By Joe Budzelek
In Zen Buddhism, the term shoshin is often translated as "beginner's mind," a state that can only be achieved when experienced practitioners set aside their preconceptions and approach each moment with openness, possibility, and endless curiosity.
After speaking with Fairfield head coach Chris Casey on Tuesday, I can't confirm whether the veteran coach has a dedicated Zen Buddhist meditation practice. But like many experienced head coaches, Casey enters this season with genuine excitement about his roster while avoiding the naïveté that can come from clinging to the illusion of certainty.
"I'm excited about this group," says Casey. "Our depth is good, and we added a couple more guys who can create off the dribble and score the ball. I like the makeup of this team, and we have a chance to be really good."
Head coach Chris Casey and assistant coach Taj Benning focus their instruction during transition ball-handling drills during Tuesday's practice.
While roster turnover continues to reshape college basketball, Fairfield has bucked the trend by returning 10 players from last season. That continuity has given the Stags a head start this summer, as veteran players have helped newcomers learn both the system and the culture Casey has built.
"What happens now is that, early on, there was a lot of instruction during those first few practices," says Casey. "Now, the returning guys can start helping teach the new guys. That's always helpful when you have players coming back who have experienced the league, experienced college basketball, and understand the speed and physicality of the game.
"That being said, we're still a fairly young team. Eleven of our 15 players are first- or second-year guys, so we're still young in terms of our overall experience. But that's not something I really focus on beyond planning and recruiting because I think we have some really good young players."
That continuity has also allowed Fairfield to focus on the finer details of becoming a championship-caliber team. The Stags enter their final season in the Metro before joining the Coastal Athletic Association ahead of the 2027-28 season, and they'll be chasing the program's first conference championship in nearly three decades.
"Basically, what we've been doing is focusing on defense—speeding the game up on that end by forcing turnovers and rebounding," says Casey. "On the offensive end, we want to get out in transition, score before the defense gets set, move the ball side to side, take care of it, and avoid turnovers. We also want to attack the offensive glass and get to the foul line."
Aside from Brandon Benjamin's departure to Boston College to join former UConn assistant and Fairfield alumnus Luke Murray's first head coaching staff, much of the excitement surrounding the Stags centers on their returning sophomore class: forward Declan Wucherpfennig, point guard Tony Williams, wing Halon Rawlins—each of whom started at least 22 games last season—and big guard Nasir Rodriguez.
Along with Benjamin, Wucherpfennig was one of four unanimous selections to the MAAC All-Rookie Team after averaging 12.6 points and 8.4 rebounds per game in conference play while shooting 59 percent inside the arc and 34.5 percent from three. Combining a polished skill set and high basketball IQ with a relentless work ethic, the Teaneck, N.J., native is expected to reprise his role as one of Fairfield's most impactful players on both ends of the floor.
Initially a rotational piece off the bench, Tony Williams supplanted graduate transfer Deuce Turner in the starting lineup last December and settled into a complementary, lower-usage role alongside All-MAAC Second Team selection Braden Sparks. With Sparks now graduated, Williams is well-positioned to take on a larger offensive role, particularly as a creator and shooter—two strengths that were on full display during Tuesday's practice.
When asked which guards had stood out early in practice, Casey chose to highlight the overall development of his backcourt rather than single out one player.
"That's still to be determined," says Casey. "What we're seeing in practice right now is some of our returning guys starting to make that next jump. Tony's making a jump. Halon's making a jump. Eric's making a jump. We have a number of guys who are taking steps forward.
"Braden had an outstanding season for us, and we're going to miss him a lot—not only because of what he did on the court, but because of the leadership he brought every day. He was also a really good defender for us. The thing with Braden was that he was a returning player from the year before, and that experience helped him make that jump."
Like Williams, Brooklyn native Halon Rawlins earned a full-time starting role midway through last season, beginning with Fairfield's win over Monmouth. Entering his second year with the program, Rawlins is looking to add another dimension to his game while building on his reputation as a physical defender. He also finished last season with the conference's 16th-best offensive rebounding rate, according to KenPom.
At first glance, Rawlins' 25.0 percent three-point shooting appears to be a weakness. However, if you exclude the first five games and final six games of the season, the 6-foot-6, 220-pound wing shot 33.3 percent from beyond the arc over the middle 22 games. If Rawlins can sustain a respectable percentage from three this season, it would not only create more space in Fairfield's half-court offense but also further solidify his place in the starting lineup.
In addition to Tony Williams, returning junior Eric Mejia is another guard poised to break out following the graduations of Braden Sparks and Deuce Turner. After spending most of last season as Fairfield's third guard off the bench, Mejia is perhaps the leading candidate to open the season as the starting combo guard alongside Williams.
While Mejia's traditional statistics are modest, he is a capable secondary playmaker and the returning guard with the most natural ability to create off the dribble. His knack for getting into the paint creates high-percentage scoring opportunities, both for himself and his teammates, while also generating trips to the free-throw line. Listed at 6-foot-3 and 195 pounds, Mejia has the size and physicality to thrive as a two-guard. With an expanded role, his strength, confidence, and downhill mentality should translate into improved shooting efficiency during his second Division I season.
Rounding out Fairfield's returning backcourt are sophomore Nasir Rodriguez and senior Noah Best. Rodriguez scored a season-high 12 points against Seton Hall last season, but the bigger guard occasionally struggled with his decision-making. Even so, his combination of size, physicality, and floor-spacing ability should continue to earn him rotational minutes off the bench.
Injuries have limited Best to just 22 career games between his time at Fordham and Fairfield, with the Bronx native last appearing for the Stags 18 months ago. Despite those setbacks, Best's athleticism and explosiveness were on full display during Tuesday's practice. The 6-foot-5 veteran will compete for rotational minutes alongside Rodriguez and Fairfield's three incoming freshman guards.
