The Basketball season is officially over following the squad’s defeat in the MAAC Tournament on March 11th. Coach Casey is disappointed in his team’s results and relentlessly working to ensure a more successful 2025-26 season by recruiting and retaining/obtaining talent through the transfer portal.
This year, the team endured many disappointments but also showed signs of hope for a better year in 2025-2026. Their marquee wins over Quinnipiac, Marist and Mount St. Mary’s were glimpses of greatness but three consecutive losses to cross-town rival Sacred Heart were particularly painful. Coach Casey admitted, “We had some good moments, some good wins…we weren’t able to maintain consistency throughout the year”. The team rounded out the season by finishing with a record of 12-20 and placing 10th in the MAAC conference.
According to Coach Casey, the lack of success was not cultural. He defended his players by stating, “It was a good group, they worked extremely hard…By and large, guys gave us what they had.” However in the age of NIL and the transfer portal this “good group” will not remain intact. Casey even described the future roster as “completely unpredictable”.
With the transfer portal being recently opened, there have already been some newsworthy entrants from Fairfield. Prophet Johnson was the first to enter the portal after coming off an impressive season averaging 13.3 points and 7.7 rebounds. Johnson was the leading scorer for the Stags but also possessed an extremely versatile skill set.
Deon Perry was the next to enter the portal. Perry is best known for his unbelievable half-court heave to beat Marist when the Red Foxes were still in first place in the MAAC. The undersized guard also excelled with finishing around the rim and was a great contributor of assists.
Makuei Riek also has entered his name in the portal. The 6 ‘6’’ Guard only averaged seven minutes a game but provided height and athleticism in the Stag’s backcourt.
To fill the gap of transfers Casey will hit the portal, but will also rely on the commitments of fresh, high school recruits like Tony “Butta” Williams, Nasir Rodriguez, and Declan Wucherpfennig. Williams recently scored 41 points in the Connecticut-New Jersey All-Star game and Wucherpfennig followed with 20 points and 10 assists.
When describing his recruitment strategies, Casey explained that he aims to fill in the weak points of the current roster. One area for improvement is shooting as the team ranked 11th in field goal percentage in the MAAC with just 40.7% of shots finding their way into the basket.
Casey also stated that he needs to find players that can “get to the rim” and have “size and athleticism”. However, in general, it comes down to “getting good players” according to the coach.
While some student-athletes choose to leave the squad, others have just begun their off-season program. On Monday the 24th, the team commenced their weightlifting regimen which will occur four days a week until the end of the year. The players will then have a short break and report back for an 8-week training session from mid-June through early August. After returning to campus the season will only be a couple of months away and routine practices and scrimmages will occupy the program’s time.
Though NIL and the transfer portal ensure that a roster will never be the same year to year, there are still some distinct qualities of college sports. In a final message to the community, Coach Casey credited the fanbase of the Stags and said “Thank you to the fans that support us…This whole university community is a great place.”
