Fairfield University Hires New Men’s Basketball Coach

FAIRFIELD, CT — Former University of New Haven basketball coach Jay Young has been hired as the new head coach of the Fairfield University men’s basketball program, the school announced Wednesday. Young, the 13th head coach in the program’s history, most recently spent three seasons as an assistant coach in the Big Ten at Rutgers University under former UConn captain Steve Pikiell.

Fairfield University Athletic Director Paul Schlickmann said Young “emerged at every step of our thorough search process as the individual with the depth and breadth of experience to lead our program.”

“Jay has a stellar reputation for operating with integrity and an authentic approach to the recruitment and overall development of young men,” Schlickmann said. “He has coached at every level of college basketball and has been the common denominator of great success at each of those stops. Jay is a winner and will be relentless in his approach to achieve excellence in every aspect of our program. I am confident his passion and energy will create a unique identity for Stags Men's Basketball that will resonate with our community."

Young will be officially introduced at a welcome event on Wednesday, April 10 at 10 a.m. in the Dogwood Room in the Barone Campus Center. While at Rutgers, Young helped lead the Scarlet Knights to their best-ever Big Ten finish in 2018-19, recording wins over nationally ranked conference foes Ohio State and Iowa with one of the youngest rosters in the nation. Young coordinated the Rutgers defense for Pikiell.

"I am humbled and honored to be the next head men's basketball coach at Fairfield University,” Young said. “I would like to thank President Nemec and Director of Athletics Paul Schlickmann for all of their confidence and support. Fairfield's blend of academic and athletic excellence makes this truly a special opportunity for me. It is with great enthusiasm that I look forward to joining the Fairfield community."

Young also served as associate head coach for Pikiell at Stony Brook University. During his time as head coach at the University of New Haven, Young took the reins of a team that had just one winning season in the prior eight years and led them to back-to-back NCAA postseason bids in 2003-04, including the Chargers' first victory on the national stage since 1988. He went 78-66 (.542) in his five seasons at New Haven, wrapping up his tenure with four consecutive winning campaigns.