Speaking about the freshmen, Casey was encouraged by the early returns.
"The new perimeter guys we brought in are doing some really good things," says Casey. "I like Jah Hatchett. Cole's playing well. Jaden [Brown] wasn't out there today because he's working his way back from an injury, but he's going to be good."
Like Williams, Hatchett is a creative point guard who finished his high school career at the nationally renowned Putnam Science Academy. Though undersized, he is sturdily built and has the tools to become an effective downhill facilitator from day one. Hatchett appears to be the early favorite to back up Williams at point guard, though don't be surprised if Casey experiments with lineups featuring both former PSA guards together.
Originally committed to Western Kentucky and previously holding an offer from Pittsburgh, Cole Edelen is a consensus three-star recruit who particularly impressed during Tuesday's practice. The versatile combo guard showcased his ability to score from all three levels while pairing that offensive versatility with a hard-nosed defensive approach. It would not be surprising to see Edelen make an immediate impact, especially given his ability to play anywhere in the backcourt.
Like Edelen, Bergen Catholic product Jaden Brown projects as a combo guard. The 6-foot-4 freshman, who also received offers from several regional mid-majors, including Iona, possesses the size to develop into a switchable defender while complementing his defensive upside with a polished, multi-level scoring game, particularly from the midrange.
With a deep mix of returning and incoming guards, Casey and his staff were able to approach the transfer portal with patience, targeting complementary pieces instead of overhauling the roster. One of those additions was Boston College transfer Marko Radunovic, whose size addresses a clear positional need.
Listed at 6-foot-6 and 205 pounds, Radunovic will compete with Halon Rawlins for minutes on the wing, giving Fairfield a noticeably bigger option than last season's Rawlins-Mejia pairing. During Tuesday's practice, Radunovic's offensive feel immediately stood out. His vision, communication, and movement without the ball reflected the advanced processing ability that has coaches excited about his long-term fit within the offense.
The incoming sophomore played sparingly at Boston College, but he represented Montenegro at last summer's FIBA U20 EuroBasket Division B tournament, where he averaged 15.9 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 3.4 combined steals and blocks per game. While three-point shooting has yet to become a strength, both at Boston College and internationally, Radunovic's smooth shooting mechanics suggest he has the potential to develop into a reliable floor spacer over time.
Mercyhurst transfer Qadir Martin is Fairfield’s other addition through the transfer portal. Listed at 6-foot-5 and 215 pounds, Martin is a quintessential high-motor bruiser who was forced to play much of last season as a small-ball five. Casey, however, sees him as a versatile, multi-positional piece who can provide physicality across the frontcourt.
“We lost Brandon Benjamin, so there’s a significant amount of rebounding that’s lost there,” says Casey. “We wanted to go find a guy who was very active, rebounded the ball, and could block shots, and that’s Qadir. He does those things. He’ll play some of the four and some of the five for us, so we’re able to plug him into either role.”
During his final season at Mercyhurst, Martin averaged 11.6 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.4 blocks, and nearly one steal per game, earning a spot on the Northeast Conference All-Defensive Team. An analytics darling on the offensive end, Martin also finished last season as the fourth-most efficient offensive player in the NEC, according to KenPom.com. He posted top-10 conference marks in block rate, offensive rebounding rate, defensive rebounding rate, turnover rate, and two-point shooting percentage.
Martin will be a key frontcourt contributor, though the distribution of his minutes will likely depend on the health of senior center Peyton Smith. After missing all of last season due to injury, Smith used his time away from the court to transform his body in the weight room. Now listed at 6-foot-10 and 270 pounds, Smith looks noticeably stronger and somehow leaner than he did as a sophomore, when he weighed 35 pounds less. The hope is that the Hudson Falls, N.Y., native can reclaim his place in the starting lineup after previously starting 47 games during his Fairfield career.
Junior Isaac Munkadi also returns to provide frontcourt depth. Listed at 6-foot-10 and 200 pounds, Munkadi possesses elite length but is still developing the physical foundation of his frame. While he is expected to resume his role as the backup center, he has already shown the ability to contribute when called upon, averaging 9.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in his two starts last season against Division I opponents.
Assuming the roster remains healthy, Martin projects as Fairfield’s primary backup power forward. However, his versatility allows him to slide to the five when needed, particularly in conference play when matchups and spacing can reduce the importance of traditional size.
Looking toward the future of the frontcourt, freshmen Oesoemana Sacko and Braydon Jones represent two intriguing long-term pieces. Both 6-foot-8 forwards were highly recruited coming out of high school, with Sacko receiving an offer from St. John’s and Jones holding offers from nine regional mid-major programs, including Iona and Manhattan.
At this stage of the offseason, it is expected for coaches to express optimism about every player on their roster. But in Fairfield’s case, there is legitimate reason to believe that all 15 scholarship players could compete for meaningful roles, especially early in the season as Casey and his staff experiment with different combinations.
“The biggest thing for us is understanding that we’re going to need different guys to step up at different times and on different nights,” says Casey. “Everyone has to stay together, stay committed to the team, and embrace that mindset.”
Throughout his tenure at Fairfield, Casey has shown a willingness to use deep rotations, particularly during non-conference play, where it has not been uncommon for more than a dozen players to earn minutes. This season may provide another opportunity for that approach.
Like every team in the Metro, Fairfield enters the year with unanswered questions about how its roster will ultimately come together. But with a strong foundation of returning talent, targeted additions through the portal, and competition throughout the roster, it is easy to understand why the Stags are being viewed as one of the conference’s top contenders.
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