CEDAR CITY, Utah - When Maizen Fausett stepped onto the Southern Utah University campus in 2018, nobody could have predicted the impact he would go on to make on its men's basketball program.

Fast forward four years, and Fausett has compiled a stellar resume that includes Big Sky All-Conference Second and Third Team honors, a Big Sky Regular Season Championship, and entering his fifth and final season competing for the Thunderbirds, he ranks first all-time in program history for rebounds (713) and is one of just 10 players to score 1,000 points for his career. 

"Maizen has done nothing but win since he got here," said SUU Head Coach Todd Simon. "He is Southern Utah through and through. In this day and age, to be loyal and stay here for your whole career and do all these things that he is accomplishing is truly special."

A Utah native, Fausett was a standout player for Westlake High School, averaging 16.7 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.1 steals per game prior to his time at SUU. 

He enrolled in Southern Utah and made an immediate impact on the SUU men's basketball team as a freshman, appearing in all 33 games throughout the 2018-19 season and compiling averages of 4.5 points and 3.2 rebounds per game.  

Fausett made huge strides from his freshman to sophomore season, improving his averages to 8.8 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, while shooting a solid 46 percent from the field for the year as a consistent presence in the starting lineup. His 5.6 rebounds per contest ranked first on the team and 15th in the Big Sky Conference overall. 

The 2020-21 season was a breakthrough year for both Fausett and Southern Utah, as his averages soared to 13.5 points per contest and a team-high 6.9 rebounds per game, which also ranked seventh overall in the conference. Fausett appeared in all 23 games, making 21 starts, as SUU had one of the best seasons in the history of the program, amassing an overall record of 20-4 and an incredible mark of 12-2 in the Big Sky Conference. Fausett and the Thunderbirds topped off the incredible season by securing their first-ever Big Sky Conference Championship.

Fausett had another strong season this past year, posting averages of 11.9 points and a career-high 7.9 rebounds per game, which also ranked fifth best in the Big Sky Conference. He appeared in 34 out of 35 games, starting 33 of them and helping to lead Southern Utah to the second most wins in a single-season in the program's Division I history (25). 

Although Fausett has had a sensational career thus far, he believes that this coming season has the potential to be his best yet. After dealing with a knee injury last season that affected him throughout the year, Fausett has focused on getting back to full health this offseason; and, with the season approaching, he is nearing that point.

"My knee was bothering me for the majority of last season," said Fausett. "I got an MRI during the season, and they didn't see anything, but they went in and scoped it and found some cartilage that was not where it's supposed to be. They went in and cleaned it up, and it's been a bit of a tough recovery, but I'm really close to being right where I want to be in terms of health. I already feel much better than I did last season."

Upon returning to full health, Fausett has lofty goals for himself as well as the team overall. 

"I really want to hit 1,000 rebounds. I'm about 300 away, and I know that I can hit that goal this season."

Speaking about his expectations and goals for the team, Fausett stated, "The goal is always to win. We want to win a Conference championship and make it to the big dance, and I think that's a goal that our team is capable of doing. Winning is the most important thing to me. I'd rather win than accomplish individual goals, so I just want us to continue to win and improve more than anything."

Entering a new and likely more competitive conference, the Thunderbirds will have their work cut out for them; but, Fausett is excited for the opportunity to go up against new and better competition this season.

"I'm really excited to be in a new conference. It's going to be fun to be able to travel to new places, see different things, and be able to play against different teams and see how we fair against them."

No matter what happens this season, Fausett will go down as a Thunderbird legend for the career he has put together in an SUU uniform. When reflecting on the incredible four years that Fausett has had at Southern Utah, there are many moments that stuck out, but none bigger than helping SUU secure their first Big Sky Championship.

"Winning the Big Sky Regular Season Title was the biggest highlight for me. Getting the ring and seeing the banner put up, and just knowing that's going to be here forever, was really cool and exciting." 

Fausett has been a vital piece of the  Southern Utah team for the past four years, and he emphasized how much the opportunity to play for the SUU basketball program has and always will mean to him. 

"There's been a lot of ups and downs during my career. It hasn't always been easy, which in the long run is similar to life. There's always going to be ups and downs in life, and I've taken a lot of life lessons away from  playing here. All the coaches have been great role models and taught me so much. Being here has taught me to be the best person that I can be, no matter the circumstances."

Fausett has aspirations of playing professional basketball after his career at Southern Utah, a goal that is definitely attainable for a player of his caliber. 

In his free time, Fausett enjoys spending time with his wife and playing any type of sport, especially pickleball. 

For now, Fausett's attention is completely focused on having as successful a season as possible in what will be his fifth and final year competing for the Thunderbirds.

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