Fairfield announced Wednesday the hiring of the new head coach of the women’s basketball team.
Joe Frager, head women’s basketball coach at Southern Connecticut State University, accepted the position to become the fifth head coach in the program’s history.
Frager has been successful everywhere he has coached. Before his tenure at SCSU, he went an impressive 208-58 including three state championships in 11 years at Seymour High.
His success continued at SCSU where he went 189-93. His most impressive season came last year as he led his team to a 34-2 record and the NCAA Division II national championship.
His teams stress defense, as his Southern teams routinely held opponents under 50 points per game, and his philosophy should mess well with the Stags.
Fr. Jeffery Von Arx, president of Fairfield University, started the proceedings by stressing the importance of finding a coach who meshes well with the university’s charge.
“It’s especially exciting for me because I have the opportunity to talk about to of my favorite topics: the mission of Fairfield University and stag sports,” he said.
“Athletics plays a role in that mission by providing multi-faceted ways where are students can reach beyond what they think possible and accept the challenges that athletics present on a daily basis.”
Mark Reed, Vice President of Student Affairs, formally introduced Frager as the new head coach due to Athletic Director Gene Doris’s ankle injury.
Frager remarked on how excited he was to come to Fairfield and contend for MAAC Championships.
“Fairfield University is a very special place and I want to be a part of it,” said Frager in his opening statement.
“Our intentions and goals are to build the women’s basketball program based on Fairfield’s mission,” he said.
“I believe in what Fairfield University stands for and the direction of the basketball program.”
He emphasized playing hard, giving everything on the court and winning the proper way.
Laura Scinto, his longtime assistant from AAU teams, Seymour High and SCSU, will join him at Fairfield.
He hopes to have the rest of his staff announced by late next week, from which he will draw from a diverse pool of candidates, including the returning coaches from last season’s team.
His hiring was the result of a nationwide search involving the hiring of Champsearch, a firm specializing in these kinds of situations.
Doris met with them during the Final Four and had preliminary discussions before finally narrowing down the candidates to the final few.
He was looking for a track record of success, either as a head or assistant coach, along with a coach able to personify Fairfield’s mission.
“In addition to success, I looked for a good fit for Fairfield. I felt [Frager] embodies all of these things. He has a holistic approach,” said Doris.
Not only is Frager a successful coach, but he also has the attributes attributed to Jesuit education. He is eager to start working with each player individually and as a team.
The players meet Frager for the first time today and were equally excited to finally discover their new coach.
“We were excited to meet our new coach,” said junior guard Sabra Wrice.
“As soon as we opened the door, he was excited to meet us and much as we were,” she said.
With the team’s core returning, both parties expect to content in the MAAC next year.
“We have some great players coming in and good players coming back,” said sophomore forward Baendu Lowenthal.
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