GETTING INSIDE

Coach Jim Larranaga would seem to be heading for a building season, but George Mason often finds a way to reach the postseason, something the Patriots have done in seven of the past 10 years.

In 1997, Larranaga took over a program that had won only 52 games in six years, and he turned it into one of the top mid-majors in the country.

The Patriots come off a 22-12 season in which they finished second in the CAA while going to the NIT. Despite losing four seniors they return enough experience to be dangerous and will blend in probably the best recruiting class in the conference.

Junior guard Cam Long will be front and center after a breakout season in which he scored 11.7 points a game and grabbed 4.8 rebounds while making third-team all conference.

The senior leadership will come from three-year post starter Louis Birdsong, who will be asked to improve on averages of 6.4 points and 3.5 rebounds.

“Birdsong is our one senior and we’re counting on him not only for on-court production but also for leadership off the court,” Larranaga said. “This season, he’s making the transition from a power forward position to a perimeter forward position and that’s going to take him some time, but he has the ability to do it.”

The forwards will be Ryan Pearson, who made the All-Rookie team last year while averaging 7 points and 3.6 rebounds, and 6-9 Mike Morrison, who scored four points a game.

The key may be how sophomore Andre Cornelius handles the point guard position.

NOTES, QUOTES

• With 13 more victories, coach Jim Larranaga will have as many wins as the next two coaches on the George Mason victories list combined. He enters the season with 229 victories.

• Despite the fact that he was a freshman and played only 10.8 minutes a game, F Mike Morrison was second on the team in blocked shots and field goal percentage last year. He is written in as a starter this season.

• Junior G Cam Long is on pace to become one of the all-time greats at George Mason, as he could finish ranked among the leaders in points, assists, rebounds and 3-pointers.

Last Year:   22-12 overall, 13-5, second in CAA; lost in first round of NIT.

Head Coach:   Jim Larranaga (career 426-312), 13th year at George Mason (229-142).

Quote To Note:   “Cam Long is clearly the leader of our team on and off the floor. We need him not only to run the team, but distribute the ball while also scoring points. It’s not an easy job but it’s one that he’s very capable of doing at a very high level. We also need him to be our go-to-guy on the defensive end. He’s going to be asked to guard the opponents’ best player.”—Coach Jim Larranaga, on what star guard Cam Long means to the Patriots.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

Scouting The Newcomers:   The Patriots have six true freshmen on the roster in what appears to be the best recruiting class in the CAA. Those six are:

• Paris Bennett, a 6-foot-6 forward from St. Patrick High School in New Jersey, who was named All-State and selected as the top small forward recruit in the CAA by Rivals.com.

• Luke Hancock, a 6-5 forward from Roanoke, Va., who spent a year at Hargrave Military Academy.

• Vertrail Vaughns, a 6-2 guard from Mesquite, Texas, who was rated as one of the top 25 players in Texas by Texashoops.com. He averaged 18.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists as a senior. He was also recruited by Colorado and Wichita State.

• Rashad Whack, a 6-2 guard from Hyattsville, Md., who was rated by Rivals.com as the top shooting guard recruit in the CAA.

• Johnny Williams, a 6-8 forward from Memphis, Tenn., who was named the top power forward recruit in the CAA by Rivals.com and the second-highest rated recruit in the CAA.

• Sherrod Wright, a 6-4 guard from Mount Vernon, N.Y., where he was first team all-state and Mr. Basketball in New York Section 1.

Key Early-season Games:   George Mason has two big-time early season tests. On Nov. 19, as part of the Puerto Rico Tipoff, the Patriots take on Final Four team Villanova, which returns all of its starters. Then on Dec. 8 they host a Dayton team that last year upset West Virginia in the first round of the NCAAs. The conference opener is Dec. 5 at UNC-Wilmington.

Program Direction:   George Mason is one of the premier programs in the Colonial Athletic Association, and Jim Larranaga has reloaded again. While he has veterans who had valuable playing time over the past few years to start, he has brought in a strong group of freshmen, including wing Luke Hancock, forward Johnny Williams and guard Sherrod Wright.

Probable Starting Lineup:   PG Cam Long, SG Andre Cornelius, PF Louis Birdsong, SF Ryan Pearson, F Mike Morrison

Roster Report:  

• Four George Mason players were named to the CAA’s 25th anniversary basketball team. Named to the team were Kenny Sanders, one of five players in GMU history to average 20 points a game and a former CAA Player of the year; Jai Lewis, a two-time all-CAA first team player who led the Patriots to the Final Four in 2006; George Evans, who was rookie of the year in the conference in 1986 and Player of the Year in next three seasons; and Will Thomas, who played on the Final Four team and holds George Mason records in games played and field goal percentage, among others.

• Coach Jim Larranaga underwent hip replacement surgery during the offseason and couldn’t spend as much time standing as he would like as practice began.