Complete A-10 Awards List

FAIRFAX, Va. – A trio of George Mason University men's basketball student-athletes have garnered A-10 End-of-Year accolades in recognition of their outstanding 2020-21 seasons.
 
Junior Jordan Miller was named to the All-A-10 Third Team, while freshman Tyler Kolek garnered both A-10 Rookie of the Year and All-Rookie honors. Redshirt-senior AJ Wilson earned a spot on the A-10 All-Defensive Team.
 
MILLER GARNERS FIRST ALL-CONFERENCE ACCOLADE
Jordan Miller continued his tremendous career progression during his junior campaign en route to his first All-A-10 selection. The Middleburg, Va., product led the Patriots in scoring (15.8 ppg) and rebounding (6.1 rpg) while ranking third in assists (40) and steals (19). He ranked sixth in the A-10 in offensive rebounding (2.4/game), 10^th in scoring and 11^th in field goal percentage (.463).
 
"I'm so excited that Jordan was recognized by our league coaches," head coach Dave Paulsen said. "He has worked incredibly hard on his game, has become a relentless competitor and has elevated his leadership both on and off the court. Every off-season we have identified two or three areas for improvement and every year he comes back vastly improved in those areas. I can't wait to see Jordan's continued evolution and maturation."
 
Miller developed into a remarkably consistent scorer in 2020-21, posting at least 13 points in each of the final 11 games of the season. He poured in 25+ points twice – including a career-best 30 vs. Howard – and notched two double-doubles over the season's final four games. He was named to the DC Paradise Jam All-Tournament Team in November in what proved to be a launching pad for an all-conference season.
 
Miller is Mason's fourth All-A-10 selection in the past five campaigns.
 
KOLEK HONORED AS TOP A-10 ROOKIE
Kolek becomes Mason's first ever A-10 Rookie of the Year winner and is the first Patriot to garner a league Rookie of the Year award since George Evans took the CAA honor in 1998. The Cumberland, R.I., product led all A-10 rookies in scoring (10.8 ppg) and 3pt FG made/game (2.4) and ranked in the top-5 in assists, steals and rebounds.
 
Nationally, Kolek ranked second amongst freshmen in 3pt FG made/game. He was the only freshman in the nation to average at least 10 points/2.4 3pt FG/2.0 assists and shoot 35 percent from 3-point range. Over the last five seasons, only 11 freshmen have put up that stat line. The list includes Trae Young (Oklahoma), Marcus Howard (Marquette) and Malik Monk (Kentucky).
 
"I knew we had something special when we recruited Tyler, but he has exceeded even my high expectations," Paulsen said. "I have never coached a bigger gym rat. His love for the game and dedication to his craft has been an inspiration to every person in our program. Tyler is an elite shooter, but he demonstrated to all that he is much more than that. He impacted the game with his ability to drive the ball, his passing, his ability to rebound and get steals. I look forward to helping channel his relentless work ethic to continued improvement in all facets of his game."
 
Kolek led Mason in assists (50) and 3pt FG made (53) while ranking second on the team in steals (1.3) and third in scoring. In league play, he averaged 11.6 points and shot 37.2 percent from 3-point range. Kolek's 53 3pt FG made rank fifth-most by a freshman in school history.

He is the third Patriot selected to the A-10 All-Rookie Team in the program's eight-year history in the conference, joining Jalen Jenkins (2014) and Otis Livingston II (2016).
 
WILSON WRAPS UP RIM RATTLING CAREER WITH ALL-DEFENSIVE SELECTION
Mason's all-time blocks king was recognized Wednesday with A-10 All-Defensive honors for the first time in his Patriot career. The Laurel, Md., product put together an outstanding defensive campaign in his final season while leading Mason to its first top-100 defensive efficiency rating since 2011-12.
 
"What a great and fitting honor for AJ," Paulsen said. "In my 27 years as a head coach I have never had a player with the shot blocking ability of AJ. His combination of timing and athleticism is extraordinary. But he is much more than that. AJ made vast improvement in his ability to defend multiple positions and offensive styles. He was able to maintain his aggressiveness this year while reducing his fouls. He became a much more vocal team defender. In short, he became a complete defender."
 
Wilson ranked 23^rd nationally in blocks (2.3/game) and finished his career fifth amongst all players nationally in career swats. With his final block vs. Davidson on March 5, Wilson passed George Evans to become Mason's all-time leader with his 212^th career block. The senior also holds Mason's records for blocks in a season (92) and blocks per game (1.86). This season, he notched at least two blocks in 13 games (Mason posted a 10-3 record in those contests).