Gunston is done. Now what?

George Mason has officially closed the door on Gunston the mascot. Gomason.com has a short video stating he is "graduating" and to check back tomorrow for more details. So what exactly are the plans for Mason's new mascot? Dare I say an actual Patriot or Patriot-like character? Really I wouldn't mind seeing a contest where the student body was polled and ideas could be submitted, but it seems that something is already made up and will be revealed Monday the 17th at the first home game.

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UPDATE: 11/11/08
Check out the end of this video Mason has put out. Apparently this creature pictured is going to be the mascot going around doing all the community stuff, not the athletic mascot. Mason just can't get enough of furry green guys can they? Not impressed. I am still scared for Monday.



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Gunston on his way out?

Yes yes oh god yes. Gunston is on his way out. I don't have all the details but at the first home game (11/17) a new mascot will be revealed in some capacity. Long time readers of this blog know well of my hatred towards Gunston.

Will the new mascot resemble actually resemble a Patriot and not a green blob? Stay tuned.

UPDATE 11/10: New video on Gomason.com. Gunston is apparently "graduating".

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About last night...

Really not much to read into about last night's exhibition game. Although the loss to Randolph-Macon has made D3hoops.com headlines! I mean really it's an exhibition game, it's doesn't count. It was a glorified scrimmage and you could see how serious Coach L was taking the outcome of the game when he inserted freshmen Andre Cornelius and Ryan Pearson late in the second half with the score close. Great to see those guys getting minutes. The rumor I posted yesterday about Kevin Foster redshirting seems to be true considering he didn't play last night nor did he participate in the pre-game warm-ups. The one thing that does upset me from last night was the poor defending around the perimeter. The Yellow Jackets shot over 45% from behind the arc in the 1st half and then 70% in the second. Wow. After getting blasted by Notre Dame's three point shooting last March you really kind of think this would be a point of emphasis, especially when you are playing a team with zero inside prescence. It wasn't even that Mason shot the ball poorly last night (48.3 FG%) but turnovers were a problem (10 in first half). A learning game for the Patriots, who should at least be lucky some of there weaknesses were exposed now and not at Vermont.

What's your take on the new uniforms?

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Freshman Kevin Foster to redshirt?

On the day of Mason's exhibition tune up against Randolph-Macon, there are some rumors floating around Mason nation that freshman Kevin Foster might be redshirted this season. I can't confirm this yet and it is difficult to speculate whether this would be because of academics, injury or player development. Keep in mind recruiting website Rivals.com had him tabbed as the best power forward enterting the CAA this season. Although this isn't too shocking considering the depth Mason has at forward and fellow freshman Michael Morrison is better developed physically and had a much better showing in the Kenner summer league. Redshirting freshmen is something more common with bigger programs, mostly because they have the luxury of letting a talented kid with raw talent watch from the sidelines for a year. But this is a unique situation for the Patriots who haven't seen a player get redshirted for a non-medical reason since Jon Larranaga during the 98-99 season. If Foster isn't redshirted he would have a difficult time getting on the court this season. With the progression of both Vlad Moldoveanu and Chris Fleming coming off the bench for Louis Birdsong and Darryl Monroe, Foster would seem to be the odd man out. Freshman Ryan Pearson is more versatile than Foster and can also play the 3, while Michael Morrison's defensive prescence in the middle will demand playing time. The move, if true, would make sense to me and could pay dividends in a few years for the program.

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Cam Long poised for big year

Don't be surprised if Cam Long is this year's team MVP. The sophomore showed flashes of brilliance and poise at times last season and looks to build on that this year. It's a shock to no one that he will be asked to step up by his coach and teammates this year and take over the duties of Folarin Campbell.

“What we’ve told Cam now is (he’s) got to step up and take Folarin’s job,” said Larranaga, entering his 12th season in Fairfax. “You’ve got to score, you’ve got to rebound, you’ve got to get assists, steals, you’ve got to defend. You’ve got to contribute in a lot of different ways and be a team leader even though you’re just a sophomore.”

Those are some pretty big shoes to fill for Long and the rest of this young Patriots squad. It's still John Vaughan and Dre Smith's team but leadership will be given by Long who ended the season averaging about 18 minutes a game. His progression could be the difference between Mason fighting for an NCAA or NIT bid.

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First Practice

Here's a YouTube of the Patriots first practice of the season. You gotta love the passion from Dre Smith!

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Mason picked 4th in the CAA

Today is media day in DC for the CAA and the ball is already rolling as VCU was picked to win the conference while the Patriots came in at #4. No shocker there, Eric Maynor is a senior and two other starters return for the Rams. CAA media day is more interactive then ever apparently, which isn't hard because it was never interactive with the fans at all! Hurry and send in your questions to Coach Larranaga now.

Side note: Per caasports.com, it seems Mason will have 14 televised games this season, with the Liberty game being on "Flames TV", whatever the hell that is.

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