Patriots need to slay the Dragons

There have been a lot of ups and downs in this young season so far. The Patriots have started to show some consistency of late and it could not have come at a better time. The team will travel to Philadelphia on Thursday to take on Drexel who have been knocking over big name schools. The Dragons are on a six game winning streak in which they have beaten two Big East schools, Syracuse and Villanova, on the road. In November they beat a strong Vermont team by 13 points in a game where none of their starters scored in double digits. Drexel is very balanced, much like last years Mason squad; and they are beating more talented teams by playing better as a team. Their RPI is up to #7 right now, making this conference game very important to Mason. Mason's RPI is #103 and beating Drexel on the road would lower that number a lot.

Can Mason slay the Dragons or are they too hot right now? Although Drexel has been playing well as of late theres nothing like having your first conference game to bring you back to reality. Syracuse and Villnova overlooked the Dragons and didn't show them much respect. The Patriots play Drexel to the wire annually and know that they have to contain guys like Bashir Mason and Frank Elegar. I'm not trying to say Mason is a better team than Drexel because they aren't right now. But I will say that Drexel looked like this last season when they gave Duke a huge scare and lost to UCLA by a point in the pre-season NIT. And look what happened, they finished with a losing record and won only eight conference games. My point is the best time for your team to come together is at the end of the season during conference play not in the beginning when your hot streak could cool off after some rivalry games.

Mason matches up with Drexel pretty well except they do not have as much depth. The important match-up to watch will be Will Thomas against Frank Elegar. Thomas has struggled with double teams this year and managed only three points against Holy Cross. Look for Thomas to bounce back and for Coach L to get him more involved in the offense. The Dragons have been playing good defense and kept their opponents shooting percentage under .400. Mason's defense has been improving but they will need to step it up to win this game. Turnovers have been a problem for the Patriots and they will have to protect the ball against the Dragons who currently have a turnover margin of +2.9. Mason will also need strong play from their bench; Birdsong and Smith have been playing well lately with their increased minutes, they need to keep this up. If the Patriots play like they did as against Holy Cross I think they will have a chance to knock Drexel off its high horse and jump start their season.

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Patriots Take Down Holy Cross

Its always good to see more wins before the conference play gets into gear, but scoring less than 60 points and turning over the ball 19 times to Holy Cross is not good to see. And Will Thomas had three points in 36 minutes? But there were a lot of positives that came out of this game such as Louis Birdsong pulling down a game high 11 rebounds. Birdsong should be starting from here on out, hes improved every week while Urbina and Monroe have been struggling and inconsistent. Another positive from this game was that the team played well on defense for a change. And they will definitely need to play defense like that again if they want to have a chance against Drexel. Drexel is best team left on our schedule after they took down Villanova, Syracuse, and Temple. They currently have a very high RPI that our team could greatly benefit from if they can pull off the upset. I'm still not convinced that this team is starting to come together but they are getting close and have showed improvement in some problem areas.

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Whats wrong with the Patriots?

Since my last post the Patriots have lost to Bucknell, defeated Radford by two, and got man handled by one of Duke's worst teams in years. The fact that we are losing these games shouldn't really be a cause for concern but its how we are losing that is really frustrating. I know I know, we were a Final Four team and are not a Final Four program, but come on everyone expected more than this. And maybe saying that is unfair to them but nevertheless the team looks in a disarray on offense and just plain pathetic on defense. Add that to the inconsistent production from the bench players, that is when there actually is production from any of them. During the Radford game Dre Smith scored the first basket, Urbina scored the last, and no one else besides Vaughan, Campbell, or Thomas scored. The big three can't be expected to carry the team every night, the bench players have got to give more support. Heres what I think are the most glaring problems the team is currently having:

Perimeter Defense: Been noticing that every team Mason plays seems to drain three pointers with ease? Well I have and I can't understand it. It was even noticeable early in the season against Wichita State, players just seem like they are always wide open. Bucknell shot 50% and Duke shot 45% from behind the arc, thats just ridiculous.

Team Unity: Last years team was the poster child for how a team should play as one cohesive unit. This years squad is doing almost the opposite. The lack of movement on offense and certain players going for one-on-ones constantly is not working. Players are holding onto the ball too long and then forcing up terrible passes that often result in turnovers. I mean this is basic fundamental basketball stuff I am referring to here not some hybrid offense scheme. Coach L mentioned this in the halftime interview on Saturday, why aren't the players getting it?

