HAMDEN - Life in the transfer portal era can be a bit of a nightmare for even the most established programs. The rent-a-player era is in full swing with some student-athletes playing at three or four different colleges.
When MAAC women's basketball superpowers Fairfield and Quinnipiac get together on Saturday, those who question the loyalty of the modern-day players would be wise to check out Fairfield's Janelle Brown and Quinnipiac's Jackie Grisdale in this 4 p.m. matchup at M&T Bank Arena.
Brown is in her sixth season at Fairfield. This is Grisdale's fifth season with the Bobcats. Both players could have joined the countless number of shooting stars to enter their names into the transfer portal. However, they are reaping the rewards of being here for the long haul.
"I always told my mom that where I start is where I want to finish," said Brown, one of three current Fairfield players with more than 1,000 career points with the Stags. "I didn't really believe in transferring and going somewhere else if I didn't think it helped me personally. Player development of the coaching staff has enhanced within this program is absolutely phenomenal."
Quinnipiac did lose Gal Raviv, who led the Bobcats in points, rebounds and assists per game as a freshman, when she transferred to Miami. However, Grisdale and the other top returning players have the Bobcats sitting atop the MAAC standings with a 16-0 conference record.
"The challenge is immense," Quinnipiac women's basketball coach Tricia Fabbri said. "It is just the way of the world. I think it is how everybody has grown up through the system of transferring high schools, high school to prep school, you look at the public schools. For them, it is kind of par for the course. This crystallizes what four years means in a program, to keep a core, to develop a core, and to develop Jackie Grisdale.
"There is no substitute for the experience and the relationships that are built. Going out to dinner, grabbing a bite to eat, becoming roommates, housemates, teammates. They are developing an unbreakable bond where they do love each other."
Grisdale was a walk-on as a freshman. In her third career game, she had 12 points and three assists in a win over Hartford. It wasn't long before she was given a scholarship. Grisdale couldn't imagine playing anywhere else.
"It is all what you make it. I come in with the mindset that I am going to put my best foot forward and the people around are going to lift me up and create a great atmosphere," Grisdale said. "It is all what you can build. I have loved seeing how much the team has changed since my first year to now, how much I have changed and if you really buy into the mindset or how much can I grow as a person, as a player, as a student, staying in one spot made sense for me because that is how I was going to best grow."
Grisdale has grown into an elite defensive player who Fabbri said erases the player she is guarding. Brown is also a key contributor on both ends of the court. The leadership they provide is invaluable.
"The fact that she (Brown) has chosen over and over again to stay shows her loyalty," Fairfield coach Carly Thibault-DuDonis said. "I think where people miss the boat on the portal is that they think the grass is greener. Nelly is happy with her experience and has enjoyed it. If she drifted away, if her eyes wander to other places, but it is really a credit to her."
Brown and Grisdale are not the only veterans on the two best teams in the MAAC and two of the top mid-major teams in women's college basketball.
Ten different players have combined to start more than 400 games at Quinnipiac. Ten current players have started 359 games for Fairfield. The Bobcats and Stags join programs like UConn, Texas, UCLA and LSU with more than 5,000 points having been scored at their current school. You won't find many other mid-majors on that list.
"I think the loyalty between both programs is very evident throughout the MAAC," Brown said. "We are two very well-developed programs with a lot of maturity, a lot of experience. I think it just adds more fire and more grit to our rivalry."
Quinnipiac went into Fairfield and came away with a 72-58 victory earlier this season. The rematch is in Hamden as Fairfield tries to move back into a tie for first place in the MAAC standings. They met in the 2025 MAAC tournament final with Fairfield winning 76-53. They could be on a collision course for another showdown in the MAAC tournament title game.
"It's been a really fun couple of years," Thibault-DuDonis said. "We are constantly tinkering and finding ways to add wrinkles when we play each other. It has been a really fun matchup, it is great for not only our league but for mid-major women's basketball to have two teams that have that sustainability. I think it has been great for our fan base, a circle the calendar date for a lot of fans. For us, we are able to lean on experience. We are excited to match up with them again because on any given night, anybody can win."
This article originally published at Loyalty has paid off for veterans on Fairfield, Quinnipiac women's basketball programs.