He made 3-of-5 three-pointers, scoring nine points in nine minutes in the 63-42 win, and the instant-offense component he brings certainly has been missed.
This is a guy who had Villanova coach Jay Wright raving after a 16-point performance in Puerto Rico. Fabrizius made 5-of-9 three-pointers to go with nine rebounds, and even though the Wildcats knew he was a menacing 3-point threat, they couldn’t stop him. Fabrizius just stepped back farther.
But during the last three months, since a Dec. 11 knee injury against Old Dominion, he’s almost been a forgotten man.
UD coach Brian Gregory, though, knows what Fabrizius means to the team.
“He’s an unbelievable kid, and he’s worked hard to get back,” Gregory said. “He’s had the weight of the world on his shoulders because he feels like he let us down by being hurt and we could’ve used him, and he would have made an impact in some of those games, no question about it. And I think he’s even been pressing.
“But Billy (assistant Billy Schmidt) did a great job with him, telling him, ‘Hey, have fun. You’ve had a great sophomore season and you’re going to be fine.’ With our athletes — at times we’re not the most skilled team, but we’re athletic and play hard — if you mix in a highly skilled shooter that can stretch the defense, it really changes the dynamics of what you can do.
“We’re a different team when he’s playing.”
Agreed.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2125 or dharris@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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