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."