'Some days you’d be getting back from an away game at three in the morning' - CJ Fulton on the American Dream
GREEN SHOOT: Ireland international CJ Fulton. Pic: Eóin Noonan/Sportsfile
BIG fish boss the joint in small ponds but holding their own in the shark-infested expanse of US college basketball is never a given, even for someone as talented and dedicated as CJ Fulton.
Tonight marks his return to the Irish singlet since he took up a scholarship in Lafayette College, Pennsylvania last year and his availability, in this Summer window, for two must-win games in the FIBA 2025 Eurobasket pre-qualifiers, couldn’t be more timely.
Ireland are in Salzburg tonight, looking to beat an Austrian team whose perimeter shooting crucified them in last November’s 70-97 defeat. Fulton, who famously hit 15 three-pointers in an Irish schools’ final and led Belfast’ Star of the Sea to a Super League title in 2020 before he’d even left school, has some big shots in his own locker.
But, after his freshman season in America, he knows just how few chances come at this level and he definitely knows a lot more about losing. Lafayette finished bottom three in their conference (Patriot). He started 27 of their 30 games, was picked on his league’s ‘All-Rookie’ team and shot a season-high 19 points in their third-last game, including five of six from outside the arc.
Yet he only hit double figures eight times in 30 games in his first year in tougher waters.
“The higher up you go the smaller window you have for getting the shot away. There’s extra length and extra athleticism over there, you just learn to adapt,” he says.
The Leopards’ captain Tyrone Perry, another 6’2” guard, shot 60 ‘threes’ this season yet the team still finished with 10:20 record and three of the losses came in over-time.
“I was happy enough with how the season ended personally but it’s always easier when you’re winning. We’re a young team and maybe a little more experience would have gotten us further.
“It was tough at certain times in the season, especially when you’ve lost four or five in-a-row and you have the travelling.
“We only had to take a plane once - to Duke -but some days you’d be getting back from an away game at three in the morning and have to be up for class the next day. “That’s the tough part of it, the time management and making sure you are mentally prepared for every game.”
When he goes back Fulton also has to impress a brand new boss as Lafayette’s long-time coach Fran O’Hanlon has just retired and been replaced by Mike Jordan who coached Colgate to top their league this season.
In truth Fulton’s already been working on that. The US college season finishes in March so, once Spring Break was over, he and his teammates were back in the gym daily, training under their new coaching team.
Is Division 1 NCAA ball what he expected?
“I didn’t really know what to expect,” he admits. “It’s lot different from over here in terms of the style of play and it’s almost like a job. You’re training all the time and it definitely gets a bit intense at times.”
Despite the five-hour difference he still found time to watch all of Ireland’s games to date and not just because his dad Adrian is one of their assistant coaches. Fulton played a key role himself when Ireland won the European Championships for Small Nations last year and his return definitely strengthens their hand tonight.
“We were right there with them at half-time (41-43) before, Austria just got away in the second half but their guard play, especially the number 10 (Thomas Klepeisz), is particularly good.”
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