Starting Lineup in flux: The Patriots have already used four different starting lineups and different substitution patterns almost every game. The team needs to find out who the starters are and it needs to happen soon. Campbell, Vaughan, and Thomas aren't going anywhere but who else will be consistently starting? Urbina and Carter have struggled with the role and I don't think they will be starting by the end of the season. I did not think Monroe would be out of the starting lineup at this point in the season but he has been playing terribly lately. Dre Smith has showed flashes of his talents, but then he has a three point game at Radford and a two point game at Duke after getting clutch steals against Bucknell and going 3-4 from the three point line. Also Birdsong had a solid game on Saturday and could be the answer to this starting lineup problem and he could definitely free up Thomas from those double teams if he keeps this up.

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Smith Shines In Blow Out

What a relief it was to witness the Patriots finally beat down on someone even if it was the Florida International Golden Panthers. Remember them; the school whose football team got in a melee with Miami earlier in the year resulting in about 30 players being suspended. No brawl in this game but Mason sure had their way with them. I still don't understand how Will Thomas didn't have 30 points in this game considering the caliber of players guarding him, but I won't complain since we won. 10 Patriots scored in this game and Dre Smith was the only one in double digits scoring 20. I was waiting for when this kid was finally gonna get some more playing time. I hope this is a sign of things to come. Smith has great shooting touch and created a lot of shots for himself, something I have not seen other Patriots do often enough. Smith also showed off his quickness Monday night, reminding us a little of Tony Skinn. Maybe thats why hes wearing #1 this year. I am curious to see if Smith can keep this up against stiffer competition because I think he has game-breaking skills that are just waiting to be unleashed.

On a side note I am sad to hear that Sammy Hernandez is transferring. The Puerto Rico native wants to be closer to home and apparently couldn't handle the winters here in the Fairfax. I know the real reason hes transferring and his name is Jesus. With Urbina's return and freshman Louis Birdsong in the mix, Sammy is the odd man out at the 3 or 4 position. You hate to lose anyone with NCAA tournament experience, but his departure will open up another scholarship for the future; and the way our current recruiting is going that makes me very happy.

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Patriots come up short

The scoreboard might have said it was a two point victory for the Creighton Blue Jays but it really wasn't that close as it would seem. The Patriots forced three quick turnovers in the final two minutes to narrow the gap but came up short in the closing seconds. The Patriots were 6-22 from the 3-point line, ok I can deal with that. They also attempted 7 foul shots. I can't understand this. Folarin Campbell drove the lane twice and was fouled twice; so why do you stop doing it? And why did the Patriots keep forcing up 3-pointers? I really like our mid-range shooting against other teams but I rarely see it. The game was frustrating to watch mostly because Creighton's best player, Nate Funk, was kept in the check and the blue jays still lit it up from behind the arc. The Patriots again failed to defend the perimeter and Creighton made them pay for it by shooting 43% from three point land. We saw this happen against Cleveland State and Wichita State, guys were left open behind that line and drained shots all day. When are these guys going to learn?

I also can't understand why Will Thomas is not getting more touches. I believe this the reason we lost to Wichita State and the reason we lost this game. At the end of this game every time he got the ball in the low post he scored. Thomas should be touching the ball more than anyone else on the team. The offense should go through him, because Campbell is taking a lot of dumb shots and turning over the ball too much. He had five turnovers this game and only four assists, everyone is expecting more from this guy. Monroe is starting to annoy me as well. The guy looked real promising against Cleveland State and now hes not even starting and just picking up dumb fouls. I won't give up on him yet though I believe he will start to contribute more once conference play starts.

I'll end this on a positive note. Jesus Urbina had a great game defensively and pulled down 10 rebounds. Thats exactly what we need for him. He deserves to be in the starting lineup right now and I think he will only get better as the season goes on. Another positive thing to add is that John Vaughan continues to be a consistent scoring threat. He is definitely the best perimeter shooter the Patriots have and quickly becoming the go to guy. But he can't do it all himself and needs to get more consistency from his teammates.

