FAIRFAX, Va. - Head men's basketball coach Paul Hewitt announced Monday that George Mason junior forward Johnny Williams (Memphis, Tenn./Briarcrest Christian) will miss the 2011-12 season and take a medical redshirt as he continues to rehabilitate from offseason shoulder surgery.

"After consulting with Johnny, his family and his medical staff, we decided it is in his best interest to redshirt this season as he recuperates from shoulder surgery," Hewitt said.

Williams has appeared in 62 games in his two-year career thus far with the Patriots, averaging 2.5 points and 1.7 rebounds in 9.2 minutes of action per contest. Last season, Williams appeared in all but two games, including a season-high eight points on 4-of-5 shooting in the Patriots' NCAA Second Round victory over Villanova.

The 6'8", 266-pound Williams scored a career-high 18 points and pulled down six rebounds in games during his freshman campaign against College of Charleston and Radford, respectively. With the redshirt, Williams will join the Patriots' Class of 2014 which now numbers seven members.

Mason will take on Lycoming College Monday night in exhibition action at the Patriot Center before officially opening the season on November 11 at home against Rhode Island.