Fairfield University Head Men’s Basketball Coach Jay Young announced his coaching staff this afternoon, listing Chris Casey, Bryan Dougher, and Patrick Sellers as his assistants and Jim McDonnell as his director of basketball operations.
“I am thrilled to welcome Bryan, Chris, Pat and Jim to our Fairfield basketball family,” Young said. “I wanted to hire a diverse and talented staff with an abundance of energy and passion for recruiting and player development. More importantly, I wanted our players to be surrounded by men of great character and integrity. I am confident that this staff checks every one of those boxes.”
Casey is quite familiar with the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference as the veteran recruited and coached six All-MAAC basketball student-athletes during his six-year tenure as the head coach at Niagara University. Most recently, Casey brought in Khalili Dukes, who earned the conference’s 2019 Co-Offensive Player of the Year in March. He was able to translate his recruiting efforts into success on the court as well, leading the Purple Eagles to a CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) in 2017-18 where he helped the team collect 19 wins that season. He also served as the head coach at LIU Post (2010-11 to 2012-13) where he won 62 games and earned two NCAA tournament berths. His first head coaching experience was a three-year stint at Rutgers-Newark.
“I have known Chris for almost 30 years and could not be more thrilled he has decided to join our staff,” Young said. “Chris is a complete coach who’s had great success at multiple levels. He knows the MAAC extremely well having served as the Head Coach at Niagara for the past six years. Chris has a wealth of experience and extensive knowledge of the game with a great passion for teaching that will benefit our program tremendously.”
Dougher spent the last five seasons as the director of basketball operations at Stony Brook University (2014-16) and Rutgers University (2016-19). His work as the director of basketball operations included a variety of administrative tasks including coordinating team travel, scheduling of practices, official visits and recruiting records as well as fundraising initiatives, alumni events, and overseeing student-athlete academic schedules. He graduated from Stony Brook as the men’s basketball program all-time scoring leader during the Division I era with 1,609 points. He went on to play professional basketball in Australia as a member of the Ringwood Hawks where he was the team’s top scorer in two seasons.
“I recruited Bryan when I was an assistant at Stony Brook and saw him develop into one of the all-time great players in Stony Brook history,” Young said. “He had a relentless desire and work ethic as a player and I see those same characteristics in him as a coach. I have worked side by side with Bryan the last five years and have seen first-hand what a talented and dedicated teacher he is. The first, and easiest decision I made after accepting the Head Coaching position at Fairfield was to ask Bryan to join my staff.”
Sellers brings a great deal of experience with him as he coached in the college ranks since the 1998-99 season. He began his coaching career at his alma mater Central Connecticut State University, helping the Blue Devils advance to the NCAA tournament in 2000 and 2002. He moved to the University of Massachusetts for the 2003-04 season before accepting the same position at the University of Connecticut from 2004-10. At UConn, he recruited players such as Shabazz Napeir and Jeremy Lamb, players who formed the nucleus of the 2011 and 2014 national championship teams. He continued his coaching career at Hofstra University, a two-year stint that included time as the team’s interim head coach Sellers also spent time at Creighton University, where he coached National Player of the Year Doug McDermott, as well as DePaul University and his most recent position at Fairleigh Dickinson University.
“Pat is one of the most respected coaches in the country,” Young said. “He has national recruiting ties having served as assistant coach for several Big East programs. Pat is not only an excellent recruiter but a skilled instructor who our players will love working with. Pat’s passion and commitment to his players has allowed him to coach in an impressive eight NCAA tournament games.”
McDonnell spent the last year with the Phoenix Suns as the team’s video coordinator. He held a similar position with Maccabi Ashdod Basketball Club in Israel, where he also played professionally. He also spent a season with Hapoel Galil Elion Basketball Club in Israel before moving over to Maccabi Ashdod. McDonnell played four seasons at Temple University where he was named a team co-captain for the 2014-15 season. He also excelled academically, collecting the American Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Scholar Athlete of the Year (2013-14) as well as the Philadelphia Big 5 Men’s Basketball Scholar Athlete of the Year (2013-14). He left Temple University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering and a Master of Science degree in Engineering Management.
“Jimmy played for Coach Dunphy at Temple who is one of the most respected coaches in our game,” Young said. “He has great international ties and was a valued member of the Phoenix Suns film department last season. Jimmy comes highly recommended from both college and professional personnel.”
Jay Young begins his first season at the helm of the Fairfield University men’s basketball program after serving as an assistant coach at Rutgers University for the previous three seasons. He returns to the state of Connecticut where he served as the University of New Haven’s Head Men’s Basketball Coach from 2000-05.
https://fairfieldstags.com/news/2019/6/6/young-announces-mens-basketball-coaching-staff.aspx