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Shockers Get Revenge

The Wichita State Shockers came to Fairfax on Saturday in front of a sell out crowd and national TV cameras. Something the majority of their players are used to from last season. The Shockers looked like a team determined to put the Patriots away right from the tip off and they followed through. It also didn't hurt that Sean Ogirri (pictured above) got hot in the 2nd half where he scored all of his 19 points including clutch three pointers late in the game. Theres not much you can do when a guy gets hot at the right time. Shockers played great defense and forced the Patriots to take a lot of shots they weren't comfortable with. Although the Patriots were leading at the half, they were not playing their game. They were not going down low to Will Thomas enough and were launching up three pointers too often. I'm no college coach, but I think its easy to see that three point shooting is not going to be one of Mason's strengths this season. The Wichita State Shockers were on the verge of cracking the Top 25 rankings even before this game and should definitely be ranked when the new polls are released. They looked like a better team then last year, a little more polished and better defensively. The loss will not be a huge one for Mason because the Shockers will have a strong RPI throughout the season, and possibly win the Missouri Valley Conference.

Back to the actual game. I am upset at the fact that the Patriots were not able to profit more off the double teams that Thomas was getting. He would pass the ball out to the perimeter but the shots were just not falling. Monroe was not able to gain anything off it either mostly because of early foul trouble. But there was times were I think maybe the huge crowd and stage could have gotten in his head a little bit. I mean how crowds of that size to see playing in community college? That is also the reason I think Dre Smith didn't play at all, like Monroe, they still have a lot to learn about Division I basketball. It hard to be patient but it is a reality that Patriot fans will have to deal with this season. Another aspect of the game that upset me was the free throw shooting, Mason didn't get many chances but shooting 50% is unacceptable. How do you shoot better from the field than from the free throw line?

So far John Vaughn seems to be the only consistent threat this team will have. He hit baskets at clutch moments but could really have used some help late in the game. Campbell performed much better than the first game but he needs to drive the lane more and get to the line. Thomas was able to still get 14 points and 10 rebounds even with all the attention he got. But hes got to get used to that because the Shockers didn't even have a great post defender and they still had him in check the second half. On a side note, when he hobbled toward the bench in the 2nd half my heart sank, but luckily hes fine, just some cramps. Birdsong did not dress for the game due to an ankle sprain but he will be ready for the next game against Hampton.

I really thought Jesus Urbina and Sammy Hernandez would come off the bench and contribute more. Jesus took some interesting shot attempts and Sammy only got four minutes of playing time. Surprising considering the role he had last March where he got minutes late in important games. Urbina was put in the game too long and didn't play great defense, I would have preferred to see Sammy in there more. We need to get more from our bench or else we will see a lot more games like this lost in the 2nd half.

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Mid-Major Showdown in Fairfax

Do I smell a rivalry brewing here? You bet. The George Mason Patriots have got to love the Wichita State Shockers though. Not only did they beat the Shockers on the road, giving them a solid out of conference win on their resume, but then beat them in the third round of the NCAA tournament to advance to UConn in the Elite Eight. Oh how sweet it was. Wichita State would like nothing more than to come into the Patriot Center, watch our fans cheer at the revealing of the Final Four banner, then beat us and move up in the poll rankings. Sweet revenge right? I don't think so. The Patriots are going to beat the Shockers this Saturday and heres why:

1. Will Thomas. Thomas was a monster down in the low post last season and had a coming out party in the tournament last season. This past weekend he dominated Cleveland State scoring a career high 25 points. The Schockers will not have an answer for him. Wichita will most likely be playing three guards because they don't really have any other forward worthy of starting. Kyle Wilson has the size (6'8" 235 lbs) to contend with Thomas but hes an outside shooter and doesn't play down low and do the dirty work like Thomas does. Plus Thomas won't even be playing the 5, he will be playing the 4 along side Monroe at center. Monroe (6'7" 260 lbs) will also create match up problems and could thrive off Thomas being double teamed.

2. Atmosphere at the Patriot Center. For the first time in my four years of watching George Mason basketball I can actually predict a sell out crowd that will be loud. With the Final Four buzz still flowing through campus there will not an empty seat in the house on Saturday. I know, Wichita State plays in front of a loud packed stadium nightly; but this will give a huge morale boost to our players. A boost that the older players are not used to seeing and will be pleasantly surprised. An arena with 10,000 screaming fans who think their team is unbeatable after watching them last March is not an environment any team wants to play in.

