One visit is all St. Joe’s Prep forward Tristen Guillouette needed to pick Fairfield

Tristen Guillouette went to Fairfield University in early August with his mother, Annessa Ambrose. It was his first look at a school that began recruiting him earlier this summer and offered him a scholarship in late June.

“I had a big talk with my mom about what I want my college experience to look like a little bit after my visit at Fairfield,” he said, “and everything I talked about went along with what Fairfield was. So my mom was like, ‘If that’s what you like and that’s what you want — why wait?’ ”

Guillouette agreed. So he called Fairfield coach Jay Young and committed, becoming the first member of the Stags’ 2024 recruiting class. Then he waited more than a month before telling anybody — outside of his family and close friends. He finally made his announcement Friday afternoon.

The 6-foot-9, 235-pound forward from St. Joseph’s Prep had racked up a solid list of collegiate suitors, including St. Joe’s and Drexel in his final group as well as Towson. Staying local or going away from home didn’t matter to him. It was all about finding the right fit. And he found it in the private school of about 4,100 undergrads located in Southern Connecticut.

Fairfield, a member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, last made the NCAA Tournament in 1997, and hasn’t had a winning season since 2017-18. Young, who previously was an assistant at Rutgers and Stony Brook, is going into his fifth season as head coach.

Guillouette’s main recruiter at Fairfield was assistant coach James Johns, a Paulsboro graduate who coached with Team Final and WeR1, both AAU teams, before moving into the collegiate ranks. It didn’t hurt that Johns also got a stamp of approval from Guillouette’s high school coach, Jason Harrigan, and his coach with the NJ Scholars 17U squad, Kenny Jackson.

Johns and Guillouette bonded over being South Jersey natives and connected about Guillouette’s goals of wanting to find a program where he could earn playing time early on.

“They said they would never steer me in the wrong direction,” Guillouette said. “Everything they tell me — good or bad — is going to be the truth. They’re going to be direct with you because they want to see you do [your] best.”

Guillouette played two seasons at St. Joe’s Prep and was enlisted as a sophomore when he joined the Hawks. He spent his freshman year at Westampton Tech and second year at Life Center Academy. He hoped to be granted a fifth year of eligibility by the PIAA this season, but his waiver was denied at a hearing earlier this month. His next move is still undecided.

In his two years in the Catholic League, he established himself as one of the top post players around. He averaged 10 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 blocks last season.

“During my sophomore year of AAU, I realized I’m not where I wanted to be, and it starts with my physique, my conditioning,” Guillouette said. “I made a little vow to myself: Before I would touch a basketball I had to run two miles. I just ran every time I touched a basketball, and I did that from the springtime to the summer. That’s how I got in good shape. Now I’m lifting weights in between that.”

Harrigan added: “He made a tremendous transformation physically. He was really intentional about getting in better shape, I think that’s obvious, everyone can see the difference there. He worked on his game. His game got much improved, he’s a dynamic player now. And I think the other part was he really works hard in the classroom — when he first got [here] it was kind of tough for him, and he fought through it, really pushed through.”

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Before he gets to Fairfield’s campus, Guillouette said he’s going to keep working on conditioning to get himself in “college shape.” The Stags have three forwards on the roster, including senior Alexis Yetna, who formerly played for Seton Hall. But next year, there should be an opportunity for Guillouette to earn some minutes.

“Definitely want to improve my left hand — I feel like I can use both hands well, but I want to keep it sharp, use my left hand a little more,” he said. “And probably develop a better jumper.”

This story was produced as part of a partnership between The Inquirer and City of Basketball Love, a nonprofit news organization that covers high school and college basketball in the Philadelphia area while also helping mentor the next generation of sportswriters. This collaboration will help boost coverage of the city’s vibrant amateur basketball scene, from the high school ranks up through the Big 5 and beyond.