50 years of George Mason women's basketball means 50 years of wins and losses, heartbreaks and victories. Over the 50 years, the team has had 264 players, 10 head coaches, and numerous support staff who have helped build the program that is George Mason women's basketball. The program was started during the 1973-74 school year and played only seven games, and though the team ended that season with a losing record, it is the foundation that every team after them has built upon. 
 
When George Mason University established a women's basketball program in the 1973-74 school year, only 94 of the current NCAA Division I schools had established a women's basketball program. When the NCAA established divisions for women's basketball, George Mason was one of 254 programs that had joined Division 1 by 1982. Today, there are 360 women's programs at the Division 1 level, and over 1,300 collegiate women's teams nationwide. 
 
In celebrating the half-a-century of women and men who have built this program, this piece serves as a trip down memory lane to reminisce, highlight, and honor those who have made George Mason women's basketball what it is today.
 
The 70's
Initially passed to protect students from sex-based discrimination at any educational institution that receives federal funding, the passage of Title IX on June 23, 1972, became synonymous with providing more opportunities in sports for females. This sparked a revolution that has ultimately grown the number of female collegiate athletes from 30,000 before Title IX to over 220,000. In 1973, the NCAA officially started offering sports scholarships for women. 

In the winter of 1973-74, George Mason's athletic director Raymond "Hap" Spuhler tried to build a women's basketball program that the students, community, alums, and university could be proud of. 
 
Spuhler tapped George Mason senior and former baseball player Kevin Colgate to be the first basketball coach of the Patriots women's basketball program. He was given $500 as his budget. "The first season under Hap," Colgate jokes, "it was just kind of like, scrounging together who could play and is trying to put something together and go from there." In his only season as head coach, Colgate orchestrated a 7-game schedule going 3-4. In a 1974 article, Colgate recalls the struggle of trying to set up matchups due to the holidays, schools not returning calls, and setting practice times. Along with their school schedules, some had part-time jobs as well. 

Colgate is proud to have helped and led his 10-person squad Mason for its inaugural season. "I didn't know much about coaching basketball but [...] I've learned to recognize that success and moving forward, particularly in a startup, and incremental improvements are all that counts," Colgate said. Colgate's incremental improvement method would foreshadow the steady rise of Mason women's basketball.

After Colgate, Jim Wolfe and Jim Conklin co-coached the team for two seasons, before Becky Burch took the reins of the women's team in 1976, being named the fourth head coach and first female in Mason history. That season would also bring 4'11" guard Patty (Collett) Wotring to Mason. A native of Woodbridge, Va., Wotring recalls her time with the Patriots fondly as one of fun life lessons: an eagerness for the unknown of playing on the college level, finding the love of her life, and having the ability to play past high school one of the very things Title IX helped achieve. 

With far less reach recruiting wise in the 1970s, Mason would scout the local talent. In 1977, Wotring was joined by her high school teammates Kathy "Punky" Orlando and Janine Nelson. Wotring says it was the family environment that she loved so much about George Mason: "Whatever it was when we won, we won as a team. When we lost, we lost as a team. And it was just that team camaraderie that you know, kept you coming back." 

1977 was also the year that Kathy Kleha joined the Patriots. A four-year member of the team, Kleha remains one of the all-time greats and still ranks 14th all-time in scoring (1,233 points) and ninth all-time in assists (302). She led the team in scoring in the 1977-78 and 1978-79 season, averaging 16.7 and 15.7 points per game, respectively. She also led the team in assists, steals, field goal percentage, and free throw percentage for several seasons during her time at Mason.

While the players were certainly talented, the team had trouble finding schools to play and transportation to get to games. George Mason didn't play anyone outside the immediate area of DC, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia until 1979, when they branched out as far as Kentucky and North Carolina. 

Looking back on her days and where the program is today, Collett says, "It's kind of unbelievable. It's phenomenal to sit back and watch where we were and where these ladies are now."

