Recruiting: Transfers, Guards To Help Fairfield Men

Here's another in the series looking at players joining conference teams for the upcoming season.

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FAIRFIELD MEN

- Doug Chappell, a 6-2, 175-pound freshman guard: He averaged about 14 points per game as a high school senior at Episcopal H.S. in Alexandria, Va.

- Sean Grennan, a 6-3, 175-pound sophomore guard: He was at Fairfield, as a redshirt, last season after transferring from Seton Hall. He played one season at Seton Hall and only scored 10 total points but missed time due to appendicitis and wasn't 100 percent for much of the season. He scored over 1,400 points in four years at the high school level at Monsignor Donovan H.S. in Toms River, N.J.

- Lincoln Davis, a 6-3, 170-pound freshman guard:  He played last season at New Hampton Prep school where he averaged about 18 points per game.. Prior to that, as a high school senior at Central Catholic H.S. in Pittsburgh he averaged 19 points and 4.1 rebounds per contest.

- K.J. Rose, a 6-1, 190-pound freshman guard: He averaged more than 16 points per game this past season while leading his Binghamton (N.Y.) High School team to the New York State Regional tournament's semifinal round. As a junior he was selected as the best player in the state at his level by the Basketball Coaches Association of New York.

- Steve Smith, a 6-9, 190-pound freshman forward: He was a three-year starter at La Salle H.S. in Philadelphia and averaged about 10 points per game as a senior. He is a standout long-range shooter who made seven three-pointers in one game last season.

- Malcolm Gilbert, a 6-11, 235-pound sophomore center: He is a transfer from Pittsburgh where he was redshirting during the 2012-13 season. He came to Fairfield after the first semester and, then, received a favorable ruling on an NCAA waiver and is eligible to play immediately for the Stags. He played 19 games as a freshman at Pitt, only averaging 4.9 minutes per game and scoring 10 total points and getting 16 total rebounds. As a high school senior at the Academy of the New Church he averaged 6.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.0 blocks per game.

ANALYSIS: Two of the newcomers, Gilbert and Grennan, come from higher-level programs and should play relatively significant roles right away. Gilbert can score in bunches, and Gilbert can have an impact on the defensive end and with his rebounding. Davis had originally planned to join Fairfield last season but opted for a year of prep school, instead, and had a standout season at that level. Smith needs to add some bulk to his slender frame, but is reputed to be a terrific scorer from the perimeter. The program graduated its top three guards from last season, so time is available for Grennan, Davis, Chappell and Rose, who will be strongly in the mix to play at the point.