Fairfield’s New Leader
Fairfield expects to go to the NCAA Tournament this year…and probably next year too. And they have good reason to have such high expectations. This is a very talented group led by Derek Needham and they bring in some experienced and talented players like Houston transfer Desmond Wade and Boston College transfer Rakim Sanders.
Coach Ed Cooley split for his old stomping grounds in Providence, so the search for a new coach at Fairfield was an interesting one to watch. Who wouldn’t want this job? I could take it and at least make the NIT this year and maybe the NCAA Tournament next year. Thus, the expectations on former Princeton coach Sydney Johnson are quite high. This is a team that will slug it out with Iona for the MAAC title and, with a strong start, could be looking at an at-large bid even if they fall in the conference tournament.
And the future, well at least for 2012-2013, looks very promising too. After this season the frontcourt will need a little retooling with the loss of Ryan Olander and Rakim Sanders, but the backcourt will be loaded yet again and more experienced than ever. What happens after those two years is anybody’s guess. Coach Johnson probably did not leave his alma mater to spend the rest of his career at Fairfield. Many thought he would not leave Princeton in the first place, but the talent on the roster may have been a little too much to turn down. Coach Cooley parlayed his success at Fairfield to a job in the Big East. That may be the case for whoever got this job as well. Two solid years with a team built to succeed during those two years may not land Coach Johnson a better job, but it very well could if he wants to move on that quickly.
However, that is looking pretty far ahead. For now, Coach Johnson has to get the job done at Fairfield and he has a lot of coaching to do. There are a lot of players clamoring for minutes on this team right now and he will have the luxury of mixing and matching his players depending on the situation. That is why he will take them to the NCAA Tournament, while some others would just ride the talent to the NIT.
Read the in-depth men’s basketball preview for this team
