AMHERST, N.Y. – Daemen University head men's basketball coach
Mike MacDonald announced the additions of
Jaylen Morris,
Nick Fruscio and
Zach Fahey to his coaching staff ahead of the 2024-25 campaign.
"We are very excited to add Jaylen, Nick and Zach to our coaching staff," said MacDonald. "Each one of them brings a different skill set to the table and they will help our players grow both on and off the court."
Morris arrives at Daemen after a playing career which saw him play in the NBA, G League and overseas in Israel and Greece. The Amherst, N.Y., native, played at ECC rival Molloy University from 2013-17 where he was named to the All-ECC Third Team and All-Met Second Team his junior year before taking home All-ECC First Team honors during his senior campaign. He also was inducted into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame this past year as well.
Ahead of the 2017-18 season, Morris would be drafted with 41
st overall pick in the 2017 NBA G League Draft by the Erie BayHawks and in 39 games his rookie season, averaged 12.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.2 steals in 31.4 minutes of action.
On February 28, 2018, Morris signed a 10-day contract with the Atlanta Hawks, becoming the only active Division II player in the NBA at the time of his signing. He appeared in six games, averaging 16.4 minutes per game and shooting .406 from the floor to close the 2018 season. After ending the year with Atlanta, Morris joined the Bucks in the offseason before finishing the year back with the BayHawks. The Amherst, N.Y., native, played overseas with Aris Thessaloniki in Greece during the 2019-20 campaign where he averaged 9.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game and with Bnei Herzliya of the Israeli National League.
Morris returned stateside during the 2021 season and played additional seasons with the Iowa Wolves and Austin Spurs of the G League before signing a 10-day contract with the San Antonio Spurs on January 1, 2022. Morris played in three games for the Spurs under legendary head coach Greg Popovich, averaging 5.3 minutes per game. Morris then returned to Austin before moving to play with Raptors 905 during the 2023-24 season.
Away from the court, Morris has worked with the Harvard Crossover into Business Program and NBA Future Basketball Operations Stars as well.
A native of Albany, N.Y., Fruscio joins the Wildcats after spending last season coaching under Kyle Husband at Canisius High School as an assistant coach. With the Crusaders, Fruscio helped lead Canisius to a 22-4 overall record and 13-1 mark in conference play. With Fruscio on the sidelines, Canisius earned the Monsignor Martin High School Athletic Association (MMHSAA) Regular Season title and an appearance in the Manhattan Cup final against Bishop Timon-St. Jude. He also helped mentored Shane Cercone who earned
The Buffalo News' Allen Wilson Player of the Year and Monsignor Martin All-Catholic Player of the Year honors.
Prior to Canisius, Fruscio served as an assistant at Northwest Florida State during the 2022-23 campaign, helping the Raiders go 28-9 overall, become Panhandle Conference Champions, Region VIII champions and earn an appearance in the National Junior College Division I Men's Basketball Championship game.
The Albany, N.Y., native, began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at East Carolina University from 2020-2022 where he assisted with the team's travel, meals and day-to-day logistics, while also assisting in the planning and execution of team practice planning. During his second season with the Pirates, he helped East Carolina compile a 15-15 record, their first .500-or-better record since the 2013-14 campaign, and land guard Tristen Newton on the All-AAC Second Team. Prior to coaching, Fruscio appeared in 22 games for UAlbany from 2016-20, getting named team captain his senior season.
Also joining MacDonald's staff for the season is
Zach Fahey who will serve as a graduate assistant coach. Fahey played the past three seasons at nearby Houghton University where he was named to the 2024 NABC Honors Court. Fahey has worked several youth basketball camps in the Buffalo area and attended the 212 Sports Academy in the Spring of 2021. Prior to his collegiate career, the West Seneca, N.Y., native, played one year of basketball at West Seneca West before attending the Park School of Buffalo for the final three years of his prep career.
Additionally, MacDonald announced that current assistant coach,
Ryan Grandits, will be promoted to Associate Head Coach. While with Daemen, Grandits has helped lead the Wildcats to four appearances in the NCAA Tournament, highlighted by a 2021 NCAA tournament East Region title.
"Ryan is deserving of this promotion" MacDonald said. "He has been coaching with us for 7 seasons and his efforts in recruiting, game preparation and skill development are a big reason for the Daemen Wildcats success. He is a valued member of the Athletic Department, and he will be a great head coach one day. We are lucky to have him working with our student-athletes."
Daemen opens their regular season by hosting the
2024 East Region Challenge, presented by
Western New York Knee and Orthopedic Surgery PC, where they will face Chestnut Hill College of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) on Nov. 8 to begin the year before taking on Northeast-10 (NE-10) foe Saint Anselm College the next day.
Daemen University features the premier NCAA Division II athletics program in the Buffalo-Niagara region, sponsoring 17 intercollegiate teams. For the latest information on Daemen Athletics, follow the Wildcats via social media on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, or sign up to receive customizable news alerts, e-mail newsletters and weekly schedule alerts.
Follow the Daemen University men's basketball program on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @DaemenMBB.
