Michael Sauls
Feb 29, 2024
NORFOLK — Norfolk State freshman Chris Fields made the first start of his collegiate career on Saturday against Morgan State.
The decision to put Fields in the starting five has felt imminent in recent weeks and Fields’ face lights up at the chance to talk about it.
“It was just a sign of relief,” Fields said. “Just knowing how much work I put in. I finally feel like it all paid off, but it’s only the beginning. One game at a time.”
Fields has played in 23 of the Spartans’ 28 games this season and with regular starting forward Kuleul Mading’s production sputtering, Norfolk State associate head coach Jamal Brown said the move to slide Fields into the starting lineup felt like the answer.
“We’re trying to wake Kuleul up a little bit, trying to give him some life,” Brown said. “He hadn’t been playing that well and Chris has been playing much better. Chris had a concussion and missed a couple of games, but we know Chris has great ability. But we really wanted to wake Kuluel up. We feel like Kuleul could be the X-factor to our success and we want him to really get his motor moving going into the (MEAC) tournament.”
Fields, a Petersburg native, finished his first start with nine points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals in 18 minutes. Fields, who is averaging 6.7 points per game and shooting 46.7% from the field, said he felt like he performed well on offense, but still has some room for improvement on defense.
“He started the game off really strong offensively,” Brown said. “Chris is still struggling defensively a little bit, but we were excited about what he brought to the table. Nine points in that game, he made some big baskets. When Chris is going, he’s a load. He’s a load physically.”
Fields’ efforts against Morgan State, along with a 13-point performance off the bench against Coppin State a few days before, was enough to earn him the MEAC Rookie of the Week. It’s the third time Fields has won the award this season and he also has a MEAC Player of the Week nod.
The freshman’s role has grown since hitting MEAC play and he’s been able to carve out a role on a deep roster. In the 13 games he’s been in during non-conference play, Fields was averaging just 9.5 minutes per game. In the nine MEAC games he’s played, he’s averaging 15.7 minutes and has only played less than 10 minutes once.
Spending more time on the bench than on the court in the first half of the season has fueled the 6-foot-7, 240-pound forward to make the most of his minutes.
“I feel like that helped with hunger,” Fields said. “Now when I’m able to go out and play, it just helps me be more intense and more aggressive when I’m out there. I’m not taking it for granted.”
Brown said the coaching staff got an early glimpse of what Fields could do when Norfolk State visited Costa Rica this summer and played exhibition games. Brown added the biggest area Fields has shown improvement in is his “understanding.” Fields said he feels he’s improved the most this season in the mental aspect of the game, especially his decision-making and basketball IQ.
“When we went to Costa Rica over the summer, Chris was our leading scorer from a forward perspective,” Brown said. “So we saw that natural, God-given ability. But again, it’s just understanding our expectations, understanding our defensive rotations, understanding our schemes and our system and that’s what he’s learning more of now.”
The freshman has become a “go-to guy” for Norfolk State, according to KenPom, meaning he is used on more than 28% of the Spartans’ possessions. He and star guard Jamarii Thomas are the only players on the team in that category and as Fields’ minutes increase, so do the expectations that come with them.
“Now going into the (MEAC) tournament, even as a freshman, we’re expecting him to be a contributor,” Brown said. “He gives us some physicality and he has a natural ability to score the basketball. So we really expect some good things from him finishing the season.”
With the regular season winding down, Fields said he’s happy with his role and hopes to prove he deserves even more minutes down the stretch. Regardless, though, he is happy to fit wherever head coach Robert Jones needs him.
“I feel like I fit in right where I’m supposed to,” Fields said. “I’m a freshman, but I’m able to impact the games in certain ways that probably some other players in my position probably can’t. But that’s why the team is so deep. Everybody can do something.”