I attended the event at the Penn Club on Tuesday night. I have to say it was a first class event. From the food to the players and coaches it was awesome.

As GD stated this will be an annual event on MAAC media day. I urge everyone to make an effort to come next year.

The entire coaching staff for the men's and women's teams attended the event.

In terms of the women, Coach Frager sounded upbeat and says that he needs a shooter to emerge if Fairfield will be able to contend with Marist. Geehan, Flaherty, Johnson and Pina were there.

AJ, JT and RO were there representing the men's team. I was able to talk to all three. AJ is ready for the year and stated that this group is the most closely knit group he has played on while at Fairfield. I expect AJ to have a great season.

I spoke to the coaches and in terms of scheduling next year they are looking for a preseason tournament. They are also close to signing an agreement to play at Florida next year. Ed and Al refuse to play each other so don't expect BC on the schedule. Also, the new coach at Providence broke the series agreement.

From talking with the coaching staff my hunch is that Needham will start in the backcourt along with Jordan. I also expect Nero will play by the end of December as the rumbling I heard is that he is the best he has been in months. Hawkins is progressing and that he will be back by the middle of November. Cooley stated that he loves this team and that in years past he didn’t have this same sentiment. Most of the talk surrounded on getting the team ready to play three games in three nights in March.

Wow!  Playing the Gators in Hogtown (that's how my FSU grads refer to Gainesville) would have all the earmarks of an early season "warmup" for them.  Donovan can recruit - he does have problems keeping them for all 4 years, so it does no good to project now.  

But it would be a nice road trip for members of Stag Nation who hold down the southern command post.  The reality would be to combine it with other games down here and put together a winning combo of road trip/scheduling attractiveness (see MD/DC this season).  They could go ACC (FSU or Miami); BE (USF); FIU (autograph session with Isiah Thomas) or play FGCU, which would be a well matched up game.

Alternatively, a stop in NC to say hello to friends and family of Hawkins and Jordan while playing any number of teams there has to be a possibility as well.

These are great fodder for the board but rarely do these ever pan out.  

The Florida game will be a reunion of sorts for Peter A. Indelicato from the Class of 1965 who is the Gator's Head Team Physician and the Wayne Huizenga Professor of Sports Medicine at the University of Florida...

http://www.gatorzone.com/health/?p=indelicato

With the signing of 2 Stag players for next year you can see why the coaching staff was pushing hard for a game in Florida.

As someone who is also a Rutgers grad, and a follower of their sports programs too, I can tell you that Greg Schiano has taken the RU football program out of the depths of despair, in large part, by recruiting Florida effectively.  I wonder if Cooley is looking to do the same?

I find it interesting that the coaches are still effectively recruiting in the south.  Many of us had believed that Tim Fuller and his southern connections were what allowed us to get Edney, Hawkins, Jordan, AJ.  When Fuller left, it was somewhat assumed that the Stags would lose their ability to do much down south.  That obviously isn't the case.