Dyaisha Fair Had Options, But Stayed Loyal to Felisha Legette-Jack

The Buffalo transfer guard discusses why she picked Syracuse basketball.

Mike McAllister | Apr 28, 2022

Dyaisha Fair Had Options, But Stayed Loyal to Felisha Legette-Jack /

Buffalo transfer guard Dyaisha Fair has been one of the best scorers in women's college basketball over the last three years, averaging more than 22 points per game each season. In fact, she ranked fourth nationally during the 2021-22 campaign. That led to plenty of attention when she elected to enter the transfer portal in late March.

According to Fair, she had transfer offers from South Carolina, Baylor, UConn, Florida, Miami, Maryland, Iowa, Missouri, Arizona, Rutgers, Michigan State and others. She took visits to at least South Carolina and Baylor per social media activity. Despite all of that, Fair elected to stick with the coach she committed to out of high school. Felisha Legette-Jack who became the new Syracuse coach during the offseason following a successful stint at Buffalo.

"(It was) coach Jack," Fair said. "The exact reason as the first time (out of high school). Her character, her aura, her passion and her support. Just who she is overall."

When Fair told coach Legette-Jack of her decision, Fair says there were no words in response. Just tears.

What is it about coach Legette-Jack that attracts a player of Fair's caliber?

"She is invested in so much more than just the basketball piece," Fair said. "It's about your story you are telling the word through this game and about the person/woman you will become along the way. How the game is nothing but a microcosm of life."

With the addition of Fair, Legette-Jack is putting together a roster she hopes can be competitive within the best conference in women's college basketball right away. Fairs abilities will certainly help achieve that goal, and she believes she will be able to have success even with the step up in level of competition.

"I expect to come and be the player that I've been for the last three years," Fair said. "With increased efficiency."

Fair averaged 23.4 points last season, 24.1 points the year before and 22.0 points as a true freshman. She also averaged 4.9 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 2.1 steals per game last season while shooting 36.8% from three point range.

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Published Apr 28, 2022

MIKE MCALLISTER

Title: Publisher All Syracuse Education: Roberts Wesleyan College Location: Syracuse, New York Expertise: Syracuse basketball, football and recruiting. EXPERIENCE Mike McAllister has been covering Syracuse basketball, football and recruiting for more than a decade. Mike's career started with his own free blog as a way to vent following sporting events. Shortly thereafter, a network of basketball sites called Coast 2 Coast Hoops asked him to run their Syracuse site. That site was called Nation of Orange, and Mike quickly established it as a go-to for Syracuse fans. After running Nation of Orange for several months, a position with the Syracuse site on the Scout network became available. After one year as the recruiting expert with Cuse Nation, he was named the publisher. Mike oversaw the transition from Scout to 247Sports, and ran the site on that network for years. Presented with the opportunity to join one of the biggest names in the sports journalism industry, Sports Illustrated, Mike jumped at the chance. All Syracuse was started from scratch by Mike and the Fan Nation team. It has now become a staple for Orange fans of various sports. Mike has broken news on recruiting, Syracuse basketball and football team information and has established himself as the top recruiting inside in the market. He has appeared on local radio shows, television broadcasts, national radio shows and much more. Mr. McAllister has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting and Information Management from Roberts Wesleyan College.