After nearly two hours of individual and team drills of offense and defense at a recent practice at the RAC, the bleachers we rolled out and chairs placed on the sideline. It was scrimmage time for the George Mason men's basketball team, which opens its season Saturday at 7 pm against visiting Towson.
   Never mind that there were no fans in the stands or many players on the bench for the intra-squad contest over 20 minutes. Coach Dave Paulsen wanted a game feel and look to the proceedings.
  "We've got to get our guys used to game situations," Paulsen said. "We're really trying to build our scrimmage base."
   In his second season at Mason, Paulsen has a 14-man roster that includes 11 players who are freshmen or sophomores.
    "So we're dealing with inexperience and some immaturity that comes along with that," he said. "On the court, dealing with adversity and being able to be completely focused and intense every second. And, off the court, just the adjustments of being freshmen in college."
   The Patriots received significant contributions in last year's 11-21 season from a freshman class that included three players being named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week –Otis Livingston II, Jaire Grayer and DeAndre Abram.
    That trio will get backcourt help from freshmen Karmari Newman, a lefty shooter with range; Justin Kier, who can play either guard spot; and Ian Boyd, physical enough to have been offered football scholarships.
   "All three have played well at times," Paulsen said. "And all three have played not so well."
  The Patriots' big loss from last year is 7-0 center Shevon Thompson, a rebounding machine now with the Erie BayHawks of the NBA D League. The current team will be more guard oriented with four-guard lineups common.
   "We've got a lot more guards," Livingston said. "We're doing a lot more defensively. We're a lot better pressuring the ball and with help-side defense. We're more athletic. Offensively we can do more stuff. Last year was kind of basic.
    "We're getting better at second and third options, but we're not where we should be yet. That will be an important step, moving the ball against multiple actions and making it hard for the defense to set up."
    The post duties this year will be handled by 6-7 Jalen Jenkins, a fifth-year senior, who will get help from 6-10 Danny Dixon, 6-8 freshman Troy Temara and 6-9 redshirt freshman Daniel Relvao, recovering from knee surgery a year ago.
      "Jalen's a key guy," Paulsen said. "He's got to stay out of foul trouble because he facilitates our offense."
   The Patriots may be more up-tempo than a year ago, when they often looked to find Thompson in the low post.
 "We'll try, but that'll depend on how fast we can play without crashing the car," Paulsen said. "We'll try to play faster but need to make certain that the increased pace leads to better and easier shots, and not just quicker shots or more turnovers. We're very much a work in progress in that regard."
   "I'm turnover averse. I hate turnovers. I'd like to think we can play faster – I think we have a little more depth, I think we have a little more athleticism – but that's still to be determined."
   Livingston and senior Marquise Moore are a complementary backcourt pair. Livingston can fill it up from the arc and the muscular 6-2 Moore is adept at getting to the rim. They led the team in scoring last year at 11.9 ppg and 11.4, respectively.
    Moore was especially effective before injuring an ankle. "Before he got hurt, he had that four- or five-game stretch where he must have been averaging close to 18, 19 a game," Paulsen said. "He was a dominant presence. When he plays like that, he puts pressure on the defense and opens things up for the other guys."
   Despite his youth, Livingston was named a co-captain with Jenkins, reflecting his contributions on and off the court.
   "Otis is huge for us as a leader," Paulsen said. "He embodies so much of what we hold to be really valuable in terms of competitiveness, work ethic, drive and determination."
    Livingston said the team goals this season include improving on last year's 6-8 non-conference mark and closing out tight games in the A-10. Last season the Patriots were 2-5 in A-10 games decided by six points or less.
   In the A-10 preseason poll, the Patriots were picked to finish 12^th, where they wound up last season. Paulsen sees signs the team has progressed in the past year:
   "We've had more good practices and less bad ones by far than we had at this point last year. So that's a good indicator. The level of competitiveness at practice has been really good. We have more depth than we've had. We've got more guys now who when they enter a game are legitimate players.
   "Now they may be young. They may not be fully formed, if you will. But we've got more legitimate threats."