If Paul Hewitt follows his planned schedule this week, the first-year Mason coach will be holding a long meeting with Bryon Allen prior to Friday's season opener against Rhode Island at the Patriot Center.

   Hewitt and the sophomore point guard have had plenty of meetings and conversations, but this will be longer than usual, with more detail of Hewitt's philosophy plus scrimmage film.

   The success of the season may hinge on the development of a new point guard. When Cam Long graduated, Luke Hancock transferred to Louisville and Andre Cornelius was suspended through the fall semester, the Patriots had a void at the point. It appears Allen will start and get help from freshman Corey Edwards, neither one with much experience as a collegiate floor leader.

    "I'm comfortable with those guys," Hewitt said. "Corey showed me a lot in the exhibition game (against Lycoming). Bryon is starting to get it in terms of ball movement and making extra passes. I'm comfortable with those guys now. We'll see as we get going, but I like what I see so far."

   Hewitt was speaking Thursday, three days after the 90-62 win against Division III Lycoming and two days before a Saturday scrimmage against a major team from a BCS conference seeking an eighth consecutive NCAA bid. The opponent remains nameless because NCAA rules prevent a school from issuing any information about scrimmages, including the name of the opposition.

    So that leaves Lycoming as the only preseason opponent permissible to mention. Assistant coach Mike Wells, who considers himself a tough grader, gave Allen a B-minus for the Lycoming game. Hewitt agreed, initially.

   "I like the fact he's understanding his size," Hewitt said of the 6-foot-3, 214-pound Allen. "His size gives him presence on the floor. Actually I might give him a C-plus because when guys got into him, he got back on his heels a little in the first half instead of using his size and strength - leaning into a guy, creating his own space so he could make the pass."

    Last season, Allen, who is from Largo, Md., and a product of St. Thomas More HS, played in 27 of 34 games, averaging 1.4 points per game and shooting 30.2 percent from the field. His minutes dwindled as the season wore on. He worked hard on his game in the offseason.

   "I feel that I can run the show," Allen said after a 13-point, four-assist, three-turnover performance in the exhibition.

  After studying film of last year's team, Hewitt can tell Allen has improved: "He's much better, much more secure with the ball. Last year I thought he was kind of loose with it. He could get it tipped or stolen. I think he's also lost weight (from the beginning of the school year) so he's quicker."

   Teammates have noticed improvement, too. "He's doing a great job in practice of leading every day," said senior Ryan Pearson. "It's a new role. We've got new coaches and have to start over. Bryon is doing great so far. Corey is doing a good job also. He runs the 'other' team in practice. Both those guys can do it."

   Allen likes Hewitt's philosophy. The idea is to look first to run. If a good shot isn't available in the first seven seconds, Hewitt wants to run a motion offense to create opportunities.

"Pushing the ball is what I love to do," Allen said. "I love to run the ball. I love running up and down the court, being active and getting the team open layups, getting everyone involved.

   "If we don't get a quick basket, we'll run our set plays and go from there. Just play basketball. Coach Hewitt says, 'Don't be a robot out there.'"

    Allen and Edwards, who like Pearson is from Christ the King HS in Queens, NY, have plenty of options up front, mainly Pearson and Mike Morrison plus Jonathan Arledge and Erik Copes.

   "I think we have one of the strongest front courts in the CAA," Allen said.

   Pearson and Morrison will do more than score. Their prior success makes them leaders as well.

   "Mike and I, we try to support everybody, even with Bryon and Corey there," Pearson said. "The guys are going to look to us when things get rough. If we're setting a good example, that's the best way (the point guards) can follow. Me and Mike encourage them: 'Just play your game, be confident about what you're doing. We're right here, if you need us.'"

   Still, being vocal at point guard is required by Hewitt, whose floor leaders at Georgia Tech included Jarrett Jack, who helped the 2004 team to the national title game. "We had some pretty good ones," Hewitt said of his Tech point guards. "Jarrett was the most complete on and off the court. He understood how important it was to communicate on and off the court."

    The Patriots, even with their strength up front, need stability at the point as does any team with aspirations that Allen mentions as a CAA title and NCAA tournament berth. As the point guards go, so may Mason.

   "It's huge. Huge," Hewitt said of the point position, mentioning Allen and Edwards. "Those guys have to step up."