After a 10-19 showing in the 1999-00 season, the George Mason University women’s basketball team completed a major turnaround in the next season as they matched a career-high 21 wins and qualified for the Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT). Head Coach Debbie Taneyhill was named Colonial Athletic Association Coach of the Year. The Patriots were able to sustain three more winning seasons, including another WNIT appearance in 2004 after going 18-11. From there, it has been a gradual decline with two consecutive 21-loss seasons in progress.

Recovery is a major necessity for the Patriots as the team lost its two leading scorers from last season. 2008 graduate Lateisha Wade led Mason in scoring in the last three seasons, especially posting 13.3 points per game (PPG) last season. Wade finished her standout Mason career as the 15th leading scorer in school history.

2001-2004: A New Zenith in Mason Women’s Basketball

Going back to the start of the millennium, Mason was equipped with three high-scoring athletes—Jen Derevjanik, Jen Surlas, and Vernessa Neamo. Surlas, Derevjanik, and Neamo finished their four years at Mason with at least 1,300 points apiece.

Despite a 10-19 record in 2000, Surlas averaged 16.9 PPG. At the time of Mason’s 21-win season in 2001, Surlas averaged only 12.7 PPG in her senior year, but gave way to the incoming freshmen Derevjanik and Neamo. Derevjanik led the team in assists and steals, and averaged 10.1 PPG along with 4.3 rebounds per game (RPG).

Neamo, the eighth all-time leading scorer, still ranks at the top of all-time steal leaders. Neamo led the team in 2004 with 165 field goals and finished second in scoring with 15.3 PPG and field-goal percentage with 45.5 percent. As the team’s leading rebounder with 7.7 RPG, Neamo, like Surlas, continued her basketball quest in the National Women’s Basketball League (NWBL).

Derevjanik, who averaged 17.1 PPG in her senior year, reached national stardom in the WNBA. Originally undrafted, Derevjanik currently plays for the Phoenix Mercury. Prior to playing professional basketball, Derevjanik made key highlights in her tenure with the Patriots. In 2004, Mason’s last winning season, Derevjanik averaged 24.7 PPG in the CAA tournament, including a career-high 40-point performance in the semifinals to lead the team to only their third championship game. The post-Surlas/Derevjanik/Neamo era led to a downturn that is still in effect today.

2005-2008: Trapped in the Dark

From 2004-2005, the average attendance for women’s basketball at the Patriot Center dropped from 819 to 713. After starting 0-2 in 2005, Mason won four of their next five games before losing three in a row. In 2006, the Patriots jumped to an early 2-0 start, but that was countered by 12 losses in the next 15 games. From an impressive 4-2 start, Mason suffered their worst record in school history at 8-21.

Mason started off the 2006-07 season with a 99-43 loss at top-ranked University of Maryland. Among the other non-conference games, Mason challenged 11th-ranked University of Georgia. Despite losses to the two nationally ranked teams, Mason fared well in non-conference play with a 6-4 record. The Patriots won their CAA opener against Northeastern University, but would drop their next two conference games by a total of three points. Mason defeated Northeastern twice, their only two conference wins in 2007. It was a major struggle at the end with the team losing 14 of their last 15 games. However, Mason challenged Drexel University in the first round of the CAA tournament in a 70-67 overtime loss.

Another decent start got Mason to a 7-5 record last season, but a roadblock led to minimal improvement. In contrast to the 2007 season, the team improved its home record from 3-10 to 6-8. Last season’s freshmen were given ample playing time and more opportunities to start games. Brittany Eley, Eugenia Broadus, and Brittany Poindexter each started at least 10 games with approximately 17-18 minutes per game. With Taneyhill stepping down after last season, there is a new look in Mason women’s basketball.

2009: Searching for the Light

Jeri Porter, Mason’s new head coach, has a difficult task in front of her. The last time the team finished with consecutive sub-.400 records was in 1986-1987. In 1988, the Patriots posted a 21-9 record. Even from 2000-2001, the Patriots turned a 10-19 season to 21-9. If history has its way, a major improvement is imminent whether it is this year or next.

What gave rise to this type of success was the emerging freshman class. Before Toni Battle and Jerolyn Weathersby became efficient scorers and rebounders 20 years ago, the two athletes began on a team that was looking to develop from its young players. Same way worked out for Derevjanik and Neamo in the 21st century.

Porter inherits a new team with many new faces. With Eley, Broadus, and Poindexter entering their sophomore year with a sufficient amount of experience, the team also looks for its four freshmen to deliver. Becky Cox and Deidre Richardson will be vital assets on the offensive side, Amber Epps is regarded as a potent defender, and Rachel Robinson has the ability to grab rebounds.

An important job for Porter will be to find a balance between the short-term and long-term effects. In addition to developing for the future, Porter hopes to build a team that can win its games now. Since the CAA tournament’s existence in 1984, Mason has reached the final three times without a trophy in hand. No team has been able to dethrone Old Dominion University in the last 17 years. With the new outlook for 2009, the potential may be what drives Mason to a higher level, a level never achieved by past Mason women basketball players.