Post by FU73 on Mar 15, 2014 19:22:20 GMT -5
"A look at the best and worst of Fairfield" from Chris Elsberry in the CT POST:
Want to relive the good, the bad and the ugly of the Fairfield and Sacred Heart men's basketball seasons? Here you go:
Fairfield
BIGGEST WIN: The Stags had lost 14 of 16 when they took on MAAC-leading Manhattan on Jan. 18 at the Webster Bank Arena. The Stags shot 58 percent in the first half and took a 39-23 halftime lead. And even though the Stags didn't make a basket in the final 10:03, they did just enough, going 15 of 26 from the free-throw line in the last 9:50 to win 71-67. Maurice Barrow came off the bench to lead Fairfield with 18 points.
WORST LOSS: Gee, which one to pick ... Desi Washington, how about you decide. All three? Well, OK. St. Peter's 56-55 win on Jan. 8, the Peacocks' 63-62 win on Feb. 25 or St. Peter's 65-62 overtime win in the MAAC tournament on March 6. Washington hit a buzzer-beating, game-winning 3-pointer in each one.
BEST PLAYER: Without question, Mo Barrow was the heart and soul of the Stags. Starting the first four games and coming off the bench for the final 28 -- earning the MAAC's Sixth Man of the Year Award -- Barrow averaged 14.0 points and 5.0 rebounds. In 17 of Fairfield's 32 games, Barrow was the leading scorer.
UNSUNG HERO: Believe it or not, junior guard Steve Johnston gets the award. Ending up as the team's fourth-leading scorer at 5.7 points a game, Johnston, a walk-on, played just three minutes in three of the Stags' first 21 games. Over the final 11, Johnston hit 22 3-pointers, averaged 21.7 minutes and scored in double figures four times.
COULD'VE BEEN BETTER: Fouls. The Stags committed a ton of them, 734 to be exact. That averages out to 22.9 a game. Because of that, the opposition went to the free-throw line 967 times, making 688 of them (a 71.1 percent success rate). By contrast, Fairfield went to the line just 607 times, making 416. That's a 272-point differential. No wonder Fairfield lost 25 times.
COULD'VE BEEN WORSE: Considering that freshman K.J. Rose ran the point for nearly the entire season along with the fact that the Stags had 10 freshmen or sophomores on the roster, an average of 14.6 turnovers is cause for celebration.
LOOKING AHEAD: With just Barrow graduating, the Stags have 11 players who can return for 2014-15. Coach Sydney Johnson has signed four players for next season, so we'll see who stays and who might go -- the scholarship limit is 13. In any event, the Stags are likely to win a lot more than seven games next season.
www.ctpost.com/sports/article/A-look-at-best-worst-of-Fairfield-Sacred-Heart-5318950.php