The 80s 
Head coach Pat Layne took over the program in 1977 and led George Mason women's basketball to the Division I ranks prior to the 1982-83 season. Just a few years later, George Mason opened the Patriot Center (now EagleBank Arena) to hold its basketball games. However, the teams only played a few games in the Patriot Center the first several years before moving all home games there starting in 1993-94.

But before any of those changes, there was Jeanne Daunoras. Joining the Patriots in 1980, the 6'2" forward was an instant powerhouse, averaging 12.9 points and 10.9 rebounds per game in her freshman campaign. To this day, she is fourth all-time in scoring (a feat she achieved with no three-point line), third all-time in rebounding, holds the program record for most career field goals (698), and had seven 30+ point games. She was the first Patriot to be named to an All-Conference First team in 1984.

Daunoras was on the team when George Mason transitioned to Division 1, but she doesn't remember being intimidated. "I don't remember ever being like 'Oh my god, we're playing here!' I guess because I am very competitive. I'm going out there. I don't care who I'm playing with. I'm going to kick your butt."

Two other incredibly prominent players of the early 80s were Valarie Douglas and Linda Jones. The two shared the court from 1981-85 and put up record numbers in several categories. In scoring, Douglas ranks 15th with 1,177 points and Jones is 16th with 1,175. Douglas is second all-time in rebounds (961) and third all-time in blocked shots (136), while Jones is third all-time in steals (235).

Legendary head coach Jim Lewis was hired prior to the 1984-85 season and became the sixth head coach in program history. "I was jumping around as an assistant at several schools for college men's teams for more than 10 years and locally as the basketball coach at South Lakes High School, and I was just trying to develop a career when Athletic Director Jack Kvancz called," said Coach Lewis. "I had always had respect for women's athletics. My sister was a star basketball player and she humbled me. Mason was a place that I thought I could develop into a solid Division 1 program and try to do it the right way."

Coach Lewis is still the winningest coach in Mason Women's Basketball history. He has an overall record of 201-141 and went 82-77 in the CAA. He built the early groundwork that led to WNIT invitations shortly after his departure. 

The 90s
The 90s brought a coaching transition, five of the top ten all-time scorers, including 2009 CAA Legend Krista Jay who finished her career with 1,400 points and now sits at No. 9 all-time. The decade also featured All-CAA honoree Trish Halpin, the school's all-time blocks leader with 236. In 1998 against American, she set the single-game school record with 10 blocks in a single game.

Keri Chaconas created a bond with Coach Lewis that extended past her time as a Patriot. In her four years at George Mason, Chaconas scored 1,747 points (second all-time), including 218 three-pointers (first all-time), and dished out 439 assists (fourth all-time). Chaconas still holds the program record for most points in a game with 51 against East Carolina in 1995. The 2014 Atlantic 10 Legend finished her career as a four-time All-CAA pick.

In 1997, after her time at Mason, she attended an open tryout for the newly formed WNBA Washington Mystics, now coached by her former coach, Jim Lewis. Chaconas was selected to the Mystics roster in 1998 and played for one season. 

Nickie Hilton and Marcell Harrison came to George Mason together in 1990, and both sit in the top ten for all-time scoring, with Hilton at sixth with 1,565 points and Harrison at seventh with 1,499. Hilton is the program's all-time leader in rebounds with 1,037, and Harrison is in the top ten all-time in assists, steals, and three-pointers made. The two led their team to a combined record of 71-45, 32-22 in the CAA, including a second-place finish in the CAA tournament in 1994 CAA tournament. 

Harrison remembers her time at Mason fondly, and especially remembers the impact Coach Lewis made on her, saying, "I think Coach Lewis was a trailblazer in fighting for women's basketball. A lot of things just improved through the years, and he pushed the fans and the school to get behind the basketball programs. He gave us opportunities; scheduling to play in big tournaments and against some solid schools to compete with. He wanted to ensure that we had as much of a high-level Division 1 experience, which was awesome."
 
