George Mason Patriots (24-9 overall, 14-4 conference)
Projected starting five:
Jr. G Bryon Allen
Sr. G Sherrod Wright
Jr. F Johnny Williams
So. F Erik Copes
Jr. F Jonathan Arledge
Important departures:
Three starters are gone from last season’s team, all of them important and not just individually: F Ryan Pearson (17.0 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 1.8 apg), F Mike Morrison (9.8 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 1.9 bpg), G Andre Cornelius (6.7 ppg, 2.3 rpg)
Returning:
55.1 percent of scoring and 54.8 percent of rebounding
Additions:
So. F Anali Okoloji (transfer from Seton Hall)
Fr. F Marko Gujanicic
Fr. G Patrick Holloway
Fr. F Jalen Jenkins
Fr. F Michael Rudy
Schedule Highlights:
The Patriots have one of the better non-conference schedules in the conference. They open at Virginia and at Bucknell before playing in the Paradise Jam. A date with Maryland in Washington, D.C. in the BB&T Classic is sandwiched in between home games against America East contender Boston University and Northern Iowa, and they close the slate with road games at Richmond and South Florida. In CAA play, they end January and begin February with five of seven on the road, and the only home games in that stretch are against Drexel and Delaware.
Projected finish and outlook:
The Patriots might have as much talent as anyone in the CAA. The reason they aren’t picked higher is that there are a couple of questions about this team as of now that could be answered affirmatively, and as such it’s not hard to imagine them contending for the top spot this season. They lose three players in Pearson, Morrison and Cornelius that formed the core of last season’s team and won a lot of games together, and that’s not easily replaced. There is undeniable talent among the holdovers, though, starting with Wright, who could easily be an all-CAA player. If he is ready to become the go-to guy, one big question is answered already. Another is who makes up for Morrison’s know-how and presence defensively; Copes could do a lot to answer that question, as could Arledge if he takes the next step. Copes and Vaughn Gray were both suspended for the first three games of the season because of student-athlete conduct violations, which is not a good way to start the season. Allen will be pushed by sophomore Corey Edwards and Patrick Holloway, which gives Paul Hewitt a plethora of options at the point, and Allen could even play off the ball on occasion. Okoloji should get minutes right away, and the freshmen are a talented bunch. Only two teams gave the ball up more than the Patriots last season, and they were a solid team at both ends of the floor as they led the conference in scoring and were third in field goal percentage defense. This team could have similar success to last season’s team and possibly more.
