George Mason Basketball: George Mason basketball hoping to cash in on President Obama campus visit

Saturday, March 20, 2010

George Mason basketball hoping to cash in on President Obama campus visit

Trying to get that stud point guard recruit to sign with your program? Why not invite him for a campus visit when President Obama happens to be ther e. Not a bad strategy by the Mason coaching staff as they had 2010 point guard prospect Bryon Allen come to Fairfax for a campus visit that also included an opportunity to meet President Obama. Allen posted on his twitter page that it was a great visit and Mason fans should be keeping their fingers crossed on this one because he is exactly what the Patriots need.

Allen initially committed to West Virginia but lost his scholarship opportunity when Joe Mazzulla was granted a medical redshirt. Mazzulla will be back with the Mountaineers in 2010-11. The kid is a 6-3 205-pound guard who is extremely strong and physical. He's a native of the DC metro area and even played two seasons at national powerhouse Oak Hill academy but is spending his senior season playing for Jere Quinn at St. Thomas More in Oakdale, Conn. Allen said he chose St. Thomas More because the New England schools play in a league with a shot clock. We saw what the prep leagues did for Luke Hancock and it would really be beneficial to the program to have another kid coming to campus with polished skills.

With Kevin Foster transferring it's obvious the coaching staff is looking to fill his scholarship with the best player available. The Patriots could definitely use a legit point guard because let's face it they are a team that has a back court full of shooting guards. They also don't quite know what they have in guard Vertrail Vaughns who had more turnovers than points in his limited action before losing the season to injury. Bryon Allen has the skill set to come right in and run the point as a floor general. He has had interest from all over the country but his desire to stay in the DMV could be a huge break for the Patriots.

Labels: recruiting

35 Comments:

Brent said...: Can we give him a car or a house or something? It would be a dream to get this kid. He had a spot on WVU? He must be for real. The article didn't mention GMU as an option, so maybe he was just using it as a chance to meet the president! Seeing us embarrassed by Fairfield certainly didn't help!!

If Larranaga has a Christmas list wish, this kid would be on it!

Please keep us updated; 9:15 AM
Ryan said...: Mason is a more recent interest to Allen because of his desire to stay back near DC area. Siena is coming at him hard but I'm wondering if he's not as interested in playing there. There's more in this article:

http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=913777&category=SPORTS; 11:06 AM
Beach Dreams said...: I would be surprised if Mason lands an Oak Hill player... unless he did not start for Oak Hill. Love to have him... just would be surprising. Oak Hill startes always go to the bigger programs.; 12:18 AM
variaban said...: Man, it would be nice to get a player from one of the top Big East schools.
But seeing how he wants to stay in DC and out of the 4 schools he is "considering" shown by ESPN, GW is the only DC school on that list so I'm not going to be too optimistic on this one.; 9:43 AM
Trent said...: Give Coach L credit, he knows how to play the hand he's dealt. Great move...you can't underestimate the impact of that kind of a moment on a kid's decision.; 11:43 AM
variaban said...: Hell Yeah, the George Mason logo got added on the ESPN scouting site.
There's some light at the end of the tunnel after all, haha.; 4:37 PM
variaban said...: