GETTING INSIDE

Last season, with his team enduring all kinds of health issues, Jonathan Han was supposed to be the man who kept it all together for the Stags.

As it turned out, the senior floor general was kicked off the team by Fairfield coach Ed Cooley for not acting like a leader at all.

Fast forward to this season, when a freshman floor leader led the Stags to an 8-2 start, the program’s best in over 30 years.

Needham was leading MAAC freshmen in scoring and assists and was tied for fourth overall in scoring and was No. 2 in assists. He was also second in steals. He scored 10 points and had 14 assists and only three turnovers in 37 minutes of a win over local rival Sacred Heart.

“He’s amazing. He’s a pretty special player,” says Cooley. “He’s an outstanding kid, an unbelievable kid.”

Needham’s leadership not only had the Stags off to the 8-2, but they also swept the two early games on the conference schedule, beating winless Marist at home before going to Saint Peters and winning there, too.

The Stags were getting it done across the board, leading the MAAC in scoring margin while sitting second in field goal percentage and defense, third in scoring and fourth in field goal percentage defense.

NOTES, QUOTES

• Fairfield is off to the program’s best 10-game start since 1977-78, when that team went on to finish 22-5 and in the NIT.

• The 8-2 start lifted coach Ed Cooley’s record at the school to 52-52.

• Fairfield was shooting just 61.4 percent from the foul line but hit 31-for-37 in a win over local rival Sacred Heart.

• The 93 points Fairfield scored in that game were a high under Cooley.

• F Anthony Johnson, who missed the second half of last season with blood clots in his lung, was named MAAC Co-Player of the Week after averaging 18.5 points and 11 rebounds a game in two wins the week ending Dec. 13.

“I feel pretty good,” Johnson said after a big game in the win over Sacred Heart. “I got put in good situations (and took advantage of it).”

Key Early-season Conference Game:   at Canisius, Jan. 2—When you start off 2-0 in the conference, you have to keep it going and the Stags get that chance with the two-game trip to western New York. The second part, at Niagara, should be the tougher game, but Canisius can be tough at home.

Last Year  ‘S CONFERENCE RECORD: 9-9, tied for fourth place in the MAAC.

Quote To Note:   “They fouled the right guys (smile). Overall, 31 free throws made—that’s the game. We doubled their attempts and that’s one of our goals on the board, make more free throws than somebody attempts, and we achieved that today.”— Fairfield coach Ed Cooley after his team, which had been struggling at the line, went 31-for-37 to beat Sacred Heart.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

What We Learned In November:   Fairfield opened with two wins, the first of them over Central Connecticut in the Connecticut Classic triple-header, and finished the month 4-2, including a bad loss at Maryland.

December At A Glance:   How does 4-0 sound? That’s what Fairfield was in a month that started with a pair of conference wins. The Stags still had to visit tough Rhode Island and host St. Francis (N.Y.) to close out the month.

Player Rotation:   Usual Starters—F Anthony Johnson, F Yorel Hawkins, F Ryan Olander, G Derek Needham, G Lyndon Jordan. Key Subs—F Mike Evanovich, G Sean Crawford.

Roster Report:  

• F Anthony Johnson, who missed the second half of last year with blood clots in his lung, was leading the MAAC in offensive rebounds, was second in overall rebounding and blocked shots, fifth in defensive rebounds and sixth in field goal percentage. He was Co-Player of the Week in the conference for the week ending Dec. 13.

• F Yorel Hawkins missed the first three games of the season with an injury but started the next seven games, averaging 16.7 points and 5.1 rebounds per game.

• F Mike Evanovich was fifth in the conference in 3-point percentage, tied (with teammates Derek Needham) for 10th in treys made.

• G Lyndon Jordan was ninth in the conference in 3-point percentage.