After a year that could not have been much worse for head coach Ed Cooley and the men’s basketball team, fourth place in the pre-season coaches poll must seem like a blessing.
Every year Cooley has stated that it is not where the team is picked in the beginning of the season that matters, but where they finish. Last year the Stags overcame injuries to finish fourth in the conference, but could not find their way past Siena in the MAAC tournament.
This year Fairfield returns two key seniors, Anthony Johnson and Mike Evanovich, while classmate Greg Nero is possibly out for the season with an injury. Nero has not reported to school yet, but instead is taking classes at home while recovering from an illness. Cooley is also without junior forward Yorel Hawkins, who had his appendix removed before the first practice of the year.
Cooley will have junior Warren Edney back after recovering from an injured achilles heel and Johnson seems to be back close to his old form after a blood clot in his lungs prematurely ended his junior year.
“Anthony is here with us today and so happy he’s healthy,” Cooley said at MAAC Media Day at ESPN Zone in New York on Tuesday, referencing the fact that Johnson and sophomore Ryan Olander were at the event with him. ” He’s looking like (Titans’ defensive end) Jevon Kearse.”
Cooley added that Olander has also “put on some size and played well in the pre-season so far,” providing another option inside in a conference often dominated by guards.
Siena was not surprisingly selected first, with Niagara and Rider being picked second and third. Directly behind Fairfield was Saint Peter’s and Loyola. Rider’s Ryan Thompson was named the Pre-Season Player of the Year.
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