Fairfield’s Young Steps Down

Fairfield head coach Jay Young resigned from his position, the school announced on Monday.

Leadership Transition for Fairfield Men’s Basketball
https://t.co/z187Ppa2r0

— Fairfield Men’s Basketball (@FairfieldMBB) October 16, 2023

“Fairfield University announced today that Jay Young, the University’s Head Men’s Basketball Coach, has stepped down from his position and will be leaving the University. We would like to thank Coach Young for his dedication and contributions to Fairfield during his four seasons with the Stags. During his tenure, Coach Young led the Stags to a 50-73 record, which included an appearance in the 2021 MAAC Championship game. We wish Coach Young much success in his future endeavors.

Chris Casey, who has served as an Assistant Men’s Basketball coach for Fairfield over the past four seasons, will assume the role of Interim Head Coach effective immediately. Coach Casey’s strong knowledge of the game, commitment to player development, previous head coaching experience and passion for the Fairfield University Men’s Basketball program will provide a strong foundation for him to lead the Stags for the 2023-24 season. Casey previously served as the Head Coach at Niagara University, LIU Post and Rutgers-Newark.”

The Scoop

Multiple sources confirmed the resignation is the result of an investigation into inappropriate behavior. The allegations stemmed from an incident that occurred on the school’s recent foreign tour to Costa Rica. Stags assistant coach Bryan Dougher was also removed from the school’s website this morning, but there are no official statements from the school regarding his dismissal.

Assistant coach James Johns and Director of Operations Matt Knezovic are the only remaining staff members listed under Casey. It’s unclear if Casey will add anyone to the bench before the season begins.

Jay Young was already on the hot seat heading into this season because of his performance on the court. Fairfield will get a head start on their coaching search and they’ll have a healthy candidate pool to choose from. The university has heavily invested in the basketball program in recent years, turning it into one of the premier job opportunities in the conference. The Stags opened a brand new arena last season and the NIL collective is strong for the level of competition. As we reported in September, “A pair of UConn assistants have their eyes on this one.”

Fairfield opens their season on November 6 at Boston College.

UPDATE

Fairfield assistant coach James Johns is also on leave pending an investigation into the incident in Costa Rica, per source.

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