Stags 99th in Nation

The new computer ratings involving the MAAC Conference has been released. Ranking all the teams in the nation finds Rider in first in the MAAC, followed by Iona, and Fairfield at 99 rounding out the top 3.

I agree with the computer ratings as you can argue that Fairfield have two quality wins al year with the road victory at Siena and the home win against Vermont. The cancellation at Florida is a killer because they are more than a quality team and the Stags would be able to see where they stand. They are the last quality non-conference opponent and the rest of the schedule is very weak.

Women: Fairfield vs NC State POSTPONED

Tomorrow night's Fairfield at NC State game has been postponed and rescheduled for 12/30 at 4:00 PM. There is no word if there will be a radio broadcast for the event.

Stags vs Florida CANCELLED

Tomorrow night's game with Fairfield travelling to Florida has been CANCELLED with no make up date (if any) announced.

Not on the Bench Anymore

Three years ago she sat on the bench only emerging on the court for 20 games and 56 minutes of play. Combine that with her sophomore total of 37 and she saw 97 total minutes of action. In that limited time she managed to score 6 total field goals and her two season box score read 18 points. Who would have thought that 10 games into her senior season she would have attained 100 baskets and have amassed 258 career tallies?

 

When Joelle Nawrocki walked on to the Fairfield campus she immediately found herself behind the shadows of the players who have already been cornerstone of the team. "Her first couple of years here, especially her first two years we had both Lauren Groom and we had Shireyll Moore here, two players very capable of playing the three spot so she was kind of buried," head coach Joe Frager said.

 

After those two athletes graduated, it became the time that she had been waiting for. It was finally her chance to shine and show that she was able to play and to prove herself in her junior season. The opening game of that 2009-2010 campaign featured several career highs as she played in a then personal best 20 minutes. She recorded 3 rebounds which was as many as she had in the entire 2008 season and one board shy of her 2007 mark. She also swatted her first career block and swiped her third steal. Those 20 minutes almost doubled her career totals in every statistic.

 

By the time the team played their fifth game she had set personal bests in every single offensive and defensive category. Then came December 3^rd. The squad competed in their second home game of the young season and their first in the Arena at Harbor Yard. It also became the first time that she would hear her name resonating throughout the venue in the starting lineup. In that contest she reached career greats in points (15), field goals (6), three point field goals(3), while logging a personal best 39 minutes. That is more time than she saw in the entire previous year! In fact, during the first six games of the 2009 schedule, she almost doubled the amount of minutes she had in her entire career. "The first two years were difficult not playing a lot but over the past two years I've really done all that I can to contribute in every way I can and it's been really good," Nawrocki said.

 

That start seemed to be the one that turned her Fairfield career around. She would follow with five double-digit scoring games, 100 rebounds and 60 assists. Now in her final season wearing the Fairfield uniform, she is counted upon to be an even more impactful player than last year's breakout season, "last year we started her at times but we found out that we thought our best lineup was starting three post players,"F rager said. She has found herself to be a constant part of the opening lineup becoming a starter in all 10 games and has been the team leader in three separate contests. She also paces the squad in field goal percentage and three point accuracy.

 

Even though her 100 career field goal against Albany was a little milestone and one that is hardly even noticed, it shows how far she has come from her first two seasons. Her head coach said, "The patience that she showed and the commitment to our team has really shown through this year and Joelle has done a great job for us defensively and has made some timely baskets as well."

Fairfield has Best Defensive Game

The Fairfield University women's basketball team entered Wednesday's contest against the Albany Great Danes as the eighth best defensive team in the entire nation. The squad only had surrendered 50.2 points per game and had limited their foes to shoot only 35 percent. They would 'protect' those rankings as the miniscule numbers would decrease even smaller as they held the America East team to a program record 26 points while shooting a minute 16 percent from the floor. Statistically it was the best defensive effort in the 30 year history of Fairfield women's basketball. "I'm ecstatic with this win," head coach Joe Frager said, "I thought our kids did a fantastic job defensively. They paid really close attention to the scouts and really executed it to a tee."

 

Albany already became the seventh opponent that the Stags had held to under 50 points in the first 10 games of the season. Since Frager became the head of the coaching circle, the Stags have held 26 opponents to under 50 points and are 25-1 in those games. They have also confined 14 teams to under 45 points and lastly restricted 6 to below 40 tallies. It is safe to say that defense is something that the coach emphasizes in practice, "We really focused on our defense that is what we keyed in on before going into the game, we just wanted to take away their plans and make it as hard as possible for them," Joelle Nawrocki said.

 

Excluding the Hofstra game where they gave up 89 points, the team has allowed only 38 points per game! The big reason why they were able to 'secure' their winning streak which now stands at three games and 'guard' their 7-3 record.

 

Fairfield seems to have used these non-conference games as a way to flush out their mistakes and work on their strengths before the ever important MAAC portion of their schedule. "I think we're starting to turn the corner, conference play is always difficult because everyone knows each other so darn well ," Frager said.

 

With only one out-of-conference games remaining, the Stag's defense (which is the best in the MAAC) is coming together at the right time. "I think we can make a good case that this may be our best win of the season," Frager said. The head coach has always prided his team on their defensive systems. With the offense just starting to gleam the defense has always shined. If the team continues their impressive defensive effort, it just might 'secure' a MAAC crown.

