OT: Sydney Johnson out at Fairfield | The Boneyard

OT: Sydney Johnson out at Fairfield

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Thank god. His overall was 116-147 over 8 years at Fairfield. This was step 1. Step 2 should be to bring all the games back on campus. No one goes to Harbor Yard.

They have plans for a better on campus arena and moving games back there. The Harbor Yard thing became a disaster because they didn't win enough to get people to the building.
 
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I always liked coach Johnson, wish he could have brought in a few more higher level players and a few more wins to the FFLD program. Class Coach all the way though.
 
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They have plans for a better on campus arena and moving games back there. The Harbor Yard thing became a disaster because they didn't win enough to get people to the building.

Fairfield planning to build a ‘new’ Alumni Hall

New arena for 2021, apparently.

The new arena helped hockey recruiting but didn’t do anything for basketball at Quinnipiac. Regardless it will have a positive effect on athletics, students and alumni attendance.
 
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Not really a class coach at all. I know a kid from a tough background where getting a scholarship was a dream for the kid as Cooley recruited him, who was a father figure to him. After his freshman year, Cooley left and Johnson replaced him. The kid had a decent sophomore year and had a great attitude and played with great energy. After the season, Johnson called him into his office and the kid thought he was being named captain. Johnson, with zero notice beforehand, told him that he didn’t fit into his plans and his scholarship was revoked. He showed zero compassion for the kid, who was devastated. He obviously had to transfer since he had no money and no scholarship. He ended up at another D-1 school that wasn’t nearly as good academically, but he persevered and graduated. He actually had to sit out a year because of the transfer even though it wasn’t his choice! I know this happens a lot in college basketball, but I always rooted against Johnson after that and loved how he took a strong program from Cooley and ran it into the ground. In my opinion, he deserved his fate.
 
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Fairfield planning to build a ‘new’ Alumni Hall

New arena for 2021, apparently.

The new arena helped hockey recruiting but didn’t do anything for basketball at Quinnipiac. Regardless it will have a positive effect on athletics, students and alumni attendance.

the problem is that article is from 2.5 years ago. Fairfield has been saying for years they're going to re-build Alumni Hall. Even still, their plan has been to re-build with main tenants being Volleyball and Women's basketball. I believe their plan would be to keep Men's hoops at Harbor Yard which is absolutely insane.
 
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the problem is that article is from 2.5 years ago. Fairfield has been saying for years they're going to re-build Alumni Hall. Even still, their plan has been to re-build with main tenants being Volleyball and Women's basketball. I believe their plan would be to keep Men's hoops at Harbor Yard which is absolutely insane.

These lower tier mid-majors take time in renovating their athletic and academic facilities. CCSU for instance had a plan to do ton of renovations to their facilities and their basketball arena has been on the back burner for years. I think they are finally getting the upgrades now and should be done next year, I think. Although it’s only for a few hundred seats.

Out of curiosity @CCSU97 where are they with Kaiser?
 
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Not really a class coach at all. I know a kid from a tough background where getting a scholarship was a dream for the kid as Cooley recruited him, who was a father figure to him. After his freshman year, Cooley left and Johnson replaced him. The kid had a decent sophomore year and had a great attitude and played with great energy. After the season, Johnson called him into his office and the kid thought he was being named captain. Johnson, with zero notice beforehand, told him that he didn’t fit into his plans and his scholarship was revoked. He showed zero compassion for the kid, who was devastated. He obviously had to transfer since he had no money and no scholarship. He ended up at another D-1 school that wasn’t nearly as good academically, but he persevered and graduated. He actually had to sit out a year because of the transfer even though it wasn’t his choice! I know this happens a lot in college basketball, but I always rooted against Johnson after that and loved how he took a strong program from Cooley and ran it into the ground. In my opinion, he deserved his fate.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know there is more to the story than that. Your story is "kid was a huge asset to the program based on play, attitude and energy and Johnson wanted him gone." Does that really strike you as likely? Given that you know Johnson wanted him gone, isn't it likely he vastly overemphasized in his own head his usefulness to the program?

I'm not knocking the kid you know or taking Johnson off the hook -- I'm not a fan of schollies not being renewed simply for not being good enough -- but does it really strike you as likely that you've set forth the real, whole story?
 

whaler11

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Fairfield planning to build a ‘new’ Alumni Hall

New arena for 2021, apparently.

The new arena helped hockey recruiting but didn’t do anything for basketball at Quinnipiac. Regardless it will have a positive effect on athletics, students and alumni attendance.

Huh? They took a huge step up in leagues and were a 3 seed this year.

The league stinks out loud this year but QU is in a totally different place because of it. Compare them to SHU and CCSU...
 

whaler11

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Not really a class coach at all. I know a kid from a tough background where getting a scholarship was a dream for the kid as Cooley recruited him, who was a father figure to him. After his freshman year, Cooley left and Johnson replaced him. The kid had a decent sophomore year and had a great attitude and played with great energy. After the season, Johnson called him into his office and the kid thought he was being named captain. Johnson, with zero notice beforehand, told him that he didn’t fit into his plans and his scholarship was revoked. He showed zero compassion for the kid, who was devastated. He obviously had to transfer since he had no money and no scholarship. He ended up at another D-1 school that wasn’t nearly as good academically, but he persevered and graduated. He actually had to sit out a year because of the transfer even though it wasn’t his choice! I know this happens a lot in college basketball, but I always rooted against Johnson after that and loved how he took a strong program from Cooley and ran it into the ground. In my opinion, he deserved his fate.

assuming the backstory is true the only player it can be is Jemel Fields who scored like 4 pts a game as a sophomore.
 
