Nov. 14, 2008
The George Mason men's basketball team opens the 2008-09 season on Saturday afternoon as the Patriots travel to Vermont to take on the Catamounts in a game slated to tip-off at 1 p.m. Fans can listen to the contest on the radio as it will be broadcast on ESPN 980.
The Patriots and Catamounts have been in different orbits the past few years. In 2004-05, the Patriots won 16 games while Vermont won 25. In 2005-06, Mason set a school record with 27 wins and went to the Final Four. That year, Vermont won just 13 games. Two years ago, Mason won 18 games while the Catamounts again won 25 games. Last year, Vermont managed just 16 wins while Mason won 23 and went to the NCAA Tournament.
This year, Mason will be looking to replace three seniors, two of which were starters, who combined in their career for more than 3,400 points, 1,600 rebounds, 750 assists, 275 steals and 150 blocks. The Patriots will be mixing veteran experience in the starting lineup with youth off the bench. Seniors Dre Smith, John Vaughan and Darryl Monroe are probable starters with junior Louis Birdsong and sophomore Cam Long joining them on the court. Senior Chris Fleming will come off the bench with sophomores Isaiah Tate and Vlad Moldoveanu. Freshmen Andre Cornelius, Mike Morrison and Ryan Pearson are expected to make significant contributions as well.
Vermont, meanwhile, returns four starters including two of the top players in America East. Marqus Blakely, a junior, was the America East Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in 2007-08 while senior Mike Trimboli is the leading active scorer in the conference with 1,496 points. He and Blakely combined to average 36.9 points per game last year. Stepping into the vacant spot in the starting lineup is Maurice Joseph, who transferred from Michigan State.
With nine returning lettermen, Vermont will also mix-in five freshmen, including two from the Metro D.C. area. Garvey Young hails from the District while Jordan Clarke is from Rockville, Md.
The Patriots and Catamounts have only faced once. That came in last season's season opener for both schools as Mason beat Vermont 60-53 at Patriot Center. Blakely had 17 points in that contest while Trimboli had 14, but he was held to 5 of 23 shooting and 2 of 9 on 3-point attempts. Guarding him in that contest was John Vaughan, who will likely draw that defensive match-up again on Saturday. In last year's game, Vaughan scored 11 with eight rebounds while Moldoveanu had nine rebounds. Mason outrebounded Vermont 52-38 in that contest.
