Player Preview Series: Justyn Fernandez' long wait is almost over

“He knows what he wants. He wants to be great and he’s working toward that.”

It didn’t take long to see why college coaches were all over Justyn Fernandez as he began to emerge into a top 100 prospect in the class of 2022. The Richmond, VA native could handle the ball, stood a legit 6’5, exploded off the floor, and was emerging as a perimeter threat playing for DC Premier on the Under Armour Circuit.

Recruiting pundits and college coaches took notice in the spring and summer following his junior year.

Jamie Shaw, then of Rivals, wrote: “Fernandez has always been a high-level athlete. He jumped off the page at the numerous CBG events he attended throughout the COVID-shortened year. However, in the past six months, Fernandez has become a knock-down type shooter. In the two games I saw him with his DC Premier (D.C.) UAA team this weekend, Fernandez knocked down a combined six threes on eight attempts. This was the next step the 6-foot-5 wing needed to take in his game.”

Adam Finkelstein, of 247 Sports, was also impressed: “Justyn Fernandez just keeps coming. Big wing, power body, downhill style, high-rising athlete, soft 3-ball, great motor, and versatile defender. Both his rating and recruitment should be getting a big jump.”

Pairing a solid perimeter jumper with elite athleticism, Fernandez' stock took off after shooting 37% from deep on the UAA circuit with DC Premier.

That seemingly meant bad news for La Salle and George Mason — his first two college offers — at the time.

High major offers came streaming in from the likes of Florida, Clemson, NC State, Virginia Tech, Tennessee, Georgetown, and Providence, as Fernandez emerged into a top 100-type prospect in the summer of 2021 (#88 on On3.com, #125 on 247 Sports, #74 by ESPN).

However, Fernandez surprised many by committing to George Mason and their young head coach, Kim English.

What made Mason’s approach click?

Matt Palumbo, now an assistant with Providence and then with George Mason, explained their approach to us earlier this month:

“That spring, when we first got the job, we made him a priority from the jump. We were just honest with him. Our process of recruiting him was, ‘You have to improve in certain areas. We’re not going to tell you how great you are, like a lot of schools tend to do. We’re going to be honest with you and show you where you need to get better.’”

George Mason was Fernandez’ second D1 offer, and he believed in English enough to stick with him as his profile grew.

The tape from that summer is pretty wild, with Fernandez finishing with his head at the rim on multiple occasions:

His freshman season at Mason was a learning process. Fernandez averaged 14.1 minutes per game, scoring 4.1 points a night on 34% shooting from beyond the arc playing behind veteran Victor Bailey Jr. on a team that finished 20-13 overall and 11-7 in the Atlantic-10.

His minutes increased significantly by January and he had his moments from there, including an 18-point outburst in a Feb. 1 win over UMass.

Fernandez’ biggest impact, however, came at George Washington two weeks later when he buried four 3-pointers in a five-minute span to spark a 15-2 run late in the second half.

Despite waiting his turn on a veteran club as a freshman (and earning praise for doing so with humility by Josh Oduro), there were certainly signs of what made Fernandez such a promising prospect coming out of high school — from highlight level dunks and blocks to more fundamental passing and ball handling ability.

Fernandez’ patience would be tested further in the spring of 2023. Following English from George Mason to Providence, he tore his ACL and subsequently missed the 2023-24 campaign.

Two and a half months away from making his Friar debut, Fernandez has earned praise for his approach to both his rehab and improving his game following a year away from the court.

“He spent a tremendous amount of time working on his jumper — just shooting hundreds, and hundreds, and hundreds of shots every day,” Palumbo said. “He already was a really good shooter, and I think he’s made himself an elite shooter. He’s hitting shots at a really good rate, whether it’s in drills or actually in live play.”

Offensively, Fernandez is at his best when playing off closeouts. He ranked in the 80th percentile nationally as a freshman in spot-up situations (39% shooting on 72 attempts), and unlike a lot of wings with superior athleticism, he is adept with the ball in his hands.

We will see if the knee injury impacts his athleticism, but Fernandez will be about a year and a half removed from first injuring it when he takes to the court in November.

The coaching staff feels confident that Fernandez is returning to form athletically: “What we’ve seen, and we’re really relieved by, is that he’s back to normal now at this point in terms of playing with athleticism and force — with no lingering signs of the knee injury,” PC assistant coach Dennis Felton told Bill Ricci of The Friar Podcast in a July interview. “One of the characteristics he brought as a player was explosive athleticism and an ability to play above the rim. I can’t tell you that he’s every bit as explosive as he was before the injury, but he’s plenty explosive, plenty athletic, and basically he looks like himself.”

“Our practices are rugged and physical — bodies are flying, bodies are colliding and hitting the floor — and he’s been right in the middle of all of that with no issues.”

English called Fernandez the team’s hardest worker in February. With a return to health he has the potential to be a surprise player that swings the fortunes of the Friars this season.

“Like Kim has said, he’s an incredibly hard worker,” Palumbo said. “He’s always in the gym, keeps his head down, and is very, very focused in terms of recovery, strength and conditioning, and gym time. He knows what he wants. He wants to be great and he’s working toward that.”