March 27, 2003
George Mason entered the 2002-03 season with high hopes and high expectations, having made a postseason tournament in three of the previous four years. However, injury problems and the lack of dominant outside shooting threats limited the Patriots' effectiveness on the court.
Mason concluded the season with a 16-12 overall record and an 11-7 mark in the Colonial Athletic Association, finishing fourth in the league regular season standings, as head coach Jim Larranaga completed his sixth season. The Patriots won 15 or more games for the fifth consecutive year and advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2003 CAA Tournament.
Over the past five seasons, George Mason has had the best regular-season record in the CAA at 60-24, three games better than UNC Wilmington. The Patriots have won 72 games overall during that span, ranking among the winningest four-year periods in the 37-year history of George Mason men's basketball, and they are 53-10 at the Patriot Center in the same time frame.
Coach Larranaga, who has a record of 100-74 at the helm of the program, earned his 100th Patriot victory in a stunning win at Drexel to close out the regular season. He is 298-243 in 19 years as a collegiate head coach.
Following word that several players would miss the beginning of the season due to injuries, Mason found itself at 0-3 to start the year. The Patriots regrouped, however, winning five in a row and seven of eight games, including two to begin the CAA slate, to improve to 7-4, with the only loss coming at the hands of nationally-ranked Pittsburgh.
Although the Patriots seemed to be back on track, they would lose four of their next five league games to even their record at 8-8 midway through the season. As the injuries healed and Mason returned to its full roster, the victories also returned. George Mason ran off four consecutive wins and six of eight victories, including a 70-58 triumph against eventual league champion UNC Wilmington.
With its record at 14-9, Mason dropped two more league games before winning its final two to end the regular season with a 16-11 overall mark. The Patriots final regular season game was a dramatic 57-55 win at Drexel as Mason triumphed with a last second put-back at the buzzer. Mason, which entered the CAA Tournament as the number four seed, fell to fifth-seeded Delaware in a conference quarterfinal match.
The Patriot offense struggled throughout the season, ranking ninth in the league in scoring offense at 64.1 points per game. Defensively, however, Mason was second in the league and ranked 15th nationally in scoring defense, allowing only 60.5 points per contest - shattering the school record. The Patriots finished second overall in rebounding margin. Four players averaged double figures in scoring on the year, led by junior guard/forward Mark Davis (Springfield, VA/R.E. Lee/Palm Beach CC) at 15.5 points per game. Joining Davis were senior forwards Jon Larranaga (Oakton, VA/St. John's-Prospect Hall) (13.1 ppg) and Jesse Young (Peterborough, Ontario/Peterborough College Institute) (11.6) and junior guard Raoul Heinen (Bunschoten, Holland) (11.0).
Davis, a CAA Player of the Week honoree, was selected to the All-CAA second team after leading George Mason in scoring, steals (54), and three-point field goals made (50). He was one of only two players to start every game and averaged 3.9 rebounds a contest, while scoring in double figures 25 times. Davis ended the year ranked in the CAA top 20 in scoring (7th), steals (2nd), 3-pt field goal percentage (13th), and 3-pt field goals made (11th).
Larranaga closed his career as one of three Patriot players to have over 800 points, 500 rebounds, 200 assists, and 100 steals for his career. He was named to the CAA All-Defensive and All-Academic teams for the second consecutive season, and finished second on the team in scoring. He was also third in rebounding at 4.6 per game, led the Patriots in assists (107), and was third in steals (36). He led Mason in free throw percentage (.797) after starting every game. In the CAA, he ranked in the top 20 of six statistical categories. On George Mason's career list, Larranaga ranks 25th in points (980), 13th in rebounding (502), tied for 12th in assists (253), and is seventh in steals (137). He posted a career-high 29 points in the Patriots win at East Carolina.
Young ended his senior campaign listed third on the team in scoring, first in rebounding, averaging 8.5 boards per game, and first in blocked shots (17). Young collected five double doubles on the season, including a career-best 18 in Mason's home win against Hofstra. He started 25 of 26 games for the Patriots and shot 44.9 percent from the floor. A conference Player of the Week honoree, Young finished the year ranked 17th in the CAA in scoring, third in rebounding, 12th in field goal percentage, 14th in free throw percentage (.752), and 14th in blocked shots. For his career, Young is the 23rd Patriot to score more than 1,000 career points (1,073) and is the eighth player with at 1,000 points and 700 career rebounds. On George Mason's all-time list, he ranks 19th in scoring and eighth in both rebounding (708) and blocked shots (84).
Heinen contributed 3.5 rebounds per game to go along with his scoring output. He was second on the team in assists with 84 and second in steals (37). He started 24 of 25 contests, concluding the year shooting 35.4 percent from 3-point range and 43.7 percent from the floor. Heinen scored in double figures 15 times, including a career-high 19 points versus Drexel at the Patriot Center. He ranked in the CAA top 20 in four categories, including assists, free throw percentage, and steals. Heinen's career numbers have him ranked 14th in assists in the Mason record books and tied for 22nd in steals.
Junior guard/forward Richard Tynes (Washington, D.C./St. John's) also played a major role in the Patriots' success. He started 16 of 25 games and was used primarily as Mason's top defender. He recorded 4.8 points per outing and ranked fourth on the squad in rebounding at 5.6 per game.
Two freshmen forwards, Jai Lewis (Aberdeen/MD/Maine Central Institute) and Trent Wurtz (Sheboygan, WI/Sheboygan North) saw significant action throughout the season last year. Lewis was named to the CAA All-Rookie team after averaging 6.7 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. He was Mason's fifth-leading scorer, leading the Patriots in field goal percentage (.531), and was the team's second-best rebounder. Lewis started nine of 28 games and once earned CAA Rookie of the Week honors. Wurtz started 10 of 28 games and averaged 2.4 points and 2.0 boards per contest.
Sophomore forward Colin Wyatt (Williamsburg, VA/Jamestown) and junior center/forward Deon Cooper (Columbia, TN/Columbia Central) also made solid contributions in several areas during the season, as did walk-on freshmen guards Kevin Harris (Fairfax, VA/Falls Church) and Charles Makings (Silver Spring, MD/St. John's College).
