Mason releases 2008-09 schedule

At last it is official and the schedule for the upcoming season is out. If you read my previous posts regarding the schedule, the out of conference opponents are of no surprise. Kinda sucks we are playing Northeastern on our homecoming game this year considering they are favored to win the CAA this year. But all in all not a terrible schedule, not really any sexy brand name teams on the list but there are five non-conference opponents that won 18 or more games last season.

Mason adds another '09 recruit

Mason has already snagged it's third recruit of the 2009 class, Vertrail Vaughns. Vaughns is a 6-2 point guard from Mesquite, Texas and was ranked #23 best player in the state here. I know it's not the big man we are all so desperately coveting but Vaughns and Whack are the two guards Mason had at the top of their list coming into this recruiting season. Along with these two guards and Bennett at the wing position, Mason has already got a pretty strong class of 2009. Getting these early signings are key and gives the staff more time to go after some bigger targets. Larranaga loves quick guards who can protect the ball and play defense, and Vertrail Vaughns is exactly that kind of guy.

Sneak peak at new unis

Gomason.com has officially updated the roster section with pictures of each player and you get a peak at what the new "system of dress" uniforms from Nike look like. Still no schedule posted. Also, did you know Lamar Odom is Ryan Pearson's Godfather? Nice.

Mason gets another early signing

Welcome to George Mason Paris Bennett. The Patriots were able to get another early signing for their recruiting class of 2009. Paris is a 6'6" forward who might end up playing at the 3 or 4 spot. Being that he is somewhere between 190- 220 lbs according to some sites, I think he will probably end up playing more of a power forward role. As a sophomore he was once ranked as the #47 player in the country at hoopscooponline.com. Here is more detailed account of his capabilities from ESPN's recruiting site:

"Bennett is a combo-forward who presents mismatch problems for his team. With the ability to take defenders to the low block and score with his back to the basket or stretch opposing defenses all the way to the three-point line, he is a difficult match-up for most defenders. The two biggest question marks that surround him are in regards to his attitude and position. He goes through periods of immaturity where he doesn't always play hard and demonstrates poor body language. In terms of his position at the next level, he may lack both a four man's length as well as a three man's quickness. Physically, he does have the potential to eventually have a terrific body. He has a naturally strong frame with wide shoulders that could be easily chiseled given the time in the weight room. He is also pretty crafty with the ball and has a good natural feel for the game. Ultimately, he is a mid to high major talent who should have an excellent college career if he can get out of his own way."

Check out some highlights of him in the video below:

Out of conference schedule complete

Mason is once again taking their sweet time to release their schedule for this upcoming season and my anticipation about not having a worthy foe travel to the Patriot Center seems to be accurate. The last two out of conference teams the Patriots will be playing are Radford and Tulane, so the total OOC schedule looks like the following:

Nov.5 - Randolph-Macon (EXHIBITION)
Nov.15 - at Vermont
Nov.17 - Brown
Nov.20 - at Hampton
Nov.22 - at East Carolina
Nov.25 - Mount St. Mary's
Nov.29 - Ohio
Dec.1 - at Liberty
Dec.19 - Radford
Dec.22 - Tulane
Dec.30 - at Dayton

Upon first look it doesn't seem very sexy but there are some quality mid-major teams on this list, most notably Dayton and Ohio. Mason also is a road team again for the annual Bracketbuster match-ups that will be named in February. What I like about the schedule is that it gives our young squad some winnable games to get their confidence ready for another tough CAA season. Notice you don't see any BCS schools paying us to be their beginning of the year whipping boy which I like.

Mason's Recruiting is just Whack

Couldn't resist on trying to be funny with this post title, sorry. Mason picked up their first recruit for the class of 2009, Rashad Whack, who they have been following for the last three years. Whack is another local product who played for Bishop McNamara high school in Maryland and the DC Assualt AAU team. Some websites have referred to him as the best shooter in the area, when he was a junior. Can we say Lamar Butler? Whack was a top priority for Mason's 2009 recruiting and it's always good to see a guy like that locked up early, especially when he was set on playing in the Big East or ACC. Here is a nice little YouTube of his highlights: