Well if you haven't already noticed Folarin Campbell was not invited to any NBA summer league teams. This article from Gazette.net states that Campbell has drawn interest from teams in France, Italy, Germany, and Australia. Interesting quote from the article regarding his NBA try-outs:
‘‘They said a lot of positive things,” Campbell said. ‘‘They said I shot the ball well, but they already had point guard and shooting guard filled. I was basically trying to find someone who needs a point guard. So we decided to look overseas.”Could Campbell be staying at the point guard position overseas in hope of being successful enough to get another try-out in the NBA? I say this because honestly as much as Larranaga tried to make him a legit point guard I always thought Campbell worked better as a shooting guard. The extra responsibility of carrying the ball up seemed to hamper his shooting and often times left him out of position. I would think he would get more action overseas as a shooting guard but knows that in the NBA he would be more desirable as a point guard given his size.

I don't think I have ever been so happy to see a sports commentator go than I am to see Billy Packer leave CBS. Thank you CBS for finally bringing in a new era of accurate commentating and actually getting with the times. There can't be a basketball mid-major fan out there not happy to see him go after his comments about the 2006 NCAA Tournament, where he bashed not only George Mason but Wichita State and Bradley for being selected. Packer stated that between the two conferences these teams came from, they had only won one tournament game in three years despite committee chairman Craig Littlepage repeatedly telling Packer and his colleague Jim Nantz that past tournament performance was not a factor in determining the field. Let's also not forget his lovely little interview from CSTV and he once referred to Allen Iverson as a "tough monkey". Now that's some fine commentating. Clark Kellogg could not have an easier time replacing Packer. Let's see, he must be able to not be racist, not heavily favor bigger conferences at all times, not determine games are "over" in the 1st half, and lastly not call people fags over the air. I don't know Clark, you certainly have your work cut out for you.

Looks like I spoke too soon when reporting that Thomas would be playing in Vegas for the NBA summer league. From Sunday's Washington Times:
"Notes - The Wizards finalized their summer league squad Saturday evening. Lithuania's Vytas Danelius, George Mason's Will Thomas and Fairleigh Dickinson's Mike Peeples were cut from the squad. Washington will take to Las Vegas a team comprising Andray Blatche, Nick Young, Dominic McGuire, Pecherov, JaVale McGee, Dee Brown, Dontaye Draper, Frank Elegar, Gary Forbes, Taj McCullough, Veremeenko and Jonathan Wallace. The Wizards' first game is Monday at 8 p.m. against Portland. ..."Oh well, I knew Thomas was Euro-bound for his professional career but I was hoping to get one last look at him in the states.

It seems that Will has indeed earned a spot on the Wizards Summer League squad. Too bad they have him down as a Florida State alum. Fellow former CAAer Frank Elegar from Drexel makes the roster too. The first game is on July 14th and I now actually have a reason to watch that NBATV channel! Enjoy it because it will most likely be the last time we ever see Big Willie Style on TV again.

Chris Caputo doesn't have the glory job in college basketball but he damn sure has an important one. As Coach Larranaga's top assistant he's responsible for most of Mason's recruiting and scourers the country on a regular basis looking for that diamond in the rough high school player. Many people don't know how pivotal of a role Caputo played in the Mason's Final Four run of 2006. His scouting reports and strategy obivously made a difference as the Patriots went up against the big dogs. That is why I am glad to see articles like this in the Washington Post that highlight the sacrifices he makes and the dedication he has to the team. Recruiting in college basketball is 24/7 365-day a year gig and it can get ugly for a program if you don't follow the rules, be thankful Mason fans.

This is from the Washington Times yesterday:
"The team will hold a three-day mini-camp staring on July 10 and will select a 12-man roster from the 16 or 17 prospects on hand.

Veterans Andray Blatche, Nick Young, Dominic McGuire, Oleksiy Pecherov, rookie JaVale McGee and 2006 second-round pick Vladimir Veremeenko already have spots on the team.

The rest of the list for now is: Georgetown's Jonathan Wallace, George Mason's Will Thomas, College of Charleston point guard Dontaye Draper, former Indiana standout A.J. Guyton, former UMass and UVa swingman Gary Forbes, Fairleigh Dickenson forward Mike Peeples, former Wake Forest forward Vytas Danelius from Lithuania, Winthrop forward Taj McCullough and Drexler center Frank Elegar.

An additional name or two could also be added to the list, which is expected to be finalized on Monday."

