rebound than Ryan Olander. Olander is the big man and the leader without Anthony Johnson and he NEEDS to get more boards. Not just him but the rest of the team as well.

The Game Ball Goes to: Colin Nickerson, He went 2-4 from three and did not have to play after he fouled out

Up Next: The Stags travel to Penn State to play the Nittany Lions Friday at 7:30.

Men's Sixth Man?

Who will be the men's basketball team sixth man on the year? With the graduation of the best sixth man in the MAAC last year in Mike Evanovich, this becomes a even bigger problem. The candidates are all guards who can add speed and quickness to the team that is already comprised of many guards. Here's who i think are the top 3 candidates if we go by the following as the starting five.

Starting Five:
Derek Needham
Yorel Hawkins
Warren Edney
Colin Nickerson
Ryan Olander

Top three:
Sean Crawford: He is a feisty and quick guard who is one of the biggest threats from three point land. Not only can he beat his defenders with his speed but he controls the ball very well and is a good scorer. The biggest part of his game is the intensity that he brings in every time he comes off the bench. Numerous times last year he was the spark plug of the struggling team that add intensity and a desire to win.

I always thought that the best player Crawford could become is a good sixth man. I think this is his year to show that he can do this. The team is also going to struggle behind the arc with the departure of Mike Evanovich so they need someone to add to that game. He also looks alot like John Legend.

Lyndon Jordan: Two years ago, who would have thought we would have mentioned his name like this. But Jordan has shown his clutch factor in games past. He was big for us in 2008 with all the injuries but slowed down a little bit last year when he was asked to go to a starting role. He brings speed and quickness and also I feel a good knowledge of the game.

I will never forget looking at the game report after the Fordham contest and seeing that Lyndon Jordan made the winning shot. Bob Heussler's call said it all, "Lyndon Jordan the unlikeliest of heroes have given the Stags the one point win." I don't think he is better than Crawford but he does have something that helps the team out on a daily basis.

Greg Nero: This is the hardest one because Nero has enough talent to start and be one of the team's better players. All of his teammates have said that looking at him in practice, he has not missed a beat. He says that he expects to play 20-25 minutes a game, but Cooley is taking it easy on him. If he does come off the bench, he will not only be the most talented bench player in the MAAC, but he will also bring size and a grit to him that the team needs. It's a small team but when Nero wants to score, there is no stopping him.

Nero is one of my favorite players because of his competitiveness. He pushed his body beyond reasonable expectations and almost paid the price. I still think he is one of the best in the MAAC and just can't wait to see him play. When he is fully healthy, I believe that he will will become a full time starter.

Stags Country Season Two

The Fairfield Magazine Show, Stags Country, will air Saturday at noon on My 9. This is the second season of the show which have aired stories such as Anthony Johnson and his battle with a blood clot, the Emmy award-winning story about cross country runner Greg Chase, and the men's lacrosse adoption of Ryan Tucker.

This show would feature such stories as Greg Nero recovering from his illness, Coach Jim O' Brien and Shannon Fay returning to their old roots, and the swim team raising money for "Swim for the Sound." Go to YouTube to see the previous stories.

Stags Selected Number 1 in MAAC, 83rd in Country

In the collegehoopsnet season preview, they have ranked the Stags as the probable winner of the MAAC and the 83rd best team in the country. The Stags have been getting recogniztion from many different college previews this year.

It is interesting to note that they put alot of emphasis on Yorel Hawkins. "This is a team that lacks size." They also argue that if Hawkins gets hurt than they will not have the depth to recover like they did last year.

They also expect Edney to start from the beginning of the year and even have them in the projected 5. Earlier in the year, Cooley admitted that he felt that Edney will never be fully recovered from his Achilles heel injury.

Also of note, it doesn't seem like they like the status of Greg Nero. "Anything they can get out of Nero is a bonus- a big bonus." After hearing reports like this, it makes you wonder how effective he can be this year.

