FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Jake Wojcik and Jalen Leach have signed a National Letter of Intent (NLI) to attend and play basketball at Fairfield University. Stags Head Men's Basketball Coach Jay Young made the announcement. The duo joins Jason Edokpayi, who signed his NLI in November.

                Wojcik, a 6-4, 190-pound guard, comes to Fairfield after spending his first two seasons at the University of Richmond where he appeared in 64 games. In his first season at Richmond, the guard started 33 games which was the second most by a freshman in school history. He placed fifth on the team in scoring with 7.7 points per game and fourth in rebounding with 3.5 rebounds every forty minutes. He showed his long-range shooting ability with 65 three pointers in 2018-19, shooting 36.3 percent from long range. As a sophomore, he appeared in all 31 games and averaged 3.3 points per game. Wojcik led the team in free throw shooting with his .905 percentage, netting 19 of 21 attempts during the year.

                Wojcik enjoyed success at the scholastic level as well, earning two West Coast Athletic League Player of the Year awards as a member of the Bellarmine College Prep basketball team. Wojcik averaged 17 points per game as a senior which helped Bellarmine win its second straight league title. Wojcik was named an All-State honorable mention selection and earned All-Metro (San Francisco Chronicle) and All-Area (Bay State News Group).

                 "Jake is exactly the type of student-athlete we value," Coach Young said. "He has two years of experience playing at a high level of college basketball against great competition. On the court, Jake is a highly skilled guard that we're looking forward to coaching him. Jake's character and competitiveness will shine at Fairfield and we're extremely excited to add him to our program."

                Leach, a 6-4 guard from Nyack, N.Y., started his high school career at Bergen Catholic (N.J.) High School before attending Tilton School. He earned All-NEPSAC honors (New England Preparatory School Athletic Council) in 2020 after helping his team post 11 wins during the 2019-20 season. He showed his scoring potential with a 44-point performance in an 88-86 overtime win against Winchendon at the NEPSAC AA Prep Showcase in late February. Leach finished his 2019-20 season with a 24.2 scoring average along with 7.1 rebounds and 5.2 assists. He was also chosen to the All-New England second team.

                "We think very highly of Jalen as a player and a person," Coach Young said. "He is a very hard worker and his versatility on the offensive end will be a great addition to our team. Having played in one of the best high school leagues in the country, he will be well prepared for college basketball. Jalen epitomizes what we value in a student-athlete."             

                Edokpayi, a 6-6, 220-pound forward, helped Mount St. Joseph High School (Baltimore) to a 27-11 record in 2018-19. This year, Edokpayi averaged a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds per contest which helped him earn the Baltimore Catholic League's Most Improved Player. He also collected a spot on the All-BCL first team.

                The Fairfield University men's basketball team will begin its second season under Coach Young. In his first season with the program, the Stags became one of the top defensive teams in the country, ranking 23^rd in the nation for scoring defense by allowing 62.9 points per game.