3. We have their number. The Patriots were able to take care of business against the Schockers on the road, and then in an NCAA tournament game. It doesn't get more serious than that. And now we play them in our house. The Patriots don't have Skinn, Lewis, or Butler anymore but they still have Coach Larranaga. Larranaga was able to pull off a win against a Wichita State team that was playing better than the Patriots all game long in that bracketbuster last season. I believe this experience will be a huge factor in this Saturday's game.

4. John Vaughn. He will most likely be the x-factor in this game and like Thomas I think he will create match up problems. The Schockers have a great backcourt tandem but if one of them is not guarding Vaughn he will run loose while hes being guarded by someone much slower. Look for the Patriots at certain points to use a three guard line up of Carter, Campbell, and Vaughn, which would give them a chance to get Vaughn more involved. Campbell can play the 1, 2, or 3 spot, which allows Carter to come in and shake up things up for the opposing team. The Schockers will go from having to play a bigger line up to a smaller one the whole game; something they are not built for.

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Patriots get a scare in Cleveland

The Patriots opened the season with a come from behind victory against the Cleveland State Vikings. It hurts me to say that. Cleveland State is the worse team in the Horizon League. Why did the Patriots have trouble against these guys? Easy; Patriots had bull eyes on their backs and the didn't really think it was necessary to defend the three point shot until the second half. From the start of the game the Vikings came out firing with high energy and successfully converting Mason turnovers to points. The Patriots come out flat; a Final Four hang over perhaps; and turned the ball over five times in the games first three minutes. Folarin Campbell turned the ball over eight times in the game, and looked out of place during certain moments. The first half was dreadful at certain points and the Patriots were down by as many as 16 points. The only bright spot was Will Thomas and Darryl Monroe dominating down low. Thomas ended the game with a career-high 25 points and 10 rebounds.

The Patriots came out strong in the second half, Will Thomas and John Vaughn continued to keep the game close. The Vikings would not back down easy. J'Nathan Bullock and Joe Davis made the game interesting by hitting some clutch shots. J'Nathan? Is that really a name? Anyway the Patriots used a zone defense and their size in the posts to chip away at the Viking lead. They ended up shooting over 70% from the field in the second half, largely due to Vaughn and Thomas. At one point Campbell redeemed himself for his poor play in the first half by knocking down back to back three pointers which gave the Patriots all the momentum it needed to finish off the Vikings.

Although I'm not really that happy that the Patriots struggled against a weaker team, I think this will really help in preparation for the Wichita State Shockers. They needed to be brought back to Earth and get past all the media hype. A come from behind victory gives a team an identity and this team needs to develop its own. Every team they play this year will be gunning for them straight from the tip off. If the Patriots come out flat and turn the ball over that much against the Shockers it could get real ugly real fast and I don't think a come from behind victory would be likely.

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Buzz in Fairfax Continues.....

After the annual beat down of a local DII or DIII team in the Patriots pre-season exhibition game, it is was evident how the buzz from last March is still flowing through Fairfax. More people attended that exhibition game then half of the regular season games last year at the Patriot Center. For the first time in my four years at Mason the bookstore is actually carrying worthwhile basketball apparell, including jerseys, commemorative basketballs, banners, and even a gameday shirt for the Wichita St. vs. GMU home opener. Simply amazing. I always thought that a way to build a stronger fan base at Mason was to promote from the selling of Mason athletic apparell. But thats for another post. The school has also made a huge marketing effort to sell more tickets for this year including buying ad space in the Washington Post and local radio stations. Even the pep band has been revamped with a new director, have you seen this guy? He reminds me of Cheech Marin with worse facial hair. As long as the band plays "Livin' on a Prayer" the guy is ok in my book, or blog I guess.

