College Basketball Preview George Mason University

George Mason University: Colonial Athletic Association
                                         (23-11 Overall, 13-5 Conference)


      Even after losing four seniors last year, Coach Jim Larranaga has several reasons to be optimistic this season as the head man at George Mason University. Larranaga arrived on the scene at Mason in 1997 and his Patriots have remained near the top of the Colonial Athletic Association ever since. Last year’s Patriots brought home a CAA championship and advanced to the National Invitational Tournament before losing to Penn State in the opening round. For the twelfth year straight, Coach Larranaga's guys are predicted to finish in the top five in their conference. Potential can be a dangerous word in college athletics, but the Patriots have a ton of it with seven first year players and four second year players.

Frontcourt:

     Mason’s lone returning senior this season is 6’6” Louis Birdsong. Birdsong, who played power forward last season, will be asked to move to a perimeter forward position. Birdsong is amongst Mason’s all-time leaders in blocked shots, but moving him to the perimeter will make room inside for a bigger lineup. Mike Morrison, a 6’9 sophomore, will step into a post position that has been occupied by several outstanding big men over the last five seasons. Ryan Pearson is another sophomore forward who will be looked to for his versatility. At, 6’6” he’s a player with an inside presence who can also step out and knock down the three-pointer, making him hard to guard. His explosiveness as a scorer makes him a scary opponent. Last year, he showed his dangerousness, racking up 14 points in 15 minutes against Mount St. Mary’s and 18 points in 21 minutes against Old Dominion University. Another big man likely to see playing time is red-shirt freshman Kevin Foster, 6’7” forward who was a McDonald’s High School Honorable Mention All-American.

Backcourt:

     Joining Louis Birdsong in the starting lineup, junior guard Cam Long will provide a bulk of the offensive production for the Patriots. Coming off an excellent sophomore season, Long has garnered pre-season All-CAA honors and will be counted on by Coach Larranaga to be the leader on the floor both offensively and defensively. Junior guard Isaiah Tate can shoot the lights out and has consistently improved over the last two seasons. Jimmy Nolan is a sophomore who played in only six games last season, but he is the team’s spark plug and a crowd favorite (he even has his own Facebook fan club.) He will be depended on to make clutch shots in close games. Andre Cornelius will round out the backcourt as the point man running the show.

Who to Watch:

     ESPN.com has ranked George Mason’s recruiting class number one in the country among non-BCS schools. Coach Larranaga knows that this is good not only for the program this season, but over the next four years as well. Depth will be provided at every position as seven new comers from across the country make their college debuts. Among the top freshmen on the squad is big man Johnny Williams, who Mason wrangled away from both Alabama and Oklahoma State. Rivals.com has named him the top power forward recruit in the CAA and the second highest ranked recruit overall. Two other freshmen on the roster were also rated top CAA recruits in their respective positions by Rivals.com. Freshman Rashad Whack, from Hyattsville, Maryland is one of the Patriots best three point shooters and is one of Bishop McNamara High School's all-time leading scorers. The third top-rated recruit is small forward Paris Bennett. Bennett is a vocal leader already who is capable of making other players around him better. He is a proficient passer and will likely step into an immediate contributing role. Cam Long and Louis Birdsong, however, are the players to keep an eye on this season, as a talented young supporting cast could make them household names come March.

Final Projections:

     Other teams in the CAA bring more experience to the table, but few have the pure talent of the George Mason Patriots. If this team can ignore the hype if they start winning games, they have the potential to reach the postseason for a third straight year, something the Patriots have never accomplished.  The Patriots may win games simply because they're too young to realize they aren't supposed to be winning yet. If everything clicks, GMU has the opportunity to win another conference championship and reach the big dance at the end of the season. If not, they will probably finish in the middle of the pack, setting themselves up for a stellar year next season. Either way, George Mason’s basketball future looks bright.