It looks as if Big Willie Style has made more of an impression on the Wizards than Folarin Campbell and is still in the running to be on the summer league roster. Looks like we will know more information come Monday but really it's great to think Will might be playing in Vegas next week.

Dago Pena, a Rivals150 prospect who recently asked for release from his commitment to Florida Atlantic was rumored to be visiting George Mason campus last week. Pena was referred to Fairfax from a former Mason player in Sammy Hernandez who now plays at FAU. Pena decided against playing at FAU after a coaching change. Apparently under the rules for this type of situation you are only allowed 3 visits and Mason was Pena's first choice. Keep in mind Mason still has an open scholarship they can offer and Pena at the small forward position would be a great addition to an already highly touted recruiting class. Every scouting website I have come across has this kid rated highly. From the analysis he seems to be a perimeter type player who has three-point range, a perfect Larranaga-guy. It would really be nice to have more of a true small forward guy at the 3 position, something really hasn't had in awhile.

Well it didn't go as planned, to say the least. The game against Notre Dame resembled many road losses that the Patriots had this season, only this time they have never had the lead. The Irish used a ridiculously hot shooting streak to pull away from Mason early. Personally I feel that the Irish broke the spirits of the Mason players early and they were just never able to recover. Will Thomas attempted to put the team on his back but it was not enough. Folarin Campbell, what the hell happened? Starting off o for 10? I hate to say that will be the last time I get to watch him play. I really felt like the 2006 Folarin would come out in this game and I am sure I am not the only one who felt that way.

Granted Notre Dame seemed like they could not miss from three point land this was still not the real George Mason team that we saw in Richmond the previous weekend. What I really could not understand is why Chris Fleming and Isiah Tate got so many minutes in the first half. Ok, Fleming had a good CAA tournament but for God's sake we aren't playing William and Mary any more. As for Tate, I love the guy loads of potential, great long range shooting, but he's an untested freshman who barely saw time this season. I just don't understand Coach L's personnel decision sometimes. I mean yes Campbell and Vaughan were missing open looks but let them work it out on their own, they have before.

Thanks to misterirrelevant.com for the video find.

With Thursday night getting closer the anticipation is growing each day. Last night the tournament officially began, sort of. At least we know that the extra media attention is not going to faze guys like Folarin, Will, and JV. If you are going crazy with anxiety like me, read these funny posts from Deadspin and the DC Sports Bog to calm yourself down. The team is in Denver along with our real Mascot, Doc Nix and the Green Machine. I really hope I see more of Doc Nix and his kryptonite cane than I do of Gunston's ugly mug. Also, when planning your viewing parties for the game be sure add a drinking game which involves taking a shot every time the commentators mention "the experience of George Mason". You will be wasted drunk at half-time.

Alright now let's get serious. The Richmond Times says speed is the key to a Mason victory and I could not agree more, remember the beginning of the Kansas State and Villanova games? What else will be keys to a victory Thursday night, check out my Q &A session with Rakes of Mallow blogger Christopher Wilson for further analysis. To see my responses to his questions about the Patriots read here.

1) What kind of coaching style does Mike Brey have for those of us who have not seen the Irish in action much? Defensive or Offensive minded?

Rakes of Mallow: A short anecdote ought to answer this question about as well as you could hope for:

Mike Brey goes around to a lot of the dorms before the season starts doing Q & A's with the residents about the team. When asked about his defensive strategy, and what sort of recruits he looks for in that area, his reply was rather simple. "I figure we'll let the other guy score 80, and we'll score 81."

To his credit, the defense has been better than in previous years this season, with Brey deploying a 2-2-1 press and a 3-2 zone that work due to some length on the wings, but the hallmark of this Irish team is their offense. They're good in transition, with a bunch of guys who can hit the three surrounding Luke Harangody, who takes care of the inside game basically on his own, although the penetration of Zach Hillesland and Tory Jackson complement the inside-outside game with some fresh angles.

2) Who are the other guys to watch besides Luke Harangody?

Rakes of Mallow: Kyle McAlarney is capable of heating up and scoring in a wide variety of ways. While more of a scoring point guard in high school that could get into the lane or pull up from deep, K-Mac's morphed into the resident long range specialist on this Irish team, although he still finds his way into the paint for a floater from time to time. He's popped off for thirty point games a few times this season, and if the Patriots wanted to keep one player under wraps on the perimeter, they should look at McAlarney first.

His backcourt mate, Tory Jackson, is a joy to watch, but he's wildly inconsistent. Irish fans thought he had cured his turnover woes earlier in the season, but they've popped up again, perhaps facilitated by Rick Pitino's cursed press a few Thursdays ago. He's probably the best athlete on the team, capable of burning past even the most capable perimeter defenders and skying for rebounds and blocks no sub-six foot player should be able to achieve.

3) What is the team's area of strength? Also, what are areas the Patriots might be able to exploit?

Rakes of Mallow: The Irish have a really balanced offense, with a bunch of guys who can shoot (McAlarney, Ayers, Kurz, Zeller, Jackson) surrounding the Big East Player of the Year in the middle. The scramble defense that Coach L throws out seems like it's the perfect counter to the gameplan of the Irish, but if they can work in some easy buckets in transition, they should be able to score on George Mason.

The biggest weakness the Irish have is their perimeter defense. Whether it's coming off dribble-drive penetration or a pick and roll, opposing guards get into the lane and force bad rotations, meaning someone is probably getting an open three. There's just a lack of athleticism on this team, and while there's enough offensive talent to make up for that in scoring the ball, it's more of a struggle in stopping the opposition. I imagine there will be a lot of open shots available for Patriot perimeter players, whether it comes from penetration or the defense collapsing on Will Thomas, who I'm glad to hear from multiple sources is a mini-Kevin McHale.

4) Our team's definitely seem to have short benches, who might be an x-factor for the Irish?

Rakes of Mallow: A lot of Irish fans reading this will cringe, but I think Luke Zeller could have himself a nice game against the Patriots. He was a very highly recruited seven footer who has never really found his place in the Irish rotation, choosing to hang out around the perimeter when he's shown flashes of a strong interior game on both ends of the floor. With the limited height of George Mason, I feel like Zeller could get some nice looks from the arc shooting over taller defenders and give Thomas trouble with his length on double teams.

5) ND performed very poorly in their early season tournament while Mason played very well. In addition, ND was ousted in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament. Furthermore, they suffered a 1st round loss in last year's NCAA tournament. Do think this might attributed to lack of experience and senior leadership, and might it be a factor in this year's tournament?

Rakes of Mallow: I'll address these one at a time. First, last season's early NCAA exit had a lot to do with the experience of Winthrop, who had the same starting five in their third straight tournament appearance, going against an Irish team that was relying on a freshman point guard and big man. The Irish were down big, managed to come back and take the lead but lost a close one late due to some uncharacteristic misses from the free throw line.

The early season tournament you mention was the Virgin Islands Paradise Jam, where the Irish lost two games to Baylor and Georgia Tech by five points, giving up late leads in both of them. The quarterfinal loss to Marquette was depressing but not exactly unexpected, as Harangody got into early foul trouble, the Irish just seemed a little flat while the Golden Eagles shot the lights out in the second half.

George Mason is certainly capable of winning this game, but I would surely hope it's not due to a lack of leadership and experience on the part of the Irish, a team whose most prominent players have at least two full seasons of experience under their belt at this point.

6) Getting back to big Luke, how important is he in the team's success? Also what kind of defender is he, will he be guarding Will Thomas?

Rakes of Mallow: Harangody's interior success is a pretty big factor for the Irish. Not only does he provide nice balance to Brey's love of outside shooting, but he also pounds the opposition for a lot of fouls, which help get the Irish into the bonus early. Other than Jackson, most of the Irish players are great free throw shooters, so Harangody's ability to get himself, and eventually others, to the line is really helpful. He's added in a pretty nice outside shot, meaning that larger, slower defenders now have to chase him around the outside as well as protect the block (something UConn's Hasheem Thabeet failed to do in the second meeting between the Huskies and Irish). You'll probably be annoyed going up against Harangody, as he does seem to get at least one ridiculous call per game and will crash into anyone – teammates, opponents, media – throughout the course of a game.

Defensively, Harangody is solid, but Rob Kurz usually takes the role of guarding the opponent's best interior player. The Irish had no answer for David Padgett a few weeks ago, and while Thomas doesn't have his size, it seems he has the same polished post game. Look for Harangody, Kurz and perhaps even Zeller to spend some time on Thomas, although I imagine the Irish will go zone more often than not if the man defense isn't containing him.

7) On offense, do the Irish like to push the ball at all or are they a half court type of team?

