Now at Syracuse, Rochester's Dyaisha Fair is still a scoring threat

SYRACUSE, NY ― You no longer need to worry about how Dyaisha Fair would fare in the ACC.

Whether Fair is in the Mid-American Conference or the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Rochester product has thrived throughout her Division I basketball career, from the University at Buffalo to Syracuse University.

In three seasons at UB, Fair became one of the nation's most prolific scorers, earned All-American and conference defensive accolades, won conference titles and played in the NCAA Tournament.

Now, if you ask SU coach Felisha Legette-Jack, Fair is playing in the "best" conference in the country in the ACC. Previously UB's coach, Legette-Jack constructed a strong nonconference schedule that put the Bulls on the national radar, but Syracuse's conference games alone are filled with top-25 teams.

Fair, an Edison Tech grad and and 2019 All-Greater Rochester Player of the Year, appeared ready for the grueling ACC slate with clutch plays that closed out Wake Forest in the Orange's conference opener. But that's after Legette-Jack benched her while the team was attempting to climb out of a late-game deficit.

Legette-Jack's treatment of Fair was a seminal moment. It reiterated coach's philosophy of family, and how she treats her players equally. No player is bigger than the team. Not even Rochester's Saniaa Wilson, Georgia Woolley, Cheyenne McEvans or Lexi McNabb, who all followed coach from Buffalo to Syracuse. That's the message Legette-Jack got through to her players that night.

"It's really good when you bring your own players with you, and when you have your adopted players see how that works," said Legette-Jack, who is the first woman to have her jersey retired at SU. "We can all become a real close family, and I think today it changed over to that."

Defense matters

Defense is a microcosm of life, according to Legette-Jack. She expects her players to protect their house, or paint in this instance, no matter who is home.

That's why coach benched Fair in the third quarter of the Wake Forest Game. Fair was the only Orange with double figure points at the time, and SU trailed by seven, but Legette-Jack had to emphasis the importance of defense, even if it meant punishing the team's leader.

"She understood the assignment, but it was late," Legette-Jack said. "She ended up understanding she will be pulled if she doesn't play defense. … Defense has to matter to us."

Fair defensive effort clearly improved upon returning to the floor in the fourth. She sprinted step-by-step with Wake Forest's point guard everywhere she went, even fighting through screens. And to help her case, Fair's biggest play was as a defender.

Fair went on a solo seven-point run with 2:30 remaining. The final two points came from the line after she stole the ball around midcourt, received the outlet pass in the backcourt, and drew a foul. She made both free throws to give the Orange a 59-56 lead after with 1:42 left.

"Our defense is what translated and is what helped us succeed on the offensive side of the ball," Fair said.

Still scoring

Questions arose among Fair transferring to Syracuse.

"She scored all those points in the MAC. Can she do it in the ACC?"

"She's not really 5-foot-5. She's too small."

Doubters have silenced since Fair's SU debut. She's averaged 19.6 points in 34.4 minutes per game during Syracuse's 10-2 start. A decrease from the 23.4 points Fair averaged at UB last season, but she's playing less minutes and her shot attempts are down.

Fair has scored 20 or more points six times in her first 12 games, including a season-high 27 against Coppin State. She's still shooting over 80% from the free throw line, and the .39% she's shooting from 3-point land is actually slightly better than her junior UB season.

Fair sure knows how to pick her spots. She dropped 25 points performance in Dec. 18's 67-58 win over Wake Forest at the JMA Wireless Dome, netting nine of them during pivotal moments in the fourth, including a sequence of seven straight points that helped complete the comeback.

A few 3-point daggers could have done the trick, but Fair used her small frame and elite handles to get by her defenders and draw fouls.

"We knew that their guards were in foul trouble, so the more we attacked, them there was a high chance they would foul," Fair said.

Save the dates

Fair and Syracuse's ACC schedule will pick up with many must-see home contests at the JMA Wireless Dome.

Jan. 1: A New Years Day treat at No. 7 NC State comes to town.

Jan. 15: The fifth-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish will be a great litmus test.

Jan. 29: Louisville's Cardinals are currently unranked but have received many votes following their 2022 final four run.

Feb. 2: The Orange will host a Virginia Tech team currently ranked No. 8.

Feb. 9: SU's penultimate ACC home game features a North Carolina squad currently ranked No. 6.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Dyaisha Fair is a scoring threat at Syracuse