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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