Web Exclusive: Cardozo’s Fields chooses Iona

Spurning higher scholarship offers, Cardozo point guard Trinity Fields decided to stay close to home, choosing New Rochelle’s Iona College.
The 6-foot-1 senior, one of the top unsigned guards in the city, gave first-year coach Kevin Willard a verbal commitment Saturday night after attending the Gaels’ 67-62 win over Western Michigan.
“They embraced me like no other school,” said Fields, who is averaging 19 points, five rebounds and five assists in seven leagues games this season. “They came on hard. They showed me love.”
After transferring into Cardozo following his sophomore year at Holy Cross, Fields’ profile increased this summer while playing with the Westchester Hawks AAU program, a team that featured Big East-bound big men Kevin Jones (West Virginia) and Mookie Jones (Syracuse).
There was confusion over his recruitment, Cardozo Coach Ron Naclerio said. The bigger schools, like Providence and South Carolina, where Fields took official visits, were under the impression mid major programs such as Iona, Hofstra and Marist had the inside track, while those same schools thought the high Division I programs were the desired location. St. Bonaventure, Duquesne, South Florida, Rhode Island and Virginia Tech were also involved.
“I’ve never had so much misinformation about a kid,” Naclerio said.
They all liked the combo guard, but in the end Fields picked the MAAC school because of the recruiting effort by Willard and assistant coach Shaheen Holloway, the former Seton Hall University star who hails from Fields’ St. Albans neighborhood, and the opportunity to immediately see major minutes.
“It’s about getting better,” he said. “At Iona, I’m going to get better. The whole coaching staff is excellent.”
“If you’re good,” he later added, “you’re going to make it no matter where you’re at. I could’ve gone bigger, but it’s not about the conference.”
“It’s a perfect match,” Naclerio said. “It’s a place he’s going to play and grow as a person. It’s a win, win.”
His family, most notably mother Tracy and brother Tiff, can attend all of his home games, and Iona has a strong alumni base, so he should be set up for future endeavors outside of basketball.
“Iona does a great job when kids are done and they get that piece of paper,” Naclerio said. “When you’re 18, you don’t want to hear it, you want to hear all about basketball. But when you’re 23, maybe going to a place that wasn’t on your list at first is a good thing.”