Aside from the schools increased marketing, the Patriots are still being recognized on a national level. They are ranked #7 in the Mid-Major Top 25 poll which is voted on by head coaches of top mid-major schools, including our very own Coach L. Also the Patriots did receive 1 vote in the national AP pre-season poll and 6 votes in the ESPN/USA Today poll. Andy Katz, a college basketball writer/analyst for ESPN, was at this past weeks exhibition game. Let me just put this in perspective for you; Andy Katz being in attendance for the GMU vs. Marymount game is amazing because in past years Katz at a mid-major school before the season begins was something that rarely happened. Sure he visits Gonzaga but any team that has a player taken in top 5 of the NBA draft is no longer a mid-major in my eyes. Previously Andy Katz or someone like Dick Vitale coming to Fairfax would have been the equivalent of Jessica Simpson performing a strip tease at your 16th birthday party. It just didn't happen. Has Mason's run last March actually changed the way these analysts view all the teams in NCAA basketball? Yes, and this is just the beginning. You can already see a decline in news about the beloved ACC and Big East "power" conferences that annually receive about two or three bids too many just because of what conference they play in. Mid-majors have been becoming more major and less mid each March, the Patriots just highlighted it.

And what is the deal with this whole "Gold Rush" campaign that is coming on. Don't get me wrong I love the schools effort for the constant promoting but the Patriots became American's sweethearts last March wearing green jerseys not gold ones. Maybe I'm just a superstitious person, well actually I'm very superstitious. If it were up to me I'd have the team wear green jerseys for every home game. The crowd should be wearing green as well, especially against Wichita State. Remember the bracketbuster game last year; every single fan in that Kansas stadium was wearing gold. I don't want these Shockers feeling at home when they come to Fairfax. They will already be coming to the Patriot Center with enough rage from losing to us twice last year. But if they couldn't beat us with Paul Miller last season, no way they beat us without him this year. The Shockers will make it game because of Kyle Wilson, but the buzzing Patriots will be eager to show that last season was no fluke and that spells diaster for the Shockers.

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Another local stand out commits to Mason

Coach L's recruiting class of 2007 rounds out with another local product in Vlad Moldoveanu. Moldoveanu is a 6-foot-11 native of Romania playing for St. John's high school in DC, where he has made a name for himself with his outside shooting touch and rebounding. Vlad also had offers from West Virginia and Kentucky, which shows that you should not mess with Coach L when he is trying to recruit in his own backyard. West Virginia has often recruited big men who can shoot from long range, remember Kevin Pittsnogle last season? He was a 6-foot-10, 255 pound center who shot better than 40% from three point land. Thats better than most shooting guards. Vlad will most likely play small forward and create mismatche problems for the rest of the CAA; and will hopefully have better tatoos than Pittsnogle. Vlad "The Impaler" Moldoveanu (yes, I am already giving him a nickname, big whoop wanna fight about it?) has international tournament experience, gaining MVP honors in the 18-Under European Championship this past summer and currently is ranked as the best player in Europe in his age group . International play in Europe is nothing to overlook when you can see how the game overseas is improving and also why Team USA can't seem to get better than a bronze in any international tournament. The NBA says you gotta be 19 years old now to play with their boys so we can hopefully expect even more international recruits to join Coach L and our diverse campus. And people thought that #1 ranking in campus diversity at GMU was nothing to brag about.

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Midnight Madness

Another Midnight Madness passes in Fairfax bringing the with it the highest expectations ever for the Patriots. A lot has changed in one season and ESPN broadcasting our Midnight Madness festivities is more proof of that then ever. This is the time of year when all the talk starts and pre-season rankings start pouring in. Will Mason be in the pre-season Top 25 coaches/AP poll? No. Thats the way I like it for now, were we ranked last pre-season? Pre-season rankings are garbage, remember when Maryland was ranked #24 in last years pre-season poll, and they lost to Manhattan in the NIT. Yeah they thats right, Manhattan, and NIT. It's the time of the year where everyone is undefeated and everyone thinks they will be the next George Mason. Sure the Patriots will have a huge bulleye on their backs this season but how much different is that kind of pressure then what most of these guys witnessed last year in the NCAA tournament. I'm sure I speech for the players when I say "bring it on".