Debbie Taneyhill began her tenure at Mason as a player under Coach Lewis in 1988, earning All-Rookie accolades in her first season. She finished her illustrious career with 273 assists, good for 11th all-time at Mason, and several All-Academic nods off the court. "When I initially came here, I thought that I would just be here for four years and then would go back to Pennsylvania and probably teach and coach at the high school level," she said, laughing.

However, she remained in Fairfax on Lewis' coaching staff, along with Marcell Harrison two years later, working her way up the coaching ranks as she went from an assistant coach to associate coach. On Dec. 27, 1997, Taneyhill was given a chance to coach her former team as she was named the interim head coach for the remainder of the 1997-98 season after Coach Lewis announced that he was stepping down to become the first head coach of the Washington Mystics. After going 10-10 as interim, Taneyhill was offered the head coaching position on Feb. 25, 1998.

As the century turned, one of Mason's all-time greats, Jen Surlas, joined the program in 1997. The two-time All-CAA honoree was one of the Patriots' deepest shooting threats, finishing her career with 213 three-pointers, good for second all-time. She also ranks in the top-10 in scoring in program history with 1,492 points. 

The 2000s
The 2000s started strong with the program's first-ever trip to the WNIT in the 2000-01 season. Led by seniors Tish Wescott and Jen Surlas, and a fierce freshman class that included Jen Derevjanik, Susan Otim, and Vernessa Neamo, the Patriots went 21-9 (11-5 CAA). They lost in the first round of the WNIT to Georgetown. After that loss, those freshmen were determined to return to the WNIT. Neamo said, "Every year after my freshman year, I felt we had a great opportunity to make it to the conference  championship and make postseason appearances."

Three seasons later, the Patriots were back in the WNIT after winning 18 games and reaching the CAA championship game. Now seniors, Neamo, Otim, and Derevjanik were joined by junior Laura Kooji in the second WNIT appearance. The team went 18-11 overall and 11-7 in conference. The Patriots lost by four points in the CAA Championship to long-time rival and powerhouse Old Dominion. They earned a bid to the postseason WNIT tournament but lost in the first round to Seton Hall, 61-56.
 
That season, Derevjanik and Neamo were both named to regular season All-CAA teams and to the All-CAA tournament teams. Derevjanik went on to play five years in the Women's National Basketball Association, winning a championship with the Phoenix Mercury, and Neamo played a year in the National Women's Basketball League. 
 
In an interview in 2022, Derevjanik said, "Because of the opportunities George Mason gave me, it helped me play professional basketball. If it wasn't for Debbie [Taneyhill] reaching out to different coaches and trying to get me into their training camps, I don't know that I would have ever been able to have that same opportunity [to play professional basketball]."
 
During her time at George Mason, Coach Taneyhill took two teams to the WNIT tournament, a pride she still feels today: "I'm proud of my time [at George Mason]," said Taneyhill. "And I still feel that when I walk in [to the arena] and I look up and I see those two banners there, and I'm like, 'yeah, I was a part of that.'"

Coach Taneyhill left George Mason in 2008, and Coach Jeri Porter took over. Coach Porter led the Patriots for five years, helping the team win its first CAA tournament game in six years. 

The 2010s
In 2013, George Mason University moved to the Atlantic 10, a basketball-centric conference with more prestige and tougher competition. Though she had left in 2008, Coach Taneyhill commented on the move to the A-10, saying, "The shift to the Atlantic 10 speaks to the commitment to the athletics programs at George Mason and I think you're gonna get a first-class education. It's definitely something that I'm proud to say. This is where I went to school, and this is where I played, and this is where I coached."

Coach Nyla Millseon took over for Coach Porter in 2013, a new coach for a new conference. With a new start, the Patriots were looking to have their first winning season in almost 10 years. The first few years of the Atlantic 10 were highlighted by Taylor Brown, a native of Bowie, Md. and transfer from Georgetown. The three-time All-A-10 selection and No. 3 all-time leading scorer is the first player in program history with at least 1,500 points, 400 rebounds, and 300 assists.
 
