This Friday at 7 p.m., the Fairfield University men’s basketball team will return to action on their home turf at the Leo D. Mahoney Arena. In the exhibition match against John Jay University, the Stags will seek a victory to set the tone for home games this season.
The game will be marked with a selection of celebrations, including Town of Fairfield and Class of 2028 Night being attached to the home opener. The game will also count as an FYE Connect Event for first-year students looking to fulfill their FYE credits for the semester. Additionally, the Prepared 2 Help Thanksgiving Food Drive will be ongoing in the arena for students and community members to help give back to local communities in need.
After their 69-57 loss in D.C., Head Coach Chris Casey noted the upward trend of progress that the team’s been on. “Of course, I’m disappointed that we lost, but I am happy with some of the progress that we made today, and now we need to use that as a springboard into the next one on Tuesday.” The Stags will hope to stretch this progress when returning home.
The John Jay Bloodhounds, a Division III foe, is 2-0 at the time of printing－for the first time since the 2011-12 season. Among the players contributing to recent successes include sophomore Syl Granda, who recently racked up a team-best 14 points against Saint Lawrence University. Another standout performance came from junior Omar Calderon, who went 3-for-3 from the free-throw line and added nine points within 16 minutes against Saint Lawrence.
For Fairfield University, there are many new faces on the court to keep an eye out for in this first match at home.
Junior Braden Sparks, put up 17 points against Georgetown, marking a new Division I personal best. A transfer from Indian Hills Community College, Sparks helped them achieve a 29-6 record and a NJCAA Semifinal appearance last season. His current career best is 27 points, which came from the Region XI Championship Game. Overall, Sparks put away 53 from outside the arc, resulting in a .411 clip. Sporting number 4, Sparks is expected to make a good impression on the home crowd at the Mahoney Arena.
Junior Prophet Johnson scored five in the first moments against Georgetown, helping Fairfield open up with a 13-5 advantage. Wearing number 16, Johnson comes to Fairfield from Southern Utah University after a standout season; after scoring double figures in 13 of his 30 appearances for SUU along with three 20-point games. Johnson had his season-best performance of 24 points against Utah State. He finished the season with an average of 8.7 points, 4 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. Before Southern Utah, Johnson played for Bellevue College where he was Freshman of the Year and a selection for the NWAC All-Region First Team; he ranked second in the conference with 23.8 points per game and a notable 50 point outing against Whatcom Community College.
Newly appointed team captains, Jamie Bergens; Louis Bleechmore; Kyle Jenkins; and Birima Seck are also players to be on the lookout for.
Bergens, a graduate guard originally from Drexel, has an impressive track record of appearances. At Drexel, he netted 16 points twice last season－his career best. Bergens began his collegiate career at Oral Roberts University in 2021, the season when the 15th-seeded team had a wild underdog run all the way to the Sweet Sixteen. For ORU in totals, Bergens collected 335 points, 101 assists and 129 rebounds. He averaged 15.3 minutes per game over 79 collegiate appearances. Before college basketball, Bergens was a starter for his home country, the Netherlands, at the 2019 FIBA U18 European Championships.
Most recently against Georgetown, Bergens joined Sparks by putting up double digits, totaling 12 points. Nine of the 12 were after the half and a critical sign of life for the Stags’ offense. Wearing number 4, Bergens will greet the Stags for the first time at home.
Returning for his second year with the Stags is Bleechmore, the ice-cold number 12 who is now a graduate student. In his first season with Fairfield, Bleechmore played in 33 games. Averaging 7 points and 3.9 rebounds per game, one of his standout performances was against Rhode Island in which he had a double-double with 24 points and 12 rebounds. Not a stranger to double digits, Bleechmore has passed the single-digit threshold in eight games. A staple to the team, Bleechmore will be supported by fans for a much-needed reunion after a long offseason.
Jenkins, a graduate student who arrived to Fairfield from Lafayette College, was an All-Patriot League Third Team selection last season. With Lafayette, he averaged 9.1 points and 4.3 rebounds per game; ranked eighth in the Patriot League and among the top 20 in three-point percentages at .399. With Lafayette, Jenkins totaled 1,042 points in 110 games; he also has 500 rebounds, 205 assists, 100 steals and 59 blocked shots to his name. Jenkins will be wearing the number 14 against John Jay on Friday.
Seck, also in his second season for the Stags, will be sporting his usual number 1 this Friday. Now a senior, Seck will be aiming to build upon a season that included an average of 2.9 points per game on 58.8 percent shooting; in total, Seck tallied up 14 blocks and 14 steals. His season-best was 13 points against Fairleigh Dickinson University. Seck will be featured in the next issue with a Stag Spotlight that delves into his life on and off the court.
Tickets for the home opener are on sale at Fairfield.evenue.net and are free to students who claim tickets through the Super Stag app before entering the arena.
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