Ed Cooley hit the road almost immediately after being hired as Fairfield's new men's basketball coach, and on Wednesday, the school announced some official results from that intense recruiting.

Rich Flemming, a 6-foot-7 forward from Upland, Pa.; Anthony Johnson, a 6-8 forward from Lake Wales, Fla.; and Devin Johnson, a 6-3 guard from Richmond, Va., have signed national letters of intent to play at Fairfield next year.

The Stags are expected to receive another letter during the signing period, and a published report has said it will be forward Roy Bookbinder of Israel, as Cooley has certainly addressed the team's lack of size.

"We're trying to get some frontcourt help," he said Wednesday. "Given our background at Boston College, the thing we were able to sell is an opportunity to play and the fact that we develop players and we develop guys that weren't 'high-profile' names. We want to find the right fit, and if the kid fits the way we want to play, we don't care where you're ranked, you have value."

Flemming, who played at Chester High School, averaged 14 points and 10 rebounds last year, down a couple of points per game from the previous season. Anthony Johnson averaged 14 points and eight boards at Lake Wales Senior High, and Devin Johnson averaged 18 points, 10 rebounds and five assists at Meadowbrook High. He was the Metro Player of the Year.

"We're optimistic that if we recruited you, you're going to play," Cooley said. "We sold these kids on an opportunity to play. We'll give them a look early in practice and evaluate how they are, but I'm optimistic that if we recruited you now, you're going to have a chance to play."

Cooley described Flemming as a good rebounder who can score in a variety of ways. Anthony Johnson is a raw athlete with much room to grow, Cooley said, while Devin Johnson is a long and athletic wing player.

Cooley said the members of his staff have been recruiting and working toward next year already, though they still are not 100 percent officially hired until some final paperwork clears. Tim Fuller and Bob Simon, assistants from Wake Forest and Toledo, respectively, are expected to be among those assistant coaches.

Forward Greg Nero, who starred at Red Hook High School in Red Hook, N.Y., signed a letter of intent during the fall signing period. Asked if he expects any current members of the team to transfer, Cooley said, "I think the guys that are here are comfortable."

The NCAA is trimming the gray area from eligibility rules for underclassmen entering the NBA draft.

However, player-agent Bill Neff said that's a futile exercise, with many in his profession cutting under-the-table deals with players.

The NCAA recently distributed a four-page memo, reminding schools what underclassmen can and cannot do to test their NBA marketability. The memo warns underclassmen not to accept travel expenses from NBA basketball teams, though that's been common practice in the past.

One of the authors of that memo said its purpose is heading off trouble and, potentially, holding rule-breakers accountable.

"It's fair to say we've had multiple student-athletes facing possible violations of NCAA rules," said Rachel Newman Baker, the NCAA's director of agent, gambling and amateurism activities. "We're trying to avoid (those problems), so we're not dealing with it next semester."

The NCAA now requires underclassmen in the draft to sign forms, stating they know the rules and understand the risk to their eligibility.

"We want it very clear up front," Newman Baker said, "if we do get into investigating a case, the `I-didn't-know' answer will not work."

The NCAA dealt with messy situations the past few years, involving former Connecticut forward Charlie Villanueva and current Kentucky center Randolph Morris. Each turned pro and had contact with an agent, only to pull out of the draft and seek to play college basketball.

In both cases, the NCAA ultimately granted eligibility.

The situation is complex. For instance, the NCAA allows the NBA to cover expenses for an underclassman to attend the pre-draft camp. But an individual NBA team cannot pay to fly in an underclassman for a workout without jeopardizing that player's eligibility.

Charlotte Bobcats coach-general manager Bernie Bickerstaff didn't know the NCAA draws that distinction. Jon Fagg, assistant athletics director for compliance services at N.C. State, said that rule is frequently disregarded, similar to how people absent-mindedly exceed the speed limit.

"If you drive to work, I guarantee there's a place where you speed a little every day," Fagg said of athletes accepting expenses they shouldn't. "Do you drive to the police station and turn yourself in? No."

That's why Fagg is glad the NCAA distributed this memo, eliminating any gray areas for underclassmen looking to preserve eligibility. N.C. State has already used it to guide sophomore center Cedric Simmons through the process.

Darren Phillip's basketball career will continue, as he signed a two-year contract with Malaga, a top-tier European team. He became the first Division I player to sign with a Spanish team for the upcoming campaign.

Phillip made the choice over offers from teams in both Italy and Greece. The center, who was born in London, has the added advantage of signing as a European player. Besides the signing, Phillip still has several options in this country.

