Campbell works out for Wizards

Much like his fellow Final Four brothers, Folarin Campbell has gotten a chance to show the Washington Wizards his stuff. Campbell worked out for the Wizards yesterday at the Verizon Center in hopes of landing a spot on the summer league squad. If you remember two years ago, Lamar Butler and Tony Skinn had their chance with the Wizards but failed to make the summer league team. Skinn a year later was able to land a spot on the Orlando Magic's summer league team. Out of all the players from that Final Four squad I always thought that Campbell had the best chance out of any to make an NBA roster because of his combination of size and versatility to play multiple positions. Unlike Butler and Skinn, Campbell has the size (6'4") that most teams look for in a guard. Will he make the cut? Probably not but after his memorable career at Mason it's good to see guys like him and Will getting their shots other than France or Saudi Arabia.

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New look for Patriots in '08-'09

Don't ask me why, but rumor has it that Mason is going to be wearing new uniforms next season. It would seem that Mason is following the new fashion trends in the college basketball world by sporting new unis part of the Nike "system of dress" collection. And no, I am not kidding. The uniforms are apparently going to look similar to that which West Virginia wore last season. These aren't to be confused with the ones on the "system of dress" website that look like they were ripped off from the movie Blade Runner. But then again I think those would go well with the shooting sleeve Dre Smith and Vlad wore occasionally last season. Oh Vlad, you don't need cool accessories to win us over, just make threes! Renovations to the Patriot Center and new uniforms in the same year? Kudos Merten, kudos.

Source: CAAZone.com

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Coach L for President

Oh the George Mason University bookstore never stops the creativity, even during the long days of summer. I must say I did enjoy what they came up with on the "Mason Nation wants you" shirts, even though the school's politically incorrectness correctness forced the "Patriot's" face to be colored in green and gold. But today you can find the bookstore's latest creation that features Coach Larranaga being immortalized on his very own t-shirt design. Although I don't see anyone actually buying this t-shirt I do appreciate the bookstore in keeping up with new basketball related items. The face of George Mason University might as well have his own t-shirt despite most fans demanding a statue be erected in his honor after the '06 Final Four run. Oh those bandwagon fans, what will they think of next. But hey, as long as I am seeing basketball related t-shirts in the bookstore that don't feature Gunston, I'm happy.

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The Ryan Pearson Montage

Apparently Ryan Pearson is more of an internet sensation than was once thought. I discovered this YouTube that is a collection of his highlights and it's 9 minutes long! I think the best thing to take away from this montage of Pearson is that he can run and get involved in fast breaks, much like Birdsong. What can also be seen in this video is his array of low post moves, which are sloppy at times but is not something that can't be developed while at Mason. Pearson definitely has athleticism for someone his size and seems to handle the ball well.

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Ryan Pearson can throw it down

DunkTV, whatever that is, has named this dunk by future Mason freshman Ryan Pearson their "Dunk of the Year". Pearson, who was called for a charge on this play, looks like a man among children when he throws down the dunk. You gotta like the way this kid moves down the court and I really hope it doesn't take him too long to be pulling off moves like that for the Patriots next season.

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Former Citadel player walks on

Interestingly enough this seems to be first reported on the Washington Post, but Mason has picked up a walk on player who formerly committed to The Citadel. His name is Brian Henderson (#5 in the pictures), and the 6-4 guard and likely practice reserve player falls into the "recruited walk-on" category, where Coach L had him on his radar for awhile but was unable to give him a scholarship, although the Post is reporting that he may have in fact received one. Former Patriot Tim Burns fell under this category while at Mason. Henderson is a native of Maryland and played his high school ball at Magruder High School in Rockville, Maryland.

Never hurts to have a tall guard on your practice squad and he could provide a lot of wisdom to the talented younger guards of the current Mason squad. From what I have found on rivals.com Henderson is a versatile player who plays excellent defense and has decent shooting range. He has played multiple positions in his career which could really help him possibly get some playing time down the road.

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Update 5/7/08:

Maryland newsite gazette.net has a story on Henderson and confirms that he indeed is a walk-on.

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Why Larranaga stayed in Fairfax

Some might have called Coach Larranaga crazy when he turned down the Providence job but this article and interview from the Mason Gazette puts it in perspective for all those naysayers. Great work by the Gazette, it's refreshing to actually get some useful information about Mason basketball from them.

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