Over the last two weeks, few teams in the nation have had to pivot as much as Fairfield.
Jay Young’s resignation last Monday, on MAAC Basketball Media Day nonetheless, forced the program to promote assistant coach Chris Casey to the interim head coach position which then also forced administration to reshuffle the remainder of their coaching staff by adding former St. Francis College head coach and NYC area basketball lifer Glenn Braica along with former Stag longtime starter Taj Benning as assistant coaches.
Coaching changes this late in the season – like Manhattan last year – typically result in a roster exodus, but so far, the Stags, who were picked to finish sixth in the MAAC preseason poll, have their entire roster intact.
Intact, but not necessarily healthy, especially at center.
In late September, Sam Federman reported that “Jay Young told me that Alexis Yetna will be ready for ‘November or December’. However, more conservative estimates from sources tell me that Fairfield was expecting back for the December 30th game against Le Moyne.”
When Fairfield signed Yetna in August, it was always fair to assume that he was arriving at Fairfield with a ton of talent and basketball acumen, but also with injury risks.
The veteran grad transfer last played for Seton Hall in the 2021-22 season and also missed all of the 2019-20 season due to injury. However, whenever the 6’8 230 Parisian is cleared to play, he will be the Stags’ two-way physical force who will also bring a lot of dimension to the offense.
While Yetna’s knee rehabs, Fairfield’s center depth was in good shape with New Mexico transfer Birima Seck expecting to start in Yetna’s absence.
Geoff Grammer of the Albuquerque Journal writes of the 6’11 200 junior: “[Seck’s] a former soccer star that can run the floor, use his agility to create problems for defenders and has great footwork. He’s got some stretch-4 to him and I think he was at his best when playing a little farther from the rim than some might expect of a 6’11 guy,” which in turn, would allow the Stags to open up more space for cutters and penetrating guards.
Grammer adds: “defensively, he’s a good shot blocker and rebounder, but is foul prone. Gets too active at times, but also in playing limited minutes at UNM, played more with a reckless abandon than he likely will if his minutes are going to be consistently over the 20 minute mark. His length allows him to block and alter shots without him dropping his hands.”
However, with Pete Janny reporting today that Seck is expected to miss six weeks after sustaining a high ankle sprain, Fairfield’s remaining center is freshman Peyton Smith.
Over the summer, sources shared with me that the 6’10 250 Smith is a “high IQ big man that is a good passer out of the post and from the middle. He is skilled, with strong post moves inside, but also can face up and drive or shoot a mid-range jump shot. He is also a good screener and ball reversal guy and is a threat on a pick and roll on a pop. Can catch-and-shoot, shoot threes and drive. Physical on defense and seeks out contact.”
Prior to Seck’s injury, the script for Smith could have looked like this: the presence of Seck and then eventually a healthy Yetna would have allowed Smith to develop at his own pace.
Now, there’s a good bet that Smith will be asked to immediately start and play significant minutes. Smith, who played high school ball at Hudson Falls High School in New York, will be forced to make the sizable jump from Class A public high school basketball to Division 1.
Outside of Smith, size is limited. Second to Smith, the 6’6 205 Louis Bleechmore is the heaviest healthy Stag while redshirt freshman Michael Rogan, at 6’7 195, is the second tallest.
Even if Smith plays a big role, someone else will have to play out of position as a small-ball 5.
Saint Joseph’s transfer Louis Bleechmore is one possibility. According to his profile on Fairfield’s website, Bleechmore “made an impact on the defensive end, where Saint Joseph's relied on the 6-foot-6 wing to defend both on the perimeter and in the post.”
Rogan is another possibility. Speaking today to his high school coach, Raphael Chillious of South Kent School, when asked if Rogan can play the small-ball 5 in spells, Chillous replied “I think he can on offense. [Rogan] would create offensive mismatches.”
Earlier in the summer Chillious said of Rogan: “[he] will cause many teams problems because of his ability to hit trail threes, pick and pop 3s, run “ghost” action where he slips out of screens for threes, and he also has the ability to put the ball on the floor…He’s one of the guys that if he sees his first three-point shot go in, it can be a long night for the defense.”
Chillious also raved about Rogan’s improved strength and ability to wrestle guys off the glass, so it is possible for Casey to run out frontcourt lineups with both Bleechmore and Rogan together, especially against teams with less than stellar shooting, which would then allow one of the two to put more focus on help defense if their man is a non-factor in the corner or on the perimeter.
In addition to Smith, freshman wing Marouf Moumine, a Cameroonian who competed at the NBA Academy in Senegal before finishing his high school career as a post-grad at First Love Christian Academy, could earn more minutes during the veteran frontcourt’s absence.
Touted for his versatility on both ends of the court, Moumine’s stretch ability, work on the glass and motor are his most notable assets as he continues to round out his game.
There is a common thread between Bleechmore, Rogan and Moumine, despite their lack of true size: rebounding. That alone could allow Casey to get creative with his rotations whenever Smith is on the bench, especially if breakout 6’6 185 sophomore James Johns could earn immediate minutes.
Fairfield’s injury woes are reminiscent of the tail end of SMU's 2021-22 season when the 6’5 215 Marcus Weathers was forced to play center for roughly thirty minutes-per-game while head coach Tim Jankovich relied heavily on high-paced, five-out offenses and a zone defense.
The start of year, it would not surprise if rotation sans Smith could look similarly: pace, space and a zone defense.
There’s no sugar-coating this: it will be tough for Fairfield early in the season, especially playing against some of the bigger teams in their early non-conference schedule. BC’s Quinten Post (7’0 240), Drexel’s Amari Williams (6’10 227), New Hampshire’s Clarence O. Daniels (6’6 225), Mervin James (6’7 215) and Iona’s Osborn Shema (7’0 220) are all mismatch nightmares within the team’s first eight games. It could get ugly.
The silver lining? There are plenty.
Most of the MAAC conference play starts in January. Players forced into new positions will increase their versatility and resilience. Struggle can breed camaraderie.
After first week underdog matchups against Boston College and Rhode Island, expect Casey to experiment more freely with his frontcourt rotations during their November 13th matchup against DIII opponent Mount Saint Mary.
That being said, regardless of their record, the first few weeks at Fairfield will be very interesting.
No comments:
Post a Comment