David Jollon is entering his seventh season with the Stags. Coach Jollon serves as the program’s Recruiting Coordinator. This season, coach Jollon has been charged with implementing the Stags new ‘motion offense’ as a compliment to Fairfield’s well established signature style of play. He has also been tasked with post player development in the upcoming 2021-22 season. In addition, Jollon continues to be responsible for Fairfield’s zone defense.
Coach Jollon came to Fairfield after serving two seasons as an assistant coach at Molloy College and prior to that he served six seasons as the head coach of Dean College. Serving as the Recruiting Coordinator at Molloy, Jollon brought in two top-25 Long Island Goldstar recruits, and an All-State player from Connecticut as part of his first recruiting classes. As head coach at Dean College he finished as the all-time winningest NJCAA coach in the history of that institution.
Since coming to Fairfield, Jollon has enhanced the team's recruiting efforts, especially overseas. Jollon has helped recruit players from France, Ireland, and Spain, including Lou Lopez-Senechal who was named the 2019 MAAC Rookie of the Year, the program's first in 15 years. Lopez Senechal has also garnered 2020-21 All-Met honors as well as pre-season “Player of the Year”, finishing that season as the only unanimous First Team All-Conference selection. Another Jollon recruit, Andrea Hernangomez from Spain has also found success in the MAAC as she was named the conference’s Sixth Player of the Year award in 2021, the second in program history. Also on the recruiting end, the 2017 recruiting class was ranked No. 1 in the MAAC and 52nd in the country (Dan Olsen, ESPN), representing the first nationally ranked recruiting class in the history of the Fairfield University Women’s basketball. Most recently in 2021, Coach Jollon recruited Sydney Lowery a graduate Senior from Boston College and three-star ESPN recruit named the 30th best guard in her class out of high school, who’s ranking will make her the highest rated guard to ever wear a Stags Women’s basketball jersey.
In addition to his recruiting wins throughout his career, player development became a key field for Jollon at Molloy College, as he helped in the development of Nicole Arnone, who signed a professional contract for the Portlaoise Panthers, a team in Ireland’s top division for women’s professional basketball. He also aided in the development of Kelly Guerriero who was the 2014 Division II National Statistical Champion for 3-pointers per game with 3.5.
Before heading to Molloy, Jollon was the head coach for NJCAA power, Dean College for six seasons. At Dean, he recorded a .610 winning percentage while amassing an 85-52 record, the most victories for any coach in the program’s history. During his tenure at Dean, the Bulldogs qualified for the regional tournament every year. His teams made their name on defense and in his final two seasons they ranked in the top-10 nationally in points allowed per game and defensive field goal percentage.
At Dean, Jollon was also a relentless recruiter, by bringing in and coaching 12 All-Region players and one Preseason All-American. During his time at Dean, eight players were able to earn spots NCAA scholarship programs with their development under his tutelage. One of those players, Shelly Monahan finished second in the country in scoring while at Dean and reached the 1000 point plateau in her two years at the college, one of only two players in the history of Dean College to reach that mark. Monahan transferred to Concordia College and set the record for most points in a game in the Clippers history at 31 while netting 8-of-10 three pointers.
At Fairfield, in addition to recruiting and now implementing Fairfield’s offense, one of coach Jollon’s top responsibilities has been the Stags’ zone defense, which in 2016-17, was ranked in the top 8% nationally for defensive efficiency (Synergy Sports). In 2021, the Stags played zone 80% of their possessions on defense, finishing in the top 15% nationally in points allowed per possession at .682 and finishing 4th nationally of teams who played zone more than 50% of their possessions. In the same year, the Stags finished 11-5 overall and 9-3 in conference, their highest winning percentage since 2013-2014 season where they finished 22-11.
Coach Jollon earned his Bachelors Degree from Thomas Edison State University and resides with his wife Kate and daughter Saylor and son Jack in Branford, Conn.
