How the path of Fayetteville State basketball's Tairell Fletcher wound its way back home

A little more than halfway through the CIAA basketball schedule, Fayetteville State holds a share of the Southern Division lead and the Broncos are tied for the second-best overall league record at 6-4.

But it hasn’t come easily.

Five of FSU’s 11 wins have been by five points or less, and twice the Broncos (11-9) have strung together three straight wins, but in a highly competitive Southern Division, there’s no chance to relax.

“You’re gonna have to bring it every night because the teams are well-coached and they have really talented players, and they’ve got all different kinds of systems, so you’ve got to be able to adapt,” FSU coach Luke D’Alessio said after Saturday’s 61-58 win over reigning tournament champion Winston-Salem State.

That matchup was between the league’s top two defenses and down the stretch, a pair of steals by seniors Khalil Ridges and D’Marco Baucum kept the Broncos in position to win. Then, with 40 seconds remaining after a Caleb Simmons rebound, D’Alessio dialed up a four-low set with Tairell Fletcher handling at the top of the key. Fletcher drove, drew a second defender and dished to Baucum for an open layup to seal the victory.

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“It says a whole lot about our team, the character,” said associate head coach Anquell McCollum, a former state record-holder at E.E. Smith and Southern Conference MVP at Western Carolina. “They weren’t going to give it to us, so we had to take it.”

That “take-it” mentality fuels Fletcher.

The Broncos’ leading scorer at 13.6 points per game, Fletcher already has two game-winners this season, including a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to cap a 27-point outing against Augusta, then-ranked No. 10 in the country and coming off an NCAA Division II national championship appearance in 2022. Fletcher also put away Lincoln with a go-ahead foul-line jumper leaving only 4 seconds on the clock.

“He doesn’t shy away from the limelight,” D’Alessio said. “When there are big shots to be taken, he takes them and he usually makes them.”

Fetcher’s assist on the clincher vs. WSSU shows another step in his evolution as a team leader, something that’s imperative for the Broncos to secure their second CIAA championship in three years.

And he’s playing with the weighted expectations of a Fayetteville-born baller representing his hometown.

“I always wanted to come back and get to know Fayetteville,” Fletcher said. “It really means everything to me.”

Born to an Army-enlisted father based at Fort Liberty (then Bragg), Fletcher moved with his family to Germany when he was 5. Three years later, they moved to Clarksville, Tennessee.

That’s where the junior guard developed his game, playing in city leagues and getting shots up on the backyard hoop until his mom would make him come inside. By the time he got to high school, Fletcher was in the gym most mornings before classes started. He was coached by Justin Blake, a former Mr. Basketball finalist in Tennessee who went on to play at Austin Peay, building confidence and mental toughness.

By the time he graduated from West Creek High in 2017, Fletcher had 19 college basketball scholarship offers. He wound up playing his freshman year at Eastern Oklahoma State, a junior college where he averaged only 2.7 minutes per game but managed to score 4.3 points per game. Those numbers went north his next season as Fletcher moved to Arkansas Baptist College and averaged 22.9 points while shooting 61.4% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc to go with 5.9 rebounds per game. He was the NJCAA's leading scorer for the first half of that season.

"I was in the gym every night, every morning," Fletcher said of his journey. "Mom (Nicole Fletcher) was always there, making sure I stayed positive."

Fletcher spent last season at NCAA Division II Frostburg State in Maryland, where he averaged a team-high 18.6 points on 44.1% shooting. He caught D'Alessio's eye in the Bobcats' win over Fayetteville State, and when his name popped up in the transfer portal, the Broncos beat out more than 30 other offers to land the 6-foot-1 guard.

"I didn’t even go on my other visits," Fletcher said. "This feels like home.

"They are a winning team and they’ve got a very good coaching staff. They made me feel like family."

Fletcher and his teammates' comfort level is such that they called a players-only meeting after a disappointing home loss to Virginia Union. The Broncos responded with two straight CIAA wins by an average of 20.5 points.

Simmons averages 11.1 points and 6.2 rebounds, and he can notch a double-double on any given night. Tyler Foster is one of the most athletic shooters in the league. Kaleb Coleman is a poised and proven post scorer averaging 9.8 ppg. Baucum and Tony Hauser are lengthy defenders with touch. And Khalil Ridges is a chaotic disrupter, making life difficult for opponents with his quick hands and feet.

Running the point is Fletcher, whose ability to score is especially valuable to FSU.

"He can get to the basket, he can shoot mid-range, he can shoot 3s, he’s a willing passer, plays defense and he’s a great student on top of that," D'Alessio said of Fletcher. "I have high expectations for him. I trust him. He’s a competitor."

As Fletcher settles into his multi-faceted role and this team continues to develop chemistry and timing, the potential for another banner season is creeping higher.

"He plays well, he’s under control, great teammate, willing passer," McCollum said of Fletcher. "But he can score that basketball and that’s what we want from him."

Sports editor Monica Holland can be reached at mholland@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Fayetteville State basketball Tairell Fletcher CIAA