Clock Strikes Midnight on Cinderella, as George Mason Beats William & Mary
by Jay Pearlman
RICHMOND, Va. – William & Mary’s run to the CAA Final reminds me of that catch Endy Chavez made in Game 6 of the NLCS two years ago against the Cardinals (what catch, you ask). It just may have been the greatest catch I’ve ever seen, Willie Mays in 1954 included. But the Mets lost that game, and the series, and half of you have no idea what I’m talking about. I fear that just like that catch, William & Mary’s run to the CAA Final was one of the greatest series of upsets we’ve ever seen, but that two years from now precious few of us will remember.
George Mason guarded for three days better than anyone. They rebounded better. They showed poise, senior leadership, physical strength and resolve. And in the end, no one was surprised when Mason wore down William & Mary to win 68-59, in a game no longer in doubt at the final media timeout.
All weekend long teams played at William & Mary’s pace, even George Mason tonight. No matter how hard Coaches Barnes, Taylor, Grant and Larranga tried, on this weekend they simply couldn’t change half-court games into full-court games, change slow methodical plodding games into athletic transition games. And that gave the Tribe a chance every night of the tournament.
(I’m reminded of a certain game we hosted at Bowling Green against Wisconsin Green Bay ten years ago, in which one team or the other led 23-22 at halftime. When the head coach railed about our horrible 7 turnovers, a certain assistant explained how to beat Princeton: “make a schoolyard game out of it, run out to 90, and both the torpedoes and turnovers be damned.” We won by about 80 to 50.)
Tonight, William & Mary trailed most of the night, but Laimis Kisielius’ 15 first half points kept them in the game, down 27-26 at intermission. Everyone guarded Kisielius in the second half, beginning with budding star Louis Birdsong, and Kisielius still finished with a valiant 22 (8-16, 4-10 in treys) and 5 rebounds. While Folarin Campbell (20 points, 4-14, 9-10 from the line, 6 boards) was named Tournament MVP, everyone on both teams knew that the real MVP was Kisielius.
The streaky Campbell did get hot in the second half, when he hit all three of his treys. That and intense man-to-man defense holding the Tribe without a field goal for the first 6:50 of the half were too much to overcome, and Mason led by double figures for most of the rest of the game. MVP Campbell and Kisielius were joined on the All-Tournament Team by GMU’s Will Thomas (18 points, 6-8, 13 rebounds), William & Mary’s Danny Sumner and David Schneider, and VCU’s Eric Maynor.
After the game Coach Jim Larranaga was flanked by his star seniors, Thomas and Campbell, all three beaming.
“These two guys are the faces of George Mason basketball,” said Larranaga. “Folarin is our Magic Johnson, with the infectious smile. Will is our Bill Russell, and does everything it takes to win.”
When I asked Folarin when he first thought that he might bring this team to the NCAA Tournament as a lead guard, Larranaga answered in his stead that it was the night after their loss to Kent State (December 9th), when “Folarin approached me and asked if I’d give him the ball again, as I had during his sophomore year. I told him he had to distribute as well as score, he promised he would, and I agreed. And on top of that, he’s been scoring his brains out the last month.” And now he’s MVP of the CAA Tournament, as a point guard, and leading his team into the NCAA Tourney.
Larranaga received strong play from up and down his roster, especially on defense and on the boards. When Louis Birdsong – who had a great tournament – got into foul trouble, Chris Fleming stepped up to have a great game alongside Thomas, finishing with 8 points on 4-5 shooting in 20 minutes. “I hope you guys recognize that, and write about it,” Larranaga said, referring to the play of Fleming.
Birdsong did manage 6 points (3-4) in 19 minutes, and freshman guard Cam Long contributed 7 points (3-5), 6 rebounds, and stellar defense. And now Mason is back in the big dance, this time with an automatic bid.
CAA News and Notes
- William & Mary coach Tony Shaver was gracious in defeat, commending Mason and offering no excuses. “It was difficult to play from behind on the fourth straight day, all the more so against a team as talented as Mason.” After almost single-handedly keeping his team in the game by force of will, an exhausted Laimis Kisielius lamented that “now, my career is over.” He added, most believably, that “I’d give all my scores away to have won today”.
- While no one in the league would ever admit it, with VCU eliminated yesterday, the league office must have breathed a sigh of relief that Mason was able to survive William & Mary. An Ivy-type representative with an RPI of 150 could well have hurt the reputation of the league nationally. On the other hand, Mason is now an established name in national circles.
- Lastly, as we wrote in this space a week or two ago, if this is a single-bid “down year” in the CAA, don’t be alarmed. Between transfers already in residence on our campuses, freshman recruits, and budding young stars, look for this conference to return to two-bid status next winter, and into the top ten strongest leagues in the country.