The 2017-18 season is the most successful season in George Mason women's basketball history. It was headlined by transfer graduate student Natalie Butler, senior Taylor Dodson, sophomore Jacy Bolton, and freshman Nicole (Nikki) Cardaño-Hillary. The team boasted a 24-10 record, going 11-5 in conference, the best record to date. The Patriots advanced to the Atlantic 10 quarterfinals, and because of their body of work that year, received a bid to the WNIT for the third time in program history to extend the season. For the first time in program history, they won a WNIT game, beating Stephen F. Austin 82-75 at home in Fairfax. In the second round, Atlantic Coast Conference Virginia Tech defeated the Patriots, 78-69.
 
"It's so special to know we are the winningest team in program history," said Butler. "And I say that with such pride from a sense of the support that we had from the George Mason community, the Green Machine, the students, and other student-athletes. We had such great support from so many different people around us. [The season] really wasn't just a team win, it was a university win. I feel very fortunate to be a part of a team that made history during that season."

The team set a program single-season records for most assists (500), most free throws (489), and most wins (24). Butler was named the Atlantic 10 Player of the Year, All-Atlantic 10 First team, and Atlantic 10 All-Defensive Team. She was also named to the Associated Press Honorable Mention All-American team, standing as the only Patriot to earn an All-American honor in program history. Butler also set a program single season scoring record (653), an NCAA D1 single-season rebounding record (563), led the country in rebounding (16.6 rpg) and double-doubles (33), and tied the NCAA D1 record for most consecutive double-doubles (33). Butler was drafted 30th overall in the 2018 WNBA Draft by the Dallas Wings. 

Cardaño-Hillary was named the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year, All-Atlantic 10 Third Team, and Atlantic 10 All-Defensive Team. She spent two more years at George Mason after that magical rookie season before transferring to Indiana University. In just three years as a Patriot, she set the program scoring record with 1,766 points, made 157 three-pointers (fourth all-time), dished out 290 assists (10th all-time), and had 216 steals (fifth all-time). 

Shortly before Cardaño-Hillary broke the program's all-time scoring record, Keri Chaconas, the previous all-time scoring record holder, paid her a visit that Cardaño-Hillary remembers fondly, saying, "Before I had [broken] the scoring record, I met [Keri Chaconas] so that was a really great experience to kind of have a conversation with her. She came and watched one of our games and it was just a very cool experience, and I hope to one day be asked to come back [because] hopefully someone is surpassing me, and I can kind of pass that experience down to someone else."

The Present 
Since taking over the helm in 2021, Coach Vanessa Blair-Lewis has been steadily building a program that has seen marked improvement. Blair-Lewis arrived after a 3-10 (0-14, A-10) season and in three years, has ushered a new wave of success into the program. The team is currently 15-3, 6-1 in the A-10, and ranked 48th in the NET ranking, the highest ever in program history. 

"Our slogan is 'Believe Big','' Blair-Lewis said. "We don't just throw that around as a slogan lightly. We believe bigger than any dream that we could ever place on ourselves." 

Blair-Lewis recognizes the importance of this season and its meaning. "It's giant shoulders to stand on," said Blair-Lewis. "We have so many great players that have come through Mason and 50 years of women's basketball. It's exciting to be on this precipice of sports, especially women's basketball. It's also exciting; look at the stands, and you see players that have come through the program that are back! They're supporting us! They're coming to talk to our players on the court at practice and just encouraging them." 

Blair-Lewis recognizes the importance of the history of the program. The players who put the building blocks in place already recognize her impact on the program. Alum and former head coach Debbie Taneyhill has been following the season and said, "I know Coach Blair-Lewis from way back. I think she's a super good person and a super good coach, and they're on a great path with big things ahead for sure."

For Athletic Director Marvin Lewis, the significance of this history is vital, as well as the many pieces who played their part. "As a new athletics director, this is a great time to celebrate not only our 50-year history but also for me to understand our story," Lewis said. "To know the student-athletes that have impacted this program over time, to get to know the coaches that have impacted this program over time, [has been] one of my main priorities."  

George Mason University women's basketball has had 50 years of building blocks to make the program what it is today, and the team will only continue to reach higher as the years go on.