Rutgers Basketball has added a familiar face to the coaching staff, as one time assistant coach / former Fairfield Head Coach Jay Young will be returning to the banks this upcoming season.
Young returns to Piscataway after four seasons at Fairfield, where he posted a record of 50-73 (32-46). Prior to that he spent time working under Steve Pikiell as an assistant coach at Stony Brook from 2005-2016 and Rutgers from 2016-2019.
The new / old assistant coach played a pivotal role in helping to turn around the Scarlet Knights basketball program, specifically helping to develop the big men on the roster.
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BIOGRAPHY FROM FAIRFIELD ATHLETICS...
A respected veteran within college basketball, Jay Young became the 13th Head Coach of Fairfield University Men’s Basketball on April 3, 2019. Young came to Fairfield after most recently spending three seasons as an assistant coach in the Big Ten at Rutgers University.
The 2022-23 campaign was highlighted by the opening of the Leo D. Mahoney Arena. The Stags knocked off reigning MAAC Champions and Elite Eight participant Saint Peter's in their inaugural game at the new facility. Fairfield also defeated crosstown rival Sacred Heart in the first game between the two ever played on the University's campus. On the court, the Stags' roster included Supreme Cook, who earned the first All-MAAC selection for the squad since 2018, and 2022-23 Sixth Man of the Year TJ Long.
In 2021-22, the Stags finished 15-18 overall and 8-12 in the MAAC. The non-conference slate featured a win over Sacred Heart in the first-ever meeting played on the SHU campus, as well as a comeback victory over Stony Brook at Webster Bank Arena. During the MAAC portion of the schedule, the Stags swept the conference "Buffalo trip" for the sixth time in program history as a part of a season sweep of both Canisius and Niagara. Fairfield also swept the home-and-home from Rider and picked up road victories at Marist and Manhattan.
In the postseason, the Stags earned their third win of the campaign over Canisius to reach the quarterfinals, where the year came to a close at the hands of eventual MAAC Champion and NCAA Elite Eight squad Saint Peter's.
In the 2020-21 campaign, Young helped Fairfield navigate a unique schedule to split the final five conference series heading into the MAAC Championship. The Stags went on to win three games in Atlantic City, including back-to-back victories over second-seeded Monmouth and third-seeded Saint Peter's. During the regular season, Fairfield was one of just three MAAC teams to defeat eventual conference champion Iona. The 15-point victory for the Stags at Alumni Hall was the Gaels' largest margin of defeat during the league portion of the slate and second largest overall.
In his first season with the Stags, Fairfield established itself as the top defensive team in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC). The Stags led all 11 conference teams by yielding 62.9 points per game overall and 62.1 points per game in MAAC contests.
While at Rutgers, Young helped lead the Scarlet Knights to their best-ever Big Ten finish in 2018-19, recording wins over nationally-ranked conference foes Ohio State and Iowa with one of the youngest rosters in the nation. Young, who coordinated the Rutgers defense for Head Coach Steve Pikiell, was also integral in bringing the highest-ranked freshman class in program history to Piscataway.
Rutgers set a new standard for Big Ten wins in each of Young’s three seasons with the Scarlet Knights. The Scarlet Knights earned their first Big Ten postseason win in 2017 and then reached the Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinals for the first time in 2018. KenPom.com ranked Rutgers as the most improved Power 6 conference program in the nation this year, jumping 71 positions since the beginning of the 2018-19 season.
Prior to patrolling the sidelines at Rutgers, Young rose to the role of Associate Head Coach at Stony Brook University, where he was a member of Coach Pikiell’s staff for many of the most successful seasons in Seawolves history. Stony Brook reached the NCAA postseason for the first time in its Division I history in 2016 after winning the America East Tournament and Regular Season Championship. The Seawolves also received bids to the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) three times during Young’s tenure as the America East Regular Season Champions.
Young also directed the recruiting efforts that brought Jameel Warney to Long Island. A three-time America East Player of the Year, Warney is Stony Brook’s all-time leader in points, rebounds and blocked shots. He is currently a member of the Westchester Knicks of the NBA G League. Young recruited three of the top four all-time leading scorers at Stony Brook during his tenure with the Seawolves.
Previously a Head Coach at the University of New Haven, Young took the reins of a team that had just one winning season in the prior eight years and led them to back-to-back NCAA postseason bids in 2003-04, including the Chargers’ first victory on the national stage since 1988. He went 78-66 (.542) in his five seasons at New Haven, wrapping up his tenure with four consecutive winning campaigns.
Young’s first head coaching stop was in the junior college ranks at Newbury College, where he was a two-time NJCAA Regional Coach of the Year and 1995 NJCAA District VI Coach of the Year. Young guided his team to postseason play in three straight seasons, highlighted by a trip to the 1995 NJCAA Division III Final Four.
Young has also made assistant coaching stops at Northeastern, Salem State, and Fitchburg State in a collegiate coaching career that spans more than 30 years.
A 1986 graduate of Marist College with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science, Young played three seasons of lacrosse for the Red Foxes. He earned First Team All-Conference honors in his senior campaign."
PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE...
1987–88: Fitchburg State (Asst.)
1988–90: Salem State (Asst.)
1990–92: Northeastern (Asst.)
1992–96: Newbury (HC)
1996–2000: Northeastern (Asst.)
2000–05: New Haven (HC)
2005–16: Stony Brook (Asst.)
2016–19: Rutgers (Asst.)
2019–23: Fairfield (HC)
2024-PRESENT: Rutgers (Asst.)
Stay tuned right here for more on Rutgers Basketball's assistant coach and other Scarlet Knights athletics news right here on The Knight Report!
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