Rakes of Mallow: The Irish are considerably better in transition, with Tory Jackson pushing the tempo and finding open shooters on the arc or quick post-ups for Harangody. The Irish half-court offense can look very stagnant if shots aren't falling or the big guy isn't passing out of double teams wisely, but if the shooters get into a rhythm, they can be pretty explosive. I will happily admit my bias towards fast-paced, transition offenses, but I think the Irish are much better when running than when trying to find clean looks after the defense is set.

With Mason's first round game only 3 days away let's not waste anymore time and get right to it, who are these Fighting Irish they will be facing in Denver? It's nice to know that some people are predicting us to upset these Irish. No doubt they are more battle tested coming out of the Big East but much like the Patriots they don't play their best basketball away from their home court. They are led by burly sophomore center Luke Harangody who is 6'8" and 250 lbs, where is Jai Lewis when you need him? Luke was Big East player of the year, the youngest to do so since Caron Butler back in 2002. Make no mistake that Coach Larranaga's defensive game plan is going to centered around big Luke as Notre Dame's will be similar in trying to slow down Will Thomas. It should be a classic big man battle between Thomas and Harangody. Offensive rebounding and defense will be the keys to Mason's success, Birdsong you gotta box out! Notre Dame has a tremendous size advantage over Mason overall but Folarin Campbell does pose as a possible mis-match for the Irish starting back court. The difference in the game could be John Vaughan and Folarin Campbell getting to the free throw line like they have been lately. One problem for the Patriots will be defending the three point shot as these Irish are 4th in the nation in that area. Scary statistic when you think of how poorly Mason has defended the three point shot at certain points in the season. Lately the Patriots have been improved in this area, especially during their last game in the CAA championship playing against a team that lives off the three pointers.

More analysis to the come as I will be conversing with the Rakes of Mallow Notre Dame blogger in a Q&A session. Please post any questions you have for the Notre Dame blogger regarding their team and what to expect for Thursday.

Just announced, Mason will be playing Notre Dame in the first round in Denver, Colorado this Thursday. I like this match up and personally I think we could have drawn a lot more dangerous teams. Also a potential game against Washington State in the second round is also winnable, but I am getting ahead of myself. ************ Update: Game time is going to be around 9:50 - 10 pm as it is slated for 30 minutes after the 7:20 pm Washington State - Winthrop game.

The day has come and in only a few hours we will know the Patriots first round opponent. There is a ton of speculation out there but the consensus seems to be that Mason will end up a 13 seed. Currently ESPN bracketology has the Patriots facing off against Notre Dame as a 12 seed and Foxsports.com is predicting a first round rematch of the 2006 tourney with us facing Michigan St. Rivals.com and CBS Sports both predict a 13 seed. Frankly I don't think an 11 or 12 seed is out of the question when you factor in Mason's significant wins. The other factor that can hurt our seeding is the lack of success on the road which will probably be the reason we are a 13 seed. The anticipation is killing me.

So Mason pulled it off, they really did it. Despite most of the fans feeling a CAA tournmanet championship was all but impossible I had a feeling we would see the team's best basketball in Richmond. And even though the Mason bookstore is already screwing up new t-shirt designs, you have to feel confident about this team if your a fan. Enough of this "who will be this year's George Mason" talk, this guys can make noise again just like they did two years ago. Speaking of two years ago, current bracketology has us matched up with UConn in the first round, wouldn't that be interesting. But I would not put too much stock into that because it will most likely change 5 more times before tomorrow afternoon.

The Patriots will most likely be 12 or 13 seed and with that in mind I see some potential 4 or 5 seed teams they would be able to handle in the first round. Teams like Butler and Drake come to mind as they are fellow mid-majors but I also would say Notre Dame and Michigan State also come to mind. Also teams led by stellar freshman also don't have the best track record in the tournament so that would factor in teams like Indiana. Predicting the seeding is always impossible because the selection committee always has a few surprises and we were one of them in 2006.

Well the last few days have been rough with Mason fans going to bed each night wondering if our head coaching position would be vacant the next morning. But never fear as Jim Larranaga has rejected the offer from Providence and will remain in Fairfax. The administration at Mason finally pulled the trigger and gave the Big L a contract extension through 2015. All of us can enjoy a sigh of relief and not have to worry about losing a stellar recruiting class or demanding refunds on next year's season tickets. The D.C. Sports Bog points out that the Big East is now 0-2 in the coach-luring sweepstakes, oh joy of joys. So get ready for the scramble defense and hilarious pre-game talks to continue for the next 7 years.

