Editor's note: The George Mason University men's basketball primer will take a look at storylines surrounding the Green & Gold heading into the team's much anticipated 2018-19 campaign. Check back throughout the preseason for features on GoMason.com.
First Practice Video Highlights
NCAA rules associated with men's basketball and instructional time have changed so much over the past few seasons, that the first official practice in September doesn't come with the usual pomp and circumstance of years past.
Student-athletes now remain on campus for much of the summer and take part in skill work throughout that time while getting a leg up on their class schedules with a series of summer academic programs.
Despite these changes, Tuesday's men's basketball practice at George Mason still felt different. As the team's first official session as a group, it set the important reminder that the regular season is less than two months away and it's now a full push to improve and prepare for the Nov. 6 season opener vs. 2018 Ivy League champion Penn in Fairfax.
"It feels really good to get started," senior guard
Otis Livingston II said. "We're going to have a lot of fun this year. It all starts right here at the first practice. It's going to be a long journey this season and we're excited to get it going today."
The team's first two weeks of practice will culminate with the athletic department's annual Mason Madness event on Friday, Oct. 12. That event will officially introduce the team to #MasonNation and give fans and supporters a first glimpse at the 2018-19 Patriots.
From there, Mason will continue to practice and scrimmage. The Atlantic 10's annual men's basketball media day will be held on Thursday, Oct. 18, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. That state-of-the-art area - which is home to the NBA's Brooklyn Nets - will play host to the Atlantic 10 Championship for the next three seasons. At media day, the league's preseason poll and all-conference teams will be announced.
Mason then will go on to host an open exhibition contest against Johns Hopkins on Thursday, Nov. 1, before making final preparations for the opener on Nov. 6.
Check back in at GoMason.com throughout the 2018-19 preseason for news, features, social media content and more!
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About the Patriots
George Mason is the only team in the nation which returns 100 percent of its scoring output from the 2017-18 campaign. Mason welcomes back every student-athlete from a team that placed fifth in the Atlantic 10. That finish marked Mason's best in its five-year tenure in the league. The Patriots will be led by 2018 All-Atlantic 10 second team selection
Otis Livingston II, who is one of just five Div. I players returning who has posted at least 1,400 points, 350 assists and 250 rebounds in a career.
In addition to welcoming back all five 2017-18 starters, the Patriots also will add former University of Virginia forward
Jarred Reuter (Marion, Mass.), as well as a recruiting class that features guards
Jason Douglas-Stanley (Mount Vernon, N.Y.),
Jamal Hartwell II (Los Angeles, Calif.) and
Jordan Miller (Middleburg, Va.).
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