May 21, 2003
FAIRFAX, Va. - Gabe Norwood and Makan Konate officially signed national letters of intent to play men's basketball for George Mason beginning with the 2003-04 season, Patriot head coach Jim Larranaga recently announced.
A senior out of State College (PA) High School, Norwood led the Little Lions in scoring and rebounding with 14.8 points per game and 6.3 rebounds per contest. The 6-foot-4, 165-pound swingman guided his team to the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) Class AAAA championship crown and a school single-season record with 25 wins (25-6 on the season). The Little Lions also advanced to the District 6 championship.
"They [George Mason] just wanted me," said Norwood. "They were really up front and told me they were interested and that they [could see me] playing for them. That's what sold me."
A 2002-03 team captain for State College, Norwood received Class AAAA most valuable player and top offensive player honors in the Mountain League, and was named All-League in both his junior and senior seasons. He started all 31 games this year for head coach Drew Franks' Little Lions, leading the team in steals (71) and blocked shots (65), while finishing second in assists (95). He was the only player selected from Western Pennsylvania to participate in the 2003 Pennsylvania-Maryland Shootout All-Star game. The Little Lions went 22-6 and advanced to the PIAA Class AAAA "Sweet 16" during Norwood's junior season.
As a high school freshman, Norwood played basketball as a reserve point guard for Broadneck High School near Annapolis, MD. He played his sophomore season at Coronado High School in Lubbock, TX, earning first-team all-district honors and was named newcomer of the year.
Konate, who was born in Mali, is a 6-foot-8, 198-pound guard/forward out of Worcester Academy (MA), where he averaged 6.8 points for head coach Ed Reily and was a 2002-03 McDonald nominee. Before playing at Worcester, Konate averaged 18.7 points, 12.0 rebounds, and 3.0 blocks per game as a sophomore guard at Ayer High School in Massachusetts. He was named most valuable player following his sophomore season and was selected to the Midland-Wachusett League D Division All-Star first team. He was also named a 2002 Eastern Invitational all-star.
