7 months have passed and now we return to the start and wonder what the road ahead will bring. How will Fairfield respond to losing their leader? It will be difficult to decipher at first, as the Stags once against face a daunting early season schedule from the outset.
One thing is for sure, with eight underclassmen, this is still a young team - and a sixth-place MAAC projection in the coaches' poll proves expectations are low.
But that's fine with Fairfield.
- Herbie Allen is in line for some serious playing time from the get-go. He's projected to be opening day starter. In this Chris Ellsbury piece, the presence of some new freshmen guards may have motivated him.
- M.T. Church hits the nail on the head: scheduling is tough.
- Warren Edney, Yorel Hawkins, and potential starter Lyndon Jordan are not polished yet, but they are exciting. The potential is certainly there.
- Season one for any coach is challenging. Add in a new hometown, an inheritance of players you are unfamiliar with, and an underachieving program and you've got yourself a tough task. Ed Cooley welcomed it, and felt like it was a tale of two seasons. Now, it appears as if he's in a comfort zone at Fairfield.
- Say what you will about Cooley, but he knows how to get through to his players.
- New women's coach Joe Frager makes his debut tonight in the scrimmage with Bridgeport. Unlike Cooley, he inherits an experienced, contending team.
- Fairfield alums want to see more meat in the seats after Harbor Yard. One could certainly sense a difference in atmosphere between the opening night thriller against America and a majority of the games down I-95. Still, one would hope that some more victories to the credit of both teams will make the change. On a positive note, the MAAC tournament game against Loyola (Md.) here was phenomenal.
- Whether it is our choice or not, Sacred Heart has been thrust into the spotlight as our rivals. However, it's more geographic proximity than hard-feelings between the two Fairfield, CT schools. Apparently Sacred Heart is loving the idea of taking the town: they sent a Pioneer over on Halloween to the Barone Campus Center, and threw around some "Go Big Red" flyers around the Walsh Center, just in time for basketball practice. Motivation already?
- Greg Nero likes Kanye West.
- Bob Huessler is a local legend. I'll admit that, as a New York sports fan as a kid, it was pretty cool to be able to cover a game a few feet away from a bonafide professional. We're lucky to have him here at WVOF.
- Fairfield has just signed a deal with Cablevision/News 12 Connecticut to broadcast some MAAC games later in the season (Rider was one definitive answer).
- It's still nine days away, but it's never too early to start thinking about the competition when you're dealing with a powerhouse like Wake Forest. That powerhouse, though, is undergoing some changes.
- On a personal note, tomorrow is the "Super Bowl" of New Jersey. As a Bergen Catholic alum, it's not just a choice to be there, it's an obligation
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