Nov. 2, 2010
MEN'S BASKETBALL VS. BOWIE STATE (EXHIBITION)
When: Wednesday, 7 p.m.
Where: Patriot Center
Tickets: $16 (Adults), $9 (Seniors 62 & Older), $8 (Youth 18 and Under)
Follow: Live Blog and Live Stats on GoMason.com
All-time series: Mason leads, 9-8
GOMASON.COM LIVE BLOG
The George Mason men's basketball team returns all five starters from last year's squad and the Patriots will be counting upon depth and experience to continue their streak of post-season appearances in the 2010-11 season. Head coach
Jim Larranaga, entering his 14th year at the helm, has the team focused on a unified goal.
"The goals and expectations for this season are exactly the same - to be the best that we can be and reach our full potential," Larranaga said. "We always want to win the regular season and tournament championships of the CAA and represent our league in the NCAA. We would like to have a great non-conference performance so that we could even be considered for an NCAA at-large bid should we not bring home the CAA title."
Leading the way for the Patriots is senior guard Cam Long, a Preseason All-Colonial Athletic Association First Team selection after earning second team honors as a junior. Long, who was also third team All-CAA as a sophomore, was the Patriots' leading scorer and ranked 15th in the conference in 2009-10 with 12.2 points per game. He also had a team-high 97 assists and 39 steals.
"I think Cam is in the best shape of his career and is playing with a great deal of confidence," Larranaga said. "I think it really helps Cam now that he has more of a veteran lineup around him."
The other senior on the team is guard Isaiah Tate, who Larranaga believes has strongly improved on the defensive side of the ball.
"Isaiah has worked extremely hard to become a good defender," he explained. "He has really asserted himself at that end and is a real key performer because of that."
Mason sports a strong three-member junior class, headlined by forward Ryan Pearson, who was selected Preseason All-CAA honorable mention. The Far Rockaway, N.Y., native led the Patriots in rebounding (6.4 rpg) and was second in scoring (11.9 ppg) and steals (34). His rebounding mark placed ninth among CAA players a season ago. Another returning starter in the post is junior Mike Morrison, who averaged 8.5 points and 5.9 rebounds in 2009-10 while leading the team in blocks with 49.
"Ryan Pearson and Mike Morrison have become our established inside players - they are the guys we know we can go to," Larranaga explained. "Mike has improved drastically; he is stronger, a far greater threat to score, has improved at the free throw line, and he has also become much more of a cerebral player when he catches the ball in terms of getting assists and finding the open man.
"Ryan is someone who is a very unorthodox player and I think he has improved his consistency and we just need him to be aggressive night in and night out. He is also working to be in great shape and he is in far better shape than he was a year ago."
Fellow junior Andre Cornelius started 29 games last year and was third on the team in scoring (9.4 ppg) and assists (49). Cornelius is one of the team's top threats from beyond the arc and will be an integral part of the offense.
In the four-member sophomore class, forward Luke Hancock is coming off a CAA All-Rookie season in which he scored 7.7 points and 3.5 rebounds per game, while contributing 96 assists, second among teammates. Fellow sophomore Johnny Williams saw action in all but two games, averaging nearly 10 minutes off the bench and will be counted upon to provide depth in the paint. Another second-year player, Rashad Whack, will look to build upon a promising debut season.
"Johnny Williams gives us a very big body and a low-post presence, and we need him to actually be more physical and more dominating with his back to the basket," Larranaga said. "Rashad Whack is a very good shooter - he just needs to continue to work on his shot selection so he's not taking so many difficult shots, not forcing anything; the more relaxed and poised he plays the better he'll play."
Sophomore guard Sherrod Wright will miss an extended period of time while rehabbing a shoulder injury. Two Patriots, forward Paris Bennett and guard Vertrail Vaughns, will begin the year as redshirt freshmen following injuries suffered in the 2009-10 campaign.
"Paris is one of those guys who is a mobile `four-man' who can handle the ball at the perimeter, defend different sizes and find the open man well," Larranaga said. "I think that is going to be a big improvement from last year's team by having a guy who can spell Ryan and plays a little like Ryan."
"Vertrail is kind of a high octane scorer, and we need him to come in and give a guy like Cam Long some well-deserved rest and still have a scoring threat out there," said Larranaga. "I think Vertrail falls into that category. He can really help us by just putting the ball on the ground and creating problems for the opponent."
The Patriots welcome two newcomers, freshman guard Bryon Allen and freshman forward Jonathan Arledge. The duo have seen extensive court time and practice early in their careers thanks to the Patriots' 10-day trip to Italy this past August, where Mason bonded as a team while taking in the sights and sounds of Rome, Florence, and Lake Como. The Patriots also bonded on the court, practicing in the days leading up to the trip and squaring off against four Italian professional teams. The improved chemistry, along with changing responsibilities in the coaching staff, are two keys that Larranaga believes will lead to success this year. Assistant coach Eric Konkol will now primarily work with the Patriots' post players while assistant coach Chris Caputo will mentor the guards.
"One of the things about chemistry from a coach's standpoint is the more you coach a player (see him in practice, see him in games, see how he handles different situations), the more familiar you become with how to utilize them," Larranaga explained. "When I learn their strengths and weakness, I'm able to coach them a little better and my staff is able to communicate with them on a regular basis.
"I think Chris is extremely comfortable with the guards; he was a point guard himself and he is very confident in his ability to help these guys improve offensively and defensively. At the other end of the floor, Eric has developed a great relationship with two of the kids that he's recruited (Mike Morrison and Jonathan Arledge) and through that relationship he has been able to help them understand things better. That kind of communication can only help improve our chemistry and help me by giving me feedback as to what those players are thinking and how my coaching staff feels they are doing."
Mason was picked to finish second in the CAA preseason poll, the 13th straight season that the Patriots have been selected among the top-four. An early-season trip to the ESPN Charleston Classic highlights Mason's non-conference schedule, which also includes trips to Atlantic 10 foes Dayton and Duquesne as well as a home contest against George Washington. Mason also will battle Liberty on the road, as well as home games against Harvard, Florida Atlantic, and Loyola (Md.).
The George Mason men's basketball team, with its blend of talented newcomers and veterans, is poised to continue its success in the Colonial Athletic Association and as a force around the country.
