George Mason senior guard Andre Cornelius, previously suspended indefinitely, will return to competition with the team on December 20 upon the conclusion of the fall academic semester. Cornelius will miss 10 regular-season contests and be eligible to play on December 21 in the Patriots' game against Duquesne.

"The judicial process has been completed and Andre will be able to move forward practicing with the team and working towards his degree," said head coach Paul Hewitt. "He has admitted that he made a mistake and accepted responsibility for it. We look forward to having him rejoin us on the court in December."

Cornelius, who is on track to graduate on time in May 2012, will be allowed to participate in practices and other activities but will not travel with the team.

 "I made a mistake, and as a result, I have lost the opportunity to do one of the things I love the most - play basketball at George Mason," said Cornelius. "I accept this punishment and will work as hard as possible to support my team and get ready to make an impact when I come back."

Cornelius, who has started 66 games in his career at Mason, is the team's second-leading returning scorer after averaging 9.5 points per game a year ago. He led the team in three pointers with 61 and ranks seventh in the Mason record books at 39.1 percent 3-point field goal percentage while ranking 10^th in 3-pointers made (138).