Oct. 12, 1999
Fairfield, Conn. - Senior forward Darren Phillip (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and sophomore Jermaine Clark (Jamaica, N.Y.) both earned Pre-Season honors from two national college basketball publications. Phillip received pre-season first team all-conference accolades from both The Sporting News and Lindy's College Basketball Preview Magazines. Clark garnered pre-season second team all-conference honors from both publications. Sophomore Sam Spann (Huntsville, Ala.) collected Lindy's conference Newcomer of the Year award.
Lindy's magazine selected Fairfield to finish second in the conference behind top-pick and defending champion Siena College. The magazine also tabbed Phillip as the conference's best rebounder. In The Sporting News magazine, the Stags were listed sixth in the ten-team conference with Siena also taking the top spot in the pre-season poll. Once again, Phillip received the label of best rebounder in the conference.
Phillip finished the 1998-99 season among the nation's top rebounders, averaging 9.9 caroms per contest. He averaged a team-high 16.8 points per game and tallied 11 double-doubles, highlighted by his 28-point, 24-rebound performance against Loyola. Clark led the team in scoring for most of the year before settling for second with a 16.0 scoring average. The guard led the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference in three-point shooting with 65 treys during the regular season.
Spann transferred to Fairfield from Syracuse University and will be eligible to play in mid-December. While at Syracuse, Spann averaged four points and two rebounds per game. He was named to the McDonald's High School All-America team while at Butler High School.
The Stags, under second-year head coach Tim O'Toole, open their season with a three-game road trip, battling the University of Kansas on November 19, UNLV on November 21 and UCLA on November 23.
