2017-18 Fairfield Men's Basketball Digital Guide

Game Notes

FAIRFIELD, Conn. -- You can put away all the preseason magazines. You can delete all the preseason polls. And you can forget what the prognosticators have prognosticated.  All the practices, all the scrimmages, and all the exhibitions all lead into one thing – the season opener.

And that moment has arrived for the Fairfield University men's basketball team as it will play its 2017-18 season opener on Saturday. The Stags host the University of Pennsylvania at Webster Bank Arena with the game tipping off at 1 pm.

For Head Coach Sydney Johnson, the season opener will be about seeing how much progress was made during the preseason and being able to see his stable of newcomers in action for the first time in a regular-season game. Based upon what he saw in the exhibition games last week, he appears to like the heading of this team.

"This team could be the most versatile team that I have ever coached," Johnson said.

That versatility comes from all positions and in reality from all corners of the world. Fairfield's international roster offers the coaching staff different styles of play with different skill sets that will make Johnson's job of blending the talent into a winning combination.

Fortunately, Johnson has a senior class which has set the foundation for the 2017-18 campaign, namely Tyler Nelson, Jerome Segura, and Jared Harper. Nelson comes into the season as the top-returning scorer in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) and as the conference's preseason player of the year. Segura is poised to move into the top ten for career assists in the Fairfield record book, a goal he should reach by the end of the month. And after suffering through a few injuries over the last couple of seasons, Harper appears ready to utilize his long-range shooting prowess and ball handling ability to contribute this season.

Several of the newcomers distinguished themselves during the preseason, especially in the two exhibition games played by the Stags. Ferron Flavors Jr. posted 16 points against Hofstra and again versus Bridgeport to qualify as the only newcomer to reach double figures in both games. Wassef Methnani demonstrated his ability on the defensive side of the court, averaging 8.5 rebounds in the two exhibitions in addition to scoring 9.5 points per outing.  Jesus Cruz also contributed a double-digit performance with his 12 points against Hofstra.

But the Stags will face a tough opponent in Penn, a traditional contender for the Ivy League title. The Quakers begin their 2017-18 season on the road this afternoon, but return home for three straight games at the Palestra.

Penn was selected fourth in the Preseason Ivy League Coaches Poll, which put Harvard, Yale, and Princeton in front of the Quakers. One of the reasons that the team was selected in the top four could be the return of AJ Brodeur, who led the team in scoring as a freshman. The forward averaged 13.8 points per game and also was the team's top rebounder with 6.8 per contest.

 Head Coach Steve Donahue named Darnell Foreman, Matt MacDonald, and Max Rothschild as the program's captains for the upcoming season. Foreman placed fourth on the team with 8.3 points per game, and paced the Quakers with 96 assists. MacDonald, who will serve his second term as a captain, appeared in 20 games which included 15 starts, and averaged 3.8 points and 2.9 rebounds per outing. Rothschild played in 27 games last year as a reserve and posted 3.8 points and 3.0 rebounds per game a year ago. 

Today's match up with the Stags will be the first of two games in which Penn will play a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) team this season, also taking on Monmouth University on November 25.
Besides the excitement of the season opener, fans will enjoy the promotions and giveaways scheduled for Saturday's game as well. In recognition of Veteran's Day, all veterans and active military personnel will receive one free adult ticket with valid military ID. Veterans and active military personnel will be honored in our Hats Off to Heroes recognition as well.

Coming out early to the game will also benefit as the first 200 fans will receive a game-day Frisbee as well as the first 400 fans can pick up a schedule poster.

The first 500 students will receive a "Stars and Stripes" Stags T-Shirt and can also attend the Student Tailgate at Mason's Pub, which includes complimentary chicken fingers and French fries. Mason's Pub is located on the third floor of Webster Bank Arena and the tailgate begins at noon. Students can also take advantage of a free shuttle that will run from the Barone Campus Center traffic circle to Webster Bank Arena beginning at noon through the end of the game.
 
Please visit the Ticketmaster web site for tickets to the Penn game or any other Fairfield University men's basketball game. Season tickets are also still available by visiting the Fairfield University Athletic Ticket web page.