Larranaga's Contract

The Post has an article detailing Larranaga's new contract, thank you Freedom of Information Act. The contract is pretty damn awesome for a mid-major coach and might be the standard for other schools that don't want to lose their guy to the bigger conferences. "According to documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, the university increased Larranaga's base salary to $525,000 from $375,000 as part of a three-year contract extension through the 2014-15 season."And besides the 40% increase to his salary, the deal is full of bonuses and incentives:"Besides the salary upgrade, Larranaga will continue to receive a $75,000 lump sum each year he remains at George Mason. He will also earn $10,000 per year if the Patriots win 19 regular season games and an additional $15,000...

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Kyle Whelliston mid-major chat wrap-up

Whelliston of midmajority.com has got his chats going on again over at ESPN and here are some of the questions that had to do with the CAA and Mason.John (Richmond, Va): Kyle, Can the CAA send two teams to the dance this year? Also who is your pick to win the CAA this year?Kyle Whelliston: This is a really cloudy year in terms of forecasting -- just about everybody from the famous CAA Uprising Of 2006 has graduated. Old Dominion and VCU have the best overall returning talent, but I'm convinced Jim Larranaga is so good, he could mold a beer league team into CAA champions in five short months. Can never, ever, ever count GMU out.Kyle Whelliston: As for two bids, it all comes down to nonconference play. I strongly believe that VCU deserved an at-large bid, but that the noncon losses came back...

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New kids on the block

Courtesy of the newly released CAA media guide (PDF file), here is a look at the freshman joining the squad this year (page 13):No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown/Previous School2 Andre Cornelius G 5-10 169 Charlott e, N.C./Victory Christian3 Kevin Foster F 6-7 206 Lakeland, Fla./Kathleen5 Brian Henderson G 6-3 179 Gaithersburg, Md./MacGruder10 Jimmy Nolan G 6-0 170 Plantation, Fla./Archbishop McCarthy22 Michael Morrison F 6-9 215 St. Petersburg, Fla./Lakewood24 Ryan Pearson F 6-6 220 Far Rockaway, N.Y./Christ the KingKeep in mind that Nolan and Henderson are walk-ons. ...

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Collegehoops.net previews Mason

Collegehoops.net has it's annual Top 144 teams in the country preview going on this summer and today Mason comes in at #102. Not surprising to see the Patriots at this spot considering all the question marks this team has leading into next season. What kind of impact will the return of Darryl Monroe have on this squad? How will seniors John Vaughan and Dre Smith fair in leading this team? What kind of production can we expect from the incoming freshman class? These are just a few of the questions I have coming into this season. I agree with the starting lineup they have projected which consists of Cam Long, John Vaughan, Dre Smith, Louis Birdsong, and Darryl Monroe. I think in this scenario Isaiah Tate would be the sixth man with Andre Cornelius also getting significant minutes. Also...

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First look at the schedule...

Ok, here is what we know the schedule will look like for this upcoming season so far:Nov.15 - at VermontNov.17 - BROWNNov.29 - Ohio U.Dec.30 - at DaytonTBA:at Hamptonat East Carolinaat LibertyMount St. Mary'sNothing too exciting yet and I doubt we will see any major teams enter our out of conference schedule in the weeks to come. And honestly I don't mind that considering the inexperience of next season's team. It's definitely a transition year and these teams are not flashy but they also are not RPI killers. I would not mind seeing at least one top mid-major road game added, preferrably from the MVC or the A10 but that is wishful thinking at this point.sources: caazone....

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