Midnight Madness is also the first time we get to look at new guys coming in this year and of course start to put them under the microscope. Is Monroe going to take over in the middle and be like Jai? Will 'Dre Smith cut to basketball and get steals like Tony Skinn did last year? Will Birdsong stick his tongue out more than Will Thomas does when he dunks? Of course the reality is that these new incomers probably will not have a large role this season. They need time to learn the system and find out where to eat on campus besides Ciao Hall. Lets not forget they will have compete will a lot of quality guys returning who have experience over them, including Jesus Urbina and John Vaughn who missed all of last season. Vaughn was the best freshman out of the trio that all were named to All-Rookie team in the CAA. Watching the Patriots last season has to be leaving Vaughn hungry as ever to come back and contribute. Everyone keeps talking about Hofstra's backcourt, Campbell and Vaughn will pour on the points this year and make people go back to asking what state Hofstra is in.

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When Being Politically Correct is Incorrect...

Gunston: what is it? Good question. Ever since I have been a student at Mason that has been the mystery around campus. Aren't we the George Mason Patriots? Apparently GMU's verison of a patriot is a furry green blob, who looks like a poorly constructed Sesame Street character. I guess this is supposed to better represent our campus and its vast diversity? Our school just made it to the Final Four, its time for a real mascot.

Let me just start off by saying that I hate Gunston and think that "it" is an embarassment to our school and most notably our basketball team. And believe me I am not alone. As a poster on the CAAZone.com I communicate with fellow alumni and students on our shared hatred of Gunston. The hatred of Gunston is so wide spread these days there is a website selling anti-Gunston t-shirts in order to raise money to buy their own mascot costume. I'd gladly buy a "Guck Gunston" shirt in order to get in a new mascot.

I have heard the arguments from Mason fans that "hey hes got tons of fans in his facebook groups". Are you kidding? I could make a group tonight on facebook that is titled "I eat dog shit" and I could probably get 500 members by the end of the week if I tried. I love facebook, but using it as a source of statistics or facts is laughable. And on a side not I am happy to see that someone started a Louis Birdsong fan club group, which I am still currently waiting for an invite.

After the final four run had ended, the Washington Post had run an article stating that Gunston was on his way out and that a new mascot was being created. I nearly jumped for joy. National exposure and Gunston gone? But it was proved to be too good to be true. This is a quote from university spokesman Dan Walsch:

"He [pause]... 'It' is here to stay, and we're looking to give Gunston a makeover. That'll be the only change, but the decision of the university is that he is very much here to stay. When the spotlight went on the university in the Final Four we thought the feelings Gunston helped generate were positive. We thought the character did a good job of being fun and representing the school, and we thought he was not only worth keeping but enhancing his look and if anything making him more visible...The general feeling from what I hear is that Gunston is very positively received, that people like him and it's good that we're keeping him."

Give Gunston a makeover? Dear god. I can't even begin to ponder what the hell Mason will do to "makeover" Gunston. I don't think a shower and shave is gonna do it for our muppet-like mascot. Will we see this new mascot at Midnight Madness? When Mason is calling the shots anything is possible and they will most likely find a way to make Gunston even more hated at the Patriot Center. I think they will need to add more t-shirt giveaways (if thats possible) to keep fans under control. And Walsch says make Gunston more visible!?! Doesn't it scare enough children in the stands during games? And let me get something straight, Gunston did not generate positive school spirit, the basketball team's heroics did and I'll be damned if Gunston tries to take credit for anything besides causing mass confusion among college basketball viewers.

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Mason gets commitment from another local standout

Cameron Long, a 6'3" guard from Woodbridge, VA has verbally commited to George Mason and is the Patriots second recruit from the 2007 class. Long plays under one of Jim Larranaga's former players, Ahmad Dorsett, who now coachs at Freedom High School. With this commitment Larranaga again has showed his ability to work with players who are under the radar in the DC area. Although George Washington was next on Long's visit schedule, he commited to George Mason shortly after his visit to the campus this past weekend. Long is said to be a versatile defender who can play both guard spots. He should be a great fit in Coach L's system with his ball handling and three-point shooting skills. The 2006-2007 is almost upon us, but with Long and Tate coming in next season and only two seniors on the roster, the future looks very bright for the Patriots in 2007.

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Patriots schedule three nationally televised games. Pinch me.

