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Jeff Borzello, ESPN Staff Writer
Fairfield men’s basketball coach Chris Casey had his interim tag removed and will be the full-time head coach moving forward, the school announced Tuesday.
Casey, who was an assistant with the Stags for four seasons, was promoted on an interim basis when head coach Jay Young stepped down in October.
“I am extremely excited for this opportunity. Fairfield is an outstanding university on an exceptional trajectory,” Casey said. “To be given the chance to lead our men’s basketball program is an honor and the task will always get our best efforts. Thank you to President Mark Nemec and Vice President for Athletics Paul Schlickmann for their support and confidence in us. This has been a very successful season and we look forward to continuing that success in the future! Go Stags!”
Chris Casey is 𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐂𝐎𝐀𝐂𝐇
@FairfieldU removes interim tag and names @StagsCoachCasey as Head Coach of Fairfield Men’s Basketball➡️ https://t.co/qP4AjPzSoz
#WeAreStags #StagsLead 🤘🏀 pic.twitter.com/6Z9x5lxdRW— Fairfield Men’s Basketball (@FairfieldMBB) March 12, 2024
Casey led Fairfield to its first 20-win season since 2012, with the Stags finishing second in the MAAC standings, one game back of Quinnipiac. The Stags opened the season with six straight losses against Division I opponents, but went 20-5 the rest of the way. They split the season series with 1-seed Quinnipiac, beating the Bobcats on the road in late February.
They will play the winner of Iona vs. Manhattan in the quarterfinals of the MAAC tournament on Wednesday.
Prior to joining Young’s staff in 2019, Casey had been the head coach at Niagara for six seasons. He previously had stints as a head coach at LIU Post and Rutgers-Newark, and spent time as an assistant coach at St. John’s, Central Connecticut, Saint Peter’s and St. Francis (N.Y.).