CJ Fair was the perfect talent for the Syracuse 2-3 zone and exactly the type of talent Jim Boeheim loves in his system. Fair was a tremendous scorer, though it wasn’t always pretty. He would find ways to get the ball into the basket that would make fans shake their heads. He was raw his entire career offensively but was very productive. As a result, he sits 16th on Syracuse’s all-time scoring list, according to Orangehoops.org.
In addition to being great on offense, Fair was even better on defense. He was tall and lanky and was able to block multiple shots from the wing of the zone. He was a great on-ball defender and as a result, was a solid fixture in Boeheim’s rotation all four years he played for Syracuse.
For his career, Fair averaged 11.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and 0.8 blocks a game, according to Sports-reference.com. He would also be named to the AP All-American 3rd Team, USBWA Second Team, and the All-ACC First Team after his senior season
During his Orange tenure, he would help the Orange reach the NCAA 2nd Round, the Elite Eight, the Final Four, and the NCAA Round of 32 in consecutive years. Fair will always be remembered for how he always gave his best effort on both sides of the ball. He may not stack up well compared to other SU greats, but his talent and production while at SU will never be forgotten. It just goes to show you don’t always have to be flashy or be the star to make a big impact.