The George Mason Patriots 2006-2007 schedule is finally released and is highlighted with three nationally televised games which include the home opener against Wichita State, a trip to Duke in December and an important CAA conference match up against Hofstra in February. The Patriots could see the national stage for a fourth time if their bracketbuster matchup is chosen as one of the showcase games. Last season the ESPN bracketbuster game against Wichita State almost single handling got the Patriots into the big dance. These televised games will do wonders for the GMU recruiting and give the Patriots a chance to keep the post-Cinderella story buzz alive. Look for the Patriot Center to frequently be standing room only at times this season, something we haven't seen since JMU used to bring a decent squad to Fairfax. The Wichita State home opener marks a growing rivalry between the two teams after a season were the Shockers were beaten twice by the Patriots once in the ESPN bracketbuster and again in the NCAA tournament. The Shockers have been waiting to get revenge all off season and it should be quite the showdown in Fairfax.

On December 9th the Patriots travel to Cameron Indoor Stadium for the first time since 1983 to face off against national power Duke. Although they don't have J.J. Redick or Sheldon Williams anymore, don't think that the Patriots still aren't greatly overmatched. But then again after the UConn game, I don't doubt the Patriots and Coach L's ability to knock off power house programs on any given day. This game will give the newcomers and younger Patriot players a chance to see the kind of environment the team saw last year in the NCAA tournament. Playing at Cameron is quite possibly the most difficult of all venues to play in on the road in all of college basketball. Anyone who has ever heard of the "Cameron Crazies" knows exactly what I am talking about.

The most important game of the season will most likely be the showdown in Fairfax against Hofstra on February 10th. Hofstra is the favorite to win the CAA this year, but they are not a lock by any means. This game could decide who is atop the standings and determine seeding for the CAA tournament. The Pride will definately be looking to seek revenge against us after beating twice before the NCAA tournament and getting snubbed by the selection committee. One factor to consider leading up to the game is fatigue. The Patriots have an important four game stretch from January 29-February 7 that could have Hofstra facing a tired Patriots team.

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Isaiah Tate first commitment for 2007

Although we won't see him for the 2006-2007 season, Isaiah Tate will be making noise for GMU in 2007. Tate was a standout at the Adidas Superstar Camp this past July, which led to offers from fellow CAA teams such as Delaware, VCU, and ODU. In addition Penn State, Fordam , and Richmond were tracking Tate.

The 6-2 wing scorer shot 44% from the 3-point range in his last season at Dematha Catholic High School in Maryland. Dematha is well known for producing top college recruits and a few NBA players. His high school coach has stated that Tate is one of the best shooters hes seen in nearly 10 years.

Currently the Patriots do not have a pure shooter on the roster for the 2006-2007 season, so Tate coming in the future is a great fit. Coach L historically doesn't recruit pure shooters, but Tate most have shown great versatility, athletic ability, and ball control. He will greatly complement Folarin Campbell and John Vaughn in 2007 with his long range shooting and athletism. Hopefully Tate will be able to come off the bench and knock down clutch 3-pointers late in games.

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Recruiting Class of 2006

Andre Smith - PG, 6'0", (Cohise CC): Averaged 25 points a game which ranked him #4 nationwide in JUCO scoring. Final Four run had a part in helping Smith to choose the Patriots over Creighton and Mississippi State. A pure scorer who can create and should help fill the void left by Tony Skinn.







Louis Birdsong - F, 6'6", 195 lbs (Mount St. Joseph HS): Very athletic, strong mid major prospect and was Baltimore Sun player of the year. Ranked #40 in the nation for his position by Scout.com. Birdsong is a tough inside scorer who also has a mid-range shot.







Darryl Monroe - F/C, 6'7", 235 lbs (Central Florida CC): Another top JUCO recruit with great hands and passing ability. Averaged 15 points and 9 rebounds a game as a freshman. Has the size to play center and can hopefully step in early and play next to Will Thomas.

