Fairfield University Athletics

2017-18

Matija Milin continued to assist his teammates both as a starter and as a reserve, offering consistency from either role. He began the year in the staring lineup, picking up starts in the first 14 games and 16 of the first 17 contests. He came off the bench against Niagara on January 20 and remained in that role for the rest of the season. He averaged 7.6 points as a starter (121 points in 16 games) and 3.7 points per contest (37 in 10 games). He collected a season-best 18 points in his second start of the season, making seven of 10 shots from the floor against Loyola. He completed his only double-double of the season in that game with a season-best 11 rebounds. Milin tallied 10 or more points in five games, four of which came as a starter. He netted 15 points against Niagara in his first game as a reserve, playing 27 minutes. Milin missed seven of the last nine games of the campaign, coming off the bench against Marist and Niagara in the MAAC tournament. He ended the season with a 6.0 scoring average and a 4.2 rebounding average. He made 49 percent of his field goal attempts (63 of 130).

2016-17

Milin began the year as a starter, getting the nod through the first 15 games of the campaign. He came off the bench for the remainder of the regular season, not earning a start until the MAAC tournament quarterfinal game against Siena. He posted 14 points against the Saints, giving the forward his eighth double-digit scoring effort in 16 starts. As a reserve, Milin reached double figures twice – 14 points at Iona and 11 points vs. Rider. He would tack on one more double-digit effort as a starter when he posted a double-double against UMBC in the CIT first round, recording 20 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in 37 minutes. The performance against UMBC was one point shy of his personal best of 21 points, set against Iona, playing a career-high tying 40 minutes against the Gaels. Milin ended the season with an 8.3 scoring average and a .483 field goal percentage. His field goal percentage was third among his teammates.

2015-16

Milin developed into one of the top sixth-men in the MAAC during the 2015-16 campaign, coming off the bench in all regular-season games. He garnered his first start in the MAAC quarterfinal game against Saint Peter’s and remained among the starting five in the next two postseason games against Monmouth and New Hampshire. Milin reached double figures for the first time as a Stag with 11 points at Maryland-Eastern Shore which started a run of five straight double-digit scoring games. During that run, Milin posted his only double-double of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds against Columbia. He fell one rebound short of a double-double in three other games – Manhattan (19 pts.), Saint Peter’s (10 pts.) and Monmouth (16 pts.). The latter two in that list came in the MAAC tournament which enabled him to be the team’s top rebounder in the MAAC tournament with a 9.0 average. Milin was named the MAAC rookie of the week when he averaged 16 points in a 1-1 week against Siena and at Saint Peter’s in the final week of the season. The forward later surpassed that five-game run of double-digit scoring when he hit the 10-point mark six times over the final four regular-season games and the two MAAC tournament dates. He was also successful distributing the ball, posting at least one assist in 15 games and three or more assists in six contests. 

Before Fairfield:
Matija Milin, a 6-9, 220-pound forward, came to Fairfield from Belgrade, Serbia and was ranked as a high major player at the 2015 UBA Showcase in Istanbul, Turkey. He was a member of the Serbian Junior National Team from 2011-14 and was also a member of KK Zeman (Serbia) Junior Team.