Dyaisha Fair walked into Syracuse’s practice gym looking to squeeze in an extra workout a few nights before Selection Sunday. The Orange had played only once since the start of March, and Fair, a 22-point per game scorer, sought to maintain her feel around the rim and begin adjusting to the NCAA Tournament’s Wilson-brand basketball. Fair flipped the lights on at the Carmelo Anthony Basketball Center. Then, in an empty gym, she got to work.
Unknown to Fair, coach Felisha Legette-Jack was in her office that evening. She had gone out to dinner with her husband then returned to the facility to think about recruiting. From her office overlooking the gym’s floor, she saw the court lights turn on. She heard a ball bouncing. She noticed the player who she says is “like my daughter.”
“Just to see that warmed my heart,” Legette-Jack said. “It kind of made me emotional because we only have a few games left.”
Legette-Jack and Fair have been connected for five years. Legette-Jack first recruited Fair to Buffalo, where Legette-Jack coached from 2012-2022 and where they spent three seasons together. They won double-digit games each season, and they made the 2022 NCAA Tournament. Fair was a three-time All-MAC guard, making first-team twice. Their bond forged an unwavering…