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Season Outlook

George Mason enters next season as one of the most successful mid-majors in college basketball history. A Final Four run that will be remembered forever. But now Mason enters the 2006-2007 season losing three key players that inspired that run in the post season. Jai Lewis, Tony Skinn, and Lamar Butler were all 1,000+ point scorers in their careers at GMU. That is something that is difficult for any program to replace. Coach Larranaga has proven that he can find great players right in our own back yard. Skinn, Butler, and Lewis are all from Maryland, and all were overlooked by bigger programs in the area such as Maryland and Georgetown. Jai Lewis for instance was viewed by many schools as a fat, slow, and undersized center. Three years later Jai's size and ability to run the floor was making him a leading rebounder in the CAA and a tough customer defensively inside, also earning him the attention of NFL scouts. Forward Will Thomas and guard Folarin Campbell are also local players from Maryland that greatly stepped up in their sophomore seasons. Their experience in the NCAA postseason will give them an edge this season in the CAA. They will need it as they will be counted on to lead Mason this season as the only returning starters.

Despite the loss of their top three scorers, Mason returns some promising players. Will Thomas and Folarin Campbell will lead a young group of Patriots who will enjoy a much deeper bench. Campbell will most likely lead the team in scoring this season at the point. Thomas will be the go to guy in many situation as he was late last season. The only returning senior that has experience is Gabe Norwood, whose defensive presence helped the Patriots win some close games in the tournament. Norwood's knowledge of Larranaga's patented "scramble defense" will make a starter this season. Another possible starter is redshirt Sophomore John Vaughn who missed all of last season with an ACL tear. As a freshman Vaughn joined Campbell and Thomas with CAA all-rookie honors. This past season he practiced with the team and seemed to be back in full form. He will most likely start if he can return to 100% form, which can be difficult considering the nature of the injury. Jesus Urbina is a similar story who was also redshirted last season due to an injury. Urbina will most likely be needed to step in and contribute on the front lines with the loss of Jai Lewis. Another forward who will see more playing time is Sammy Hernandez who made a name for himself hitting clutch shots in the CAA and NCAA tournaments. He is an undersized forward but makes up for it with an outside shot and aggressiveness on the boards. All of these players were be challenged for playing time by Larranga's strong incoming recruiting class.

The CAA will not be as strong as last season, in which 2 teams got bids to the NCAA tournament and 2 more played in the NIT. A great season such as that will be hard to top for the CAA, especially with all the new faces that will be around next season. Northeastern, UNCW, and VCU have new head coaches, while GMU and Hofstra were able to lock up theres for a long time with contract extensions. Tom Pecora returning to Hofstra is a huge boost, many thought he would be gone with all the offers coming in. His return with the combination of the Pride's returning backcourt make them an easy favorite to be a top that CAA next season. Returning guards Loren Stokes (who is known better to Mason fans as the guy Tony Skinn took out some frustration on) and Antoine Agudio, both of whom averaged over 17 points a game last season, will be one of the best backcourts in the NCAA. Hofstra has lost some power up front, which may give them problems if former bench players can't fill the role. As in recent seasons, Old Dominion will again be a strong team battling atop the CAA. Head coach Blaine Taylor has had great success over the last three seasons and still has the talent to win despite losing their top two scorers. Whether or not senior forward Arnaud Dahi can fully recover from off season knee surgery will most likely determine if the Monarchs will see postseason action. UNCW will mostly be taking a step back with new head coach Brad Brownell, but they still possess T.J. Carter who at the end of last season was looking like a possible player of the year for the conference. Drexel is a team on a the rise as they return their entire squad from last season that gave Duke and UCLA a run for their money in the pre-season NIT. After last season its hard to predict what can happen next, as no one could have predicted GMU dancing to the final four and Hofstra and ODU going deep in the NIT. The bar has been set very high and this season should be an interesting one with the possibility of a very important February 10th meeting between Hofstra and GMU in Fairfax which might determine who is atop the conference.

Although it would seem like the CAA is guaranteed to be a multiple bid conference for the tournament after last season, it will most likely will be difficult and they will again need some luck. The CAA proved that their so called "mid-major" teams can hang with the best the NCAA can bring. Mason knocked off three recent national champions on their run through the tournament, but they and the rest of the CAA will have to fight all over again to prove that they belong in the a tournament. So far Mason is not ducking anyone in terms of scheduling with a game set against Duke on December 9 and possibly fellow mid-major power Bucknell in the annual BB&T classic in D.C. The CAA conference is again within Mason's grasp and their growing rivarly with Hofstra will make things very interesting. To make the NCAA tournament again without winning the automatic bid from the conference tournament will be more difficult for Mason this year, but not totally out of the question.

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