WVOF Greg Nero Interview

WVOF had the chance to talk with Greg Nero and this is what he had to say about his status, sickness, and the upcoming season:

Q: First and foremost, how are you feeling so far?
A: Pretty good I'm just happy to be back. I'm trying to get things going on all cylinders again. Mentally and physically, I'm not there yet but I'm very optimistic and I hope to contribute alot to the team this year.

Q: How hard is it to transition back into the college game?
A: It's tough. I mean physically it's alot [with] practice getting in shape. It's a pretty hard schedule to follow when you haven't done it in a couple of years and I'm still feeling kinda on edge about whether I can pull it yet off this year. But my performances have been going up each week so we're all pretty optimistic about how I will be doing this year.

Q: How did you feel about watching the team go all the way to the MAAC championship last year?
A: I was excited to see them do it because I thought they had more talent than Siena in the MAAC championship game and they could've had them really. I was excited to watch the new guards, Derek Needham and Colin Nickerson. I thought they looked really good. I thought they have a lot more potential to develop. I am also excited about the new freshmen we have coming in this year. I think we can do something special this year.

Q: Is there any one game you're looking forward to in particular?
A: I'm looking forward to playing against Siena because I want to give my best shot to them. The last two years I felt like I haven't been able to give them my best shot. I want to redeem myself. So, I'm looking forward to the first time we play Siena, especially at the Times Union Center. I want to beat them there at home.

Q: Can you make a pitch for the Fairfield students to attend the basketball games?
A: Come to our games. We're picked pre-season number one this year or we should be. We got a full stacked lineup and it's going to be fun. It's going to be exciting. So come on it's gonna be a good time at Alumni Hall or Harbor Yard.

Q: You're probably going to be preseason number one. Is there any added pressure on the team?
A: There's always pressure every year, particularly this year. We have a lot of expectations probably for our team but we set our own expectations. We don't really worry about what the media or the fans want us to do. We already have high expectations for ourselves and we want to achieve our goals. We want to be the top team come the conference tournament in March.

Majok out? Nero in?

According to the MAAC Blog, high ranking officials say that there is a major paperwork issue that they do not think will work itself out and it appears that the highly touted incoming forward will ever play for the Stags. Several blogs have named Majok the "best newcomer" to the MAAC. It is also interesting to note that in the Stags basketball preseason prospectus, Majok is NOT listed on the roster and it also says the Greg Nero WILL play in the 2010-2011 season

In with the old out with the new it looks like. Majok was a highly regarded prospect on many message boards and it doen look like something has happened that will cause him to not play for the Stags in the upcoming year or maybe ever. About a week ago, I posted a link written by Chris Ellsbury stating that Nero deserved a scholarship because of everything he has done for this program. Well it looks like he will return for the upcoming campaign and get that scholarship. I am worried about the length of this team now though. Coach Cooley admitted that it was Siena's length that caused them to lose that game. On the current roster, there are only 2 Stags above 6'5'' (Nero and Olander). Guess we'll see how this story turns out.

Ellsbury: Nero deserves a scholarship

In an article for the Fairfield Citizen, Chris Ellsbury argues that Greg Nero deserves a scholarship to play basketball at Fairfield University even if he is unable to play at the beginning of the season or at any point during the year.

I cannot agree more with this article. In 2008, when the team had to cope with injury upon injury and the suspension of their star player in Jon Han, Nero took it all in stride. He came to the Arena with the same smile on his face and his trademark golden kindness despite the sickness and injuries that he had to battle through.

It would have been easy for Nero to quit. Who would have blamed him? No Edney, Han, and Johnson. After all he was going through injuries himself. But he became the face of the team. A reason for the fans to come out and believe in the team. This team would not be where it is today without that.

Now that the Stags are starting to become legitimate in the MAAC we will find out where their allegiance lie. Jamal Turner and Shimeek Johnson have already transferred and the situation with Greg Nero will show the loyalty that Cooley has to his players. After all, they are just as much to credit for the team's rise to power.