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Huh? They took a huge step up in leagues and were a 3 seed this year.

The league stinks out loud this year but QU is in a totally different place because of it. Compare them to SHU and CCSU...

Valid point. It helped get them out of the NEC hell hole and into the MAAC. I just don’t think they have done much aside from conference change since the 2007 renovation. A couple good years but sub .500 overall.

CCSU and SHU haven’t done so hot. I really thought Donyell might have added some fire to recruiting but his players tend to transfer out and he is struggling getting over the hump. I wanna see CCSU do well.
 

whaler11

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Valid point. It helped get them out of the NEC hell hole and into the MAAC. I just don’t think they have done much aside from conference change since the 2007 renovation. A couple good years but sub .500 overall.

CCSU and SHU haven’t done so hot. I really thought Donyell might have added some fire to recruiting but his players tend to transfer out and he is struggling getting over the hump. I wanna see CCSU do well.

I thought Donyell was a good hire. That was wrong. He is the worst head coach I’ve ever witnessed.

They are in the conversation for worst program in country. They essentially don’t have a roster currently. They have one legitimate d-1 player in Kristman and nothing else.
 
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As a regular frequenter to Harbor Yard, it's great for AHL hockey, or when UConn plays there for hockey or bball, but the #1 reason I attend more Sacred Heart games than Fairfield games is the ease of getting to their arena and the college sports feel. When you're at Sacred Heart, there's that collegiate attitude, but a bigger, generic arena like Harbor Yard doesn't have the same energy for college sports.
 
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These lower tier mid-majors take time in renovating their athletic and academic facilities. CCSU for instance had a plan to do ton of renovations to their facilities and their basketball arena has been on the back burner for years. I think they are finally getting the upgrades now and should be done next year, I think. Although it’s only for a few hundred seats.

Out of curiosity @CCSU97 where are they with Kaiser?

I think some modest updates to Kaiser are coming for next season. As you probably know, CCSU is replacing old Kaiser Annex (aka The Bubble) with the new Huang Recreation Center. I think the only noticeable changes to Kaiser Gym will be a some new balcony seating and lobby area behind the North wall.

I personally haven't seen any rendering or plans, but according to the RFQ for the new rec center:

"The project will also renovate the existing Kaiser Hall gymnasium to include the construction of a first and second floor entrance to the gymnasium; construction of a new 500 seat second floor air conditioned Press Box and VIP seating area."
 
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I thought Donyell was a good hire. That was wrong. He is the worst head coach I’ve ever witnessed.

They are in the conversation for worst program in country. They essentially don’t have a roster currently. They have one legitimate d-1 player in Kristman and nothing else.

Yep, and didn't some UConn blogger call this a great hire 3 years ago?

He was too inexperienced to be given the keys toa D-I program. It was a debacle from the beginning when the selection committee and AD wanted another candidate, it got worse when he was suspended for 7 games for an altercation with an assistant coach, and now it is a full-blown dumpster fire as everyone left on the roster is transferring out.
 

TJT

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They have plans for a better on campus arena and moving games back there. The Harbor Yard thing became a disaster because they didn't win enough to get people to the building.


The Stags played a majority (7) of their games back on campus this year with just 5 at Webster Bank Arena at Harbor Yard.
 

nomar

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Yep, and didn't some UConn blogger call this a great hire 3 years ago?

He was too inexperienced to be given the keys toa D-I program. It was a debacle from the beginning when the selection committee and AD wanted another candidate, it got worse when he was suspended for 7 games for an altercation with an assistant coach, and now it is a full-blown dumpster fire as everyone left on the roster is transferring out.

But other than that, how was the play, Mrs. Lincoln?
 
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As a regular frequenter to Harbor Yard, it's great for AHL hockey, or when UConn plays there for hockey or bball, but the #1 reason I attend more Sacred Heart games than Fairfield games is the ease of getting to their arena and the college sports feel. When you're at Sacred Heart, there's that collegiate attitude, but a bigger, generic arena like Harbor Yard doesn't have the same energy for college sports.

Especially when the Arena is basically empty.
 

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Especially when the Arena is basically empty.

Yeah it’s brutal with like a thousand people there.

I have some friends that get us up in the VIP area - sneaky good buffet and open bar. Hopefully they make a good hire and the basketball isn’t terrible.

Building is showing it’s age quickly too.
 

zls44

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Yeah it’s brutal with like a thousand people there.

I have some friends that get us up in the VIP area - sneaky good buffet and open bar. Hopefully they make a good hire and the basketball isn’t terrible.

Building is showing it’s age quickly too.

The fact that it doesn't have a complete concourse still makes me laugh. Its a G-d horseshoe!
 

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