POLISHED: Competing for Team USA, Dyaisha Fair grew her defensive prowess
D
yaisha Fair’s offseason began inside of a 40-degree gym in Rancagua, Chile.
From July 24-30, she and her Team USA 3×3 teammates competed in the FIBA U23 Nations League. Conditions were harsh. The team left their hotel before noon everyday to arrive at a facility with no heat, and wouldn’t leave until around 9 p.m.
They played 17 games in a seven-day span. In between contests, Fair and her teammates huddled together under blankets and played cards for hours to pass the time.
“It was a basketball die-hard experience,” said Christina Batastini, Team USA’s U23 Nations League head coach. “It was not a vacation, we were there for a reason.”
While Fair had to adjust to 3×3 basketball’s playstyle, she found instant success, leading Team USA to the 3×3 Nations League Final. In March, Fair announced that she would use her fifth year of eligibility and return to Syracuse. But, to round out her game, Fair honed in on her defense with Team USA.
“In 3-on-3, there’s no help defense,” Fair said during SU’s basketball’s media day on Oct. 13. “That’s one of the biggest things that I did and it was different. I feel like it helped me.”
Dyaisha Fair attempts a right handed layup while driving to the hoop against Team Canada in the FIBA U23 Nations League tournament in Rancagua, Chile. Fair’s USA 3×3 team competed in 17 games in a seven-day span Photo Courtesy of Team USA Basketball
There was speculation that Fair would enter her name in the WNBA Draft in April. Her 19.9 points per game and First Team All-ACC selection proved she was a premier guard in college basketball. Fair said that she got feedback from “almost half” of WNBA franchises, and used those conversations to make her decision.
After receiving interest, Fair still opted for one more year at SU, citing her intuition. Syracuse head coach Felisha Legette-Jack has coached her since 2019 when the two were at Buffalo. The pair’s familiarity with each other played a part in the decision, Fair said.
Cheyenne McEvans, an SU guard and Fair’s teammate since 2020, said the team allowed her to briefly step away while weighing the options with her family.
Fair said she was projected to be picked high, but teams expressed she’d have to progress defensively to have success in the WNBA. Despite earning All-ACC Defensive Team honors in 2022-23, Fair’s 5-foot-5 frame is a disadvantage in the WNBA.
“I’m small, I’m undersized for sure,” Fair said. “And everybody in every other league is bigger…I feel like (the WNBA’s) influence has just helped me to make a decision on what I need to do to better me as a player.”
Team USA gave Fair an opportunity to become a better defender. Jay Demings, the director of 3×3 Basketball for Team USA initially asked Fair to try out for the Nations League team in May. But, she had USA Women’s AmeriCup Team trials at the same time.
Demings said he’d reach back out if a spot opened up on the team. After a spot did open, Demings made the call to Fair.
The United States’ squad consisted of Fair, Hailey Van Lith (Louisiana State), Azana Baines (Seton Hall), Leilani Kapinus (Penn State), Madison Scott (Ole Miss) and Sydney Taylor (Louisville). Batastini said that the team barely got acclimated before flying to Chile. Their training camp lasted just two-and-a-half days and the coaching staff only had eight hours of on-court time with the players.
To make up for lost time, Batastini had two practices a day with film review and team meetings. Instead of doing skill work and drills, the team scrimmaged, as Batastini said adjusting to 3×3’s differing rules was more important.
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The Nations League games are 10 minutes long. Each team gets only one substitute. Shots from outside the arc are worth two points, while shots inside are worth one. Coaches are only permitted to gameplan with their players before the game, meaning no coaches on the sidelines.
“You have to be very mature,” Demings said of adjusting to 3×3 rules. “You have to be very poised to work through things on your own.”
Demings and Batastini both said the playstyle of 3×3 is vastly different from 5×5. There’s no help defense, which makes switching on screens a lot tougher, Batastini said. Demings said it’s a fast-paced game where having good fitness is key.
The lack of help defense in 3×3 meant Fair had to re-learn how she navigated offensive screens. Due to her size, Batastini said Fair needed to be more physical. At times, she switched onto a 6-foot-2 defender and was outmatched. So, she had to rely on her speed.
Fair’s smaller frame made things difficult for her in the screen game, but Batastini taught her how to adjust. She told Fair to go over the top on ball screens, pushing past the pick-setter to stay with the ball-handler. She improved her body control, which allowed her to defend screens more efficiently. Batastini said she held her ground and displayed raised physicality on defense.
“The attributes you need to have to be a great 5×5 player, they don’t necessarily make you a great 3×3 player,” Batastini said. “However, the attributes and the skills that you learn through 3×3 absolutely help you develop to become a better 5×5 player.”
Batastini said it’s hard for players to change their playstyle when it’s ingrained in them. Fair and her teammates had to work diligently to improve situationally, constantly running through various scenarios, Batastini said.
Fair said she worked on playing “freely.” She learned to read offenses with more detail, as Batastini said she could “anticipate” what her opponents were going to run.
“When you play free, you make quick decisions,” Fair said. “You don’t think.”
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Once Team USA landed, they had a set schedule. They all ate breakfast together before attending team meetings and film sessions. Afterward, some girls rested or received treatment prior to leaving for tournament play. Then, they stayed in the 40-degree facility for up to 10 more hours.
“They spent almost every waking hour together in circumstances that probably weren’t ideal for them,” Batastini said.
Defensively, Fair was more vocal than she’d ever been on the court. Batastini said she started recognizing what opposing teams were doing in the screen game. Fair adjusted well to player screens and on-ball screens by muscling her way over the top of the pick, just like how Batastini taught her. Batastini added that Fair’s ability to invade passing lanes and quickness to stay with her player made her a threat to get steals.
While on offense, Fair also drove to the basket with consistency, often finishing through contact. She also became one of the premier 3-point shooters on the U23 squad.
“She got better every single time she played,” Batastini said. “And she really started asserting herself on the offensive end the deeper she got into the tournament.”
Fair’s performance led Team USA to the 2023 FIBA U23 Nations League Americas Conference title. The squad dominated, winning 5-of-6 three-game tournaments — known as “stops” — and 15-of-17 total contests played while outscoring its opponents 332-181.
Since returning to Syracuse, Fair’s instilled her knowledge from 3×3 basketball into her teammates. McEvans said that Fair has transformed into a vocal presence. Fair’s also emphasized getting Syracuse’s freshmen prepared, McEvans said, often pulling them aside in practice and “correcting them when they’re wrong.”
“She’s been communicating with me all the time,” said freshman forward Alyssa Latham. “It’s really helped me a lot.”
Batastini said she believes Fair’s time playing 3×3 will “accelerate” her learning process. After playing with Team USA, Fair can think on the defensive end like she has never before.
“Her game is just going to be that much sharper,” Batastini said of Fair, “with much more basketball IQ having played 3×3.”
Photograph taken by Aiden Groeling | Staff Photographer