Reports are still swirling around spectulating whether or not Coach Larranaga will be heading back to his alma mater to coach the Friars. Michael Litos of the CAA hoops blog shares a different opinion than what I have recently posted thinking the move to the Big East isn't such a crazy idea for the old ball coach. The lure of ending his successful career back at Providence in about 5 years or so might be too great to turn down. But does Coach L really want to take on the challenge of restoring the Friars to the level they were at when he graced the court in the early 70's? Definitely something that would take time to build up. Kind of like the time it has taken for him to build up the Patriots to become the CAA power that they are today. Providence may be a Big East school but you can't tell me going there at this point for a potential recruit has really all the much more appeal than coming to George Mason. The Patriots have been in the spotlight more and more each season and TV appearances on ESPN are expected now. But that's just me.

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4/1/08 Update: This is no April fools day joke but Providence has indeed officially offered the position to Coach L.

After weeks of speculation on Coach Larranaga and the recent head coaching job opening at his alma mater Providence I think it's time to share some perspective on the subject. After the Final Four run of 2006 many schools were pursuing the old ball coach, even NC State. I wasn't worried then about Coach L leaving and not really that worried now either. Today in Andy Katz blog he confirms that Providence has indeed been in contact with Mason:
"Providence athletic director Bob Driscoll asked for permission to talk to George Mason coach Jim Larranaga, GMU athletic director Tom O'Connor confirmed to ESPN.com. Larranaga is a Providence College graduate. It's unclear whether or not Larranaga will meet with Driscoll."O'Connor seems confident that Larranaga will stay in Fairfax considering his investment in the community with organizations such as the Washington Speakers Bureau. I agree but I think he will stay for other reasons, such as potential job security. Definitely not as much pressure in the CAA as there would be in the Big East. The top half of the Big East is stacked with talented teams and I don't think Coach L cares about a pay increase that much to have the face those kind of teams on a weekly basis. He would have his work cut out for him at Providence just trying to stay in the middle of the pack in the standings. Larranaga is starting to get more respect in the DC Metro area and has even started to pull recruits away from local powers Georgetown and Maryland. Larranaga might have pulled in his most highly rated prospect ever to come to Mason when point guard Andre Cornelius verballed back in September. Cornelius is also the highest rated player coming into the CAA next season, why leave with that on your plate?

Mason has been in contention for the CAA title on a regular basis lately and frankly Larranaga is a Godsend to fans compared to some of past coaches here in Fairfax. Speaking of past Mason head coaches, did you know Roy Williams almost wore green and gold? If Coach L was younger I would be worried about him bolting for a chance like this at bigger conference but for now I think we are safe.

Some might have called Coach Larranaga crazy when he turned down the Providence job but this article and interview from the Mason Gazette puts it in perspective for all those naysayers. Great work by the Gazette, it's refreshing to actually get some useful information about Mason basketball from them.

Apparently Ryan Pearson is more of an internet sensation than was once thought. I discovered this YouTube that is a collection of his highlights and it's 9 minutes long! I think the best thing to take away from this montage of Pearson is that he can run and get involved in fast breaks, much like Birdsong. What can also be seen in this video is his array of low post moves, which are sloppy at times but is not something that can't be developed while at Mason. Pearson definitely has athleticism for someone his size and seems to handle the ball well.

DunkTV, whatever that is, has named this dunk by future Mason freshman Ryan Pearson their "Dunk of the Year". Pearson, who was called for a charge on this play, looks like a man among children when he throws down the dunk. You gotta like the way this kid moves down the court and I really hope it doesn't take him too long to be pulling off moves like that for the Patriots next season.

Interestingly enough this seems to be first reported on the Washington Post, but Mason has picked up a walk on player who formerly committed to The Citadel. His name is Brian Henderson (#5 in the pictures), and the 6-4 guard and likely practice reserve player falls into the "recruited walk-on" category, where Coach L had him on his radar for awhile but was unable to give him a scholarship, although the Post is reporting that he may have in fact received one. Former Patriot Tim Burns fell under this category while at Mason. Henderson is a native of Maryland and played his high school ball at Magruder High School in Rockville, Maryland.

Never hurts to have a tall guard on your practice squad and he could provide a lot of wisdom to the talented younger guards of the current Mason squad. From what I have found on rivals.com Henderson is a versatile player who plays excellent defense and has decent shooting range. He has played multiple positions in his career which could really help him possibly get some playing time down the road.

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Update 5/7/08:

Maryland newsite gazette.net has a story on Henderson and confirms that he indeed is a walk-on.