He will have the opportunity to play in the National Rookie League as a member of the Gotham City Knights or the United States Basketball League with the Brooklyn Kings. Both leagues, begin competition in June and run through August. If he chooses to play in either league, it still gives the center a few weeks to relax before leaving for Spain in September.

"This is the right situation for me," Phillip said. "Malaga is a top-tier team with a great tradition. I will be able to join a team without the pressure of having to be a scorer, rebounder and everything else. I am very excited about this opportunity."

Phillip led all divisions with a 14.0 rebounding average this year, a nice compliment to his 16.0 scoring average. He tallied a nation-leading 24 double-doubles during the year, including 19 straight to end the season. Phillip tallied a conference-record 25 rebounds in the team's win over Marist on January 5.

This Sunday, Phillip will receive his bachelor's degree in communications at the University's

With no new contract in sight, O'Toole announced he was beating the axe wielder and that his days leading the Stags were done. The "resignation" was backed up by school officials.

In other words, both sides agreed that the coach had been fired.

It came as no surprise.

The negative numbers were all there -- O'Toole was 112-120 in his eight seasons at the school. He took the Stags to one NIT, in 2003 (the two coaches before him both made NCAA appearances), but had little success at a school that has one of the big budgets in the MAAC.

Attendance was also down -- the Stags averaging 2,386 at the 9,500-seat Arena at Harbor Yard, which is actually in Bridgeport.

"Our goals for men's basketball at Fairfield have long been to compete regularly for conference championships and being competitive year in and year out," said AD Gene Doris. "Given the resources we have added over the past eight years, the program did not achieve the goals to which we remain committed and believe to be achievable."

Former Virginia and Providence coach Pete Gillen, who would certainly bring some life with him, has been mentioned as a possible successor to O'Toole.

The end came when the eighth-seeded Stags lost to No. 7 Niagara in the first round of the MAAC Tournament, finishing the season 9-19. Fairfield lost its last four and five of its last six.

With no new contract in sight, O'Toole announced he was beating the axe wielder and that his days leading the Stags were done. The "resignation" was backed up by school officials.

In other words, both sides agreed that the coach had been fired.

It came as no surprise.

The negative numbers were all there -- O'Toole was 112-120 in his eight seasons at the school. He took the Stags to one NIT, in 2003 (the two coaches before him both made NCAA appearances), but had little success at a school that has one of the big budgets in the MAAC.

Attendance was also down -- the Stags averaging 2,386 at the 9,500-seat Arena at Harbor Yard, which is actually in Bridgeport.

"Our goals for men's basketball at Fairfield have long been to compete regularly for conference championships and being competitive year in and year out," said AD Gene Doris. "Given the resources we have added over the past eight years, the program did not achieve the goals to which we remain committed and believe to be achievable."

Former Virginia and Providence coach Pete Gillen, who would certainly bring some life with him, has been mentioned as a possible successor to O'Toole.

The end came when the eighth-seeded Stags lost to No. 7 Niagara in the first round of the MAAC Tournament, finishing the season 9-19. Fairfield lost its last four and five of its last six.

 The Stags made one, but it wasn't good.

 After crawling to within a game of the .500 mark and right up to a chance at a first-round bye in the MAAC Tournament in Albany, Fairfield lost to both Siena and league-leading Iona.

 The twin losses, one of them at home, followed a pair of home wins from the previous week and left the Stags 8-15 overall and 6-9 in the conference.

 In Albany, Siena concentrated on Fairfield's 3-point shooters and the Stags shot 32.6 percent from the floor under a trapping defense. Leading scorer Terrence Todd took just eight shots, had four turnovers, and finished with six points.

 Against Iona, Fairfield jumped to an 11-point lead and couldn't get the job done, losing by 23.

 This week, Fairfield is home for Saint Peter's and then travels to Chicago to face Loyola (Ill.) in the Bracket Buster game.

Just like that, Fairfield has put itself in position to get back to .500 in the MAAC.

The Stags scored a pair of home victories over the weekend to get to 6-7 in conference play with a tough trip to Siena standing in the way of being .500 in the league.
They did it at 1-1. They did it at 2-2. They did it at 3-3. They haven't done it since -- and now they get another shot, but it's a tough task on the road against a team that can play.

Fairfield limited Rider to just two points in overtime and scored a 77-69 win over the Broncs on Feb. 3, evening that season series at 1-1. Niagara came to Bridgeport and lost Sunday as the Stags also squared that series.

Fairfield's two Harbor Yard wins brought their home record to just 3-6 this season. Fairfield improved to 8-13 overall.

This week, after the visit to Albany to play Siena, the Stags are home for league co-leading Iona on Saturday.