» Stags Gear Up for Student Faculty Charity Game

Leo D. Mahoney Arena isn’t done hosting basketball games this school year quite yet.

On Wednesday, April 9, the stands will be packed once again for a new campus event, as the Sports Analytics Club and the Fairfield University Student Association are teaming up for a student-faculty charity basketball game.

Senior Paul LoGrippo, the president and founder of the Sports Analytics Club, as well as one of the main organizers of the event, says things have been in the works for a while as a means of giving back to the local community.

“I love Fairfield as my home, I’m from Long Island but I love it here just as much,” he said. “I wanted to do something to bring the community together… once I brought this idea to FUSA, they hopped right on it and partnered with me, and they’ve been a huge help.”

The game will act as a fundraiser for the Wakeman Boys and Girls Club in Southport. The organization provides underprivileged children in the area with educational opportunities and athletics programs they otherwise would not have access to.

As part of the event, youth basketball teams from Wakeman will be on site and participating in a scrimmage during halftime of the main game.

“I met with President Nemec in the early stages of this, and I wanted to align not only the Fairfield community but also our leadership with a good cause,” LoGrippo said. “In that discussion, we were able to come to the decision that the Wakeman Boys and Girls Club would be a great choice.”

The option to give donations to Wakeman will be open throughout the night. Any amount given will enter fans and students into raffles for the opportunity to participate in a number of minigames and challenges between quarters of the main game, including half court shots and a three-point contest.

As for the game itself, it will be played in 7 minute quarters between a team of student volunteers and an all-star cast of university staff and faculty, including Dean of Students Will Johnson and women’s basketball head coach Carly Thibault-DuDonis.

LoGrippo also made sure to tease the appearance of a special someone students might be eager to see out on the court.

“I would say look out for a very, very high up person in the university,” he said. “Not sure I’m allowed to say the name yet, but get excited for that!”

Women’s basketball guard Janelle Brown ‘24 will host the event on the microphone in the arena, and several of her teammates are pitching in as well as coaches for both teams and as referees.

Ultimately, LoGrippo believes that his time spent organizing, with the help of FUSA and other members of the Sports Analytics Club, will culminate in a unique experience for the community, benefitting not only our campus but also the boys and girls of Wakeman.

“At least right now, we don’t really have something that all the students, faculty, and the whole community can get behind,” he said. “I think it can be really empowering to have the student body and faculty rally behind a cause and raise money for the area around us.”

Though he’ll be graduating next month, LoGrippo is hopeful that Wednesday’s festivities will be the start of an annual tradition that brings our Fairfield community together.

“I’m excited to see the students hopefully support this initiative,” he said. “I think it could be really cool and a really fun thing that could go on every year.”

The game will kick off at 5 P.M. in Mahoney Arena. Entrance is free for all students and fans.