Taryn Johnson (Peter Caty/The Mirror)
Women’s basketball head coach Joe Frager and his team were still reeling from a disappointing 66-49 loss to Marist in the MAAC conference finals when he returned to his Crowne Plaza Hotel room in Albany. Twenty minutes later, after setting his Blackberry aside, a message popped up. The Women’s Basketball Invitational was interested in Fairfield’s participation.
Eight days later, the inaugural WBI announced that Fairfield had been selected and would play Towson in the first round. Towson (15-15 overall, 9-9 Colonial Athletic Association) is seeded fourth while Fairfield (19-12, 11-7 MAAC) is fifth.
Click here to see the full WBI Bracket.
“It was very nerve racking,” said Frager. “They said they’ll let us know on March 15, but they didn’t say it was going to be at 11 at night. I was at a high school basketball double-header and getting stomach-sick. Then we finally got the call.”
Fairfield last played in a postseason tournament when the Stags received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament in 2001.
“We’re really excited,” said Frager. “It’s a great opportunity. Fairfield hasn’t been to a postseason tournament since 2001, so it’s going on nine years now. It’s a nice reward for the type of season they’ve had and it’s a nice recognition for their efforts. (Seniors) Tara (Flaherty) and G (Stephanie Geehan) said all during the tournament, ‘Stags for another day,’ and now they can be.”
While Towson is the lower seed, Fairfield will host the game at Alumni Hall at 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 18. The first 200 students will get in for free and Frager is hoping for a good turnout.
“I hope so,” he said. “But I’m realistic. I’m not looking for the entire student section to be filled, but I think it could be a fun atmosphere. And just to have the girls recognized would be nice. They literally busted their asses all year and it would be great for our kids. I know they would love it.”
Making It Work
The Stags had to work hard to rebound from a 10-12 start to the season, dealing with injuries and a six-woman rotation for the last two months. Yet, Fairfield reeled off nine straight wins, including two in the MAAC Tournament to reach the finals before falling to Marist.
After the game, Marist head coach Brian Giorgis was complimentary of the job Frager had done, especially in light of the Stags’ first win of the win streak, which was against Marist after a season-low loss against St. Peter’s.
“When we played up there before the game, Joe said to me ‘I don’t know how much longer our kids can keep playing,'” said Giorgis. “But give them credit, they gave a gritty effort and they kept playing hard. But playing three games in three days, your legs do go; I don’t care how good of shape you’re in. Frager though, that guy can flat out coach. I would love to sit down with Joe and see how he gets his kids to remember all that stuff.”
Frager admitted to wondering about where his team was headed after the loss that dropped the team to 4-7 in the conference and 10-12 overall.
“Honestly, I’d be sitting here lying if I said at that point after the loss to St. Peter’s I knew we’d be here,” he said. “I thought, ‘I wonder where we are going to get our next win. I don’t know if we’ll win another.’ But on the flip side, I thought we were capable of so much more. I thought we just had to fight through the rough patches better.”
The Stags did that in the last third of the season.
“I think we took each weekend game by game,” said Flaherty. “We took that last third of the season and made it ours. On and off the court we came together.”
While the loss in the championship game was disappointing and means no NCAA Tournament bid for the team, Frager thinks the team will still prepare just as hard and is excited to play in the postseason, even if it isn’t the big dance.
“Obviously as coaches, you do worry about that,” he said. “Especially after losing the tournament and going on spring break. We gave them four days off, then when we came back, they had three really good days of practice. They’re excited and happy with a chance to play in a tournament.”
Against Towson, the Stags will have to be careful not to get roped into a run-and-gun type of game that the Tigers enjoy playing.
“They’re pretty scary,” said Frager. “They play in a very strong conference. They love up-tempo and they hammer the boards. We need to control the tempo and rebounding is going to be key. We need to play the game on our terms and play more our style. It’s got to be one-and-done for them.”
Fairfield’s Advantage
One advantage for the Stags is that their style of playing, emphasizing half-court offense, is well-suited for tournament play. Frager runs multiple sets and Giorgis thanked his assistant coach who scouted the Stags after Marist’s win in the finals.
“She says when she retires she’s going to write a book on all Joe Frager’s sets,” said Giorgis. “He’s got a zillion of them. I’m actually more impressed that his kids remember all of them.”
Even though Towson is only .500, they played a tough schedule and beat No. 25 Maryland as well as Delaware and Old Dominion.
“We’ve got to find ways to neutralize their physical advantage,” said Frager. “We’re not going to out jet anybody. (Sophomore) Taryn (Johnson) can move, but some of our other girls, can be, let’s say, ‘laterally challenged’.”
While a win on Thursday would be sweet, it’s a credit to Frager, his staff, and most importantly his players, who kept battling even after injuries and falling nearly to the bottom of the conference, to even reach the postseason.
“Unless you’ve been in this situation, you don’t realize how hard it is,” said Frager. “To go from there, to playing for a championship, that makes it real special.”
Leave a Reply