Men’s Basketball Reaches 7 Straight Wins

The Fairfield University's men's basketball team continued to travel on their winning successful ways on Monday as they were victorious for the seventh straight game, the third time they have amassed a winning streak of that many under Coach Cooley. Their latest victim became the Vermont Catamounts, a team that Fairfield lost to a season ago in the annual BracketBuster contest. Although this was a non-conference game, it became a true challenge for the red hot Stags. The first six decisions of the winning streak have had some fans wondering about how legit the triumphs were. The half a dozen wins came against schools whose combined record was 8-38 which including two teams that were yet to show up on the other side of the loss column. Arguably the only 'big' win of the recent swing had been the blowout at Siena. But the Stags were looking for that "quality win."

 

The Vermont Catamounts became what they were searching for. They came into the game ranked 16^th in the Mid-Major Poll and 37^th in the National RPI rankings. "They were tough to prepare for," fifth year head coach Ed Cooley said, "they are a quality opponent."

 

When the Stags started struggling out of the gate, the loaded bandwagon quickly became less packed. Many question marks started to arise such as the injuries to Yorel Hawkins and Warren Edney and the doubt if Ryan Olander can truly be that big presence they desperately need. Those questions were answered on Monday.

 

"Warren and Yorel changed the game," Cooley said. Edney tied for the team lead with 15 points with Hawkins picking up his first double-double of the season recording ten tallies and rebounds. "We had to go out there and match their intensity," Edney said. The senior has reached double figures in almost all of the Stags games despite coming off the bench in the last few as he recovers from minor injuries. Coach Cooley does not care how or when he gets on the court, "I just like Warren there period," he said. "He's an oddball… if he was on a pool table he'd be a different color because when he hits something the whole game changes," Cooley said.

 

Hawkins recorded double figures in points for the fourth time in his past 5 games. It was the first time that both Warren Edney and Yorel Hawkins both ended the game in double digits.

 

The seniors were not the only two to steal the spotlight. Junior Ryan Olander showed that he can be a spark on this team. It has become a play maker who can shift the momentum of the game. The contest was culminated by a highlight reel one handed put-back dunk that he slammed down that brought a buzz to the usually quiet Arena at Harbor Yard. "Coach always says when the shot goes up get to the glass," Olander said. After the years of criticism about his toughness and his strength, Olander is going out there to answer his detractors. "When big guys get it the sky's the limit," Cooley said, "and he's close to getting it…he's going to be a hell of a player."

 

Cooley says the part of the game that the team prides themselves on is their toughness. It is evident if you witness and improved Olander for example. "Our guys lift weights and I don't want them to lift weights just to go to the beach," Cooley said.

 

The month of December was supposed to be the most difficult stretch for this squad. They were opposing two MAAC foes including the defending champions in rival Siena, a top 50 nationally ranked RPI team, and other contests that look like "trap" games. So far they have leaped over every hurtle. But their next game is a mountain. They travel to Gainesville to face the 19^th best team in the nation, Florida. This team has answered every whistle and have really heated up in the cold month of December.

    

Fairfield 500

The Fairfield University women's basketball team has always been noted as a successful MAAC basketball program. In 1980, Coach Diane Nolan and Fairfield began their Division I road and have experienced many ups and downs throughout the collegiate journey. The head coach led the squad to their first win of their new division against Hartford in the second game of the 1980 season and held the reigns for the next 26 years. During that stretch they were crowned champions on the MAAC Conference four times and have been on the national stage reaching the Big Dance twice. The exciting players and memorable coaches that have passed through the hallow walls of Alumni Hall have helped designing the venue with exhilarated fans and banners that hang from the roof. And after 30 years as a Division I program, the Stags have 500 wins to show for it.

 

The third win they recorded in their D I inaugural campaign was against St. Francis of New York. 496 wins later, they recorded number 500 versus the same Terriers. "[It's] really exciting. It's fun to be a part of that win," current head coach Joe Frager said. "This place has a rich history in basketball. Coach Nolan did a tremendous job when she was here. To try and continue that legacy and get this program going, it's exciting," he said.

 

214 people were in attendance to witness the historic win and the Stags 'race' to a win with a 64-50 decision. The afternoon was also an historic day for a player as Desiree Pina enjoyed a career best 24 points. Although the season is only 9 games old, it must have felt like '500 days of summer," for the junior guard. The Pre-season All-MAAC team selection entered the game shooting 20 percent from the floor and 2-22 from behind the arc. However, she has not concentrated on her recent struggles, "I don't really look at my points records, I just look at how we're going to win. If we win I can build on that anytime," Pina said.

 

Arguably, Pina is the most important player for the squad and they hope her performance is something the can build on. "It was only a matter of time before she had a game like this. She's a very competitive person and when you don't play the way you'd like to really competitive people tend to beat themselves up mentally," Frager said.

 

Fairfield now owns a two game winning streak and have "matured" according to Frager. "We've been talking to them about the importance of communicating both offensively and defensively. We're our best when we're talking on both ends of the floor and we're starting to see some of that," he said. Fairfield has now improved to 6-3 on the year but their record is not the most important aspect that they notice. Pina had one word for what she likes best of what she saw in the team, "togetherness."

 

With conference play approaching, the team is coming together at the right time. The Stags will go for win 501 on December 22^nd against Albany.