FAIRFAX, Va. – George Mason University men's basketball head coach Dave Paulsen announced Tuesday that Greg Calixte has signed a national letter of intent to join the Patriots this fall.
 
Calixte, a 6-foot-9-inch, 230-pound forward from Mount Vernon, N.Y., led Mount Vernon High School to the 2017 New York AA State Championship.
 
"We're thrilled to welcome Greg to our program," head coach Dave Paulsen said. "He recently put the finishing touches on an outstanding senior year and was a pivotal part of Mount Vernon's run to the state title. He has great size, athleticism and a nose for the ball. He will help us immensely up front on both the offensive and defensive ends."
 
Part of a senior class that continued a storied tradition of championship success at Mount Vernon, Calixte averaged 14 points and nine rebounds per game for the Knights while leading the team to a 20-4 record in 2016-17. In addition to the state title, Calixte also paced Mount Vernon to the AA Section 1 Championship.
 
He earned Section 1 All-League honors as a senior and was named a Lower Hudson Valley Basketball Coaches Association First Team All-Star.
 
In February, Calixte was named one of seven finalists for the prestigious title of Mr. Basketball New York, an honor given to the top player in the state each year. Previous winners of the accolade include Kenny Anderson, Jamal Mashburn, Stephon Marbury, Elton Brand, Johnny Flynn and Isaiah Whitehead.
 
The honors continue to roll in for Calixte, who participated in the Jordan Brand Classic on April 14 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. His team included commits for Villanova, Syracuse, Indiana and Minnesota.
 
"Greg has a great work ethic and as good a player as he is right now, he's just starting to scratch his potential," Paulsen said. "In addition to his talents on the floor, Greg is exactly the type of young man and student we want in our program."
 
Over Calixte's four seasons at Mount Vernon, the Knights put together an 80-16 record while claiming three AA Section 1 titles and earning three berths in the AA Final Four, highlighted by the 2017 title.
 
The victory marked Mount Vernon's 11th NYSPHSAA title  - a state record – and the program's first since 2012.
 
Calixte's winning ways fit right in with Mason's 2017 incoming class, which includes forward Goanar Mar (Minneapolis, Minn.) and guard Javon Greene (McDonough, Ga.). Mar recently led DeLaSalle High School to its fourth-straight state crown, while Greene paced Henry County High School in Georgia to the AAAA state semifinals in 2017.
 
"Our staff loves recruiting players from winning programs," Paulsen said. "Mount Vernon head coach Bob Cimmino has developed one of the most successful programs and team cultures in the history of New York State while setting the state record for championships. Greg has learned so much about leadership and character while learning in a program of Mount Vernon's pedigree."
 
About The Patriots: George Mason put together a turnaround campaign in 2016-17 while putting together the 13th 20-win season in school history. In head coach Dave Paulsen's second season leading the program, Mason set a new program record for Atlantic 10 victories (9) and its 20 overall wins were the most by the program since 2012-13. After winning 11 games total and five A-10 contests in 2015-16, Mason ranked as of the nation's 20 most improved teams this past season. The Patriots return three starters and eight letter winners overall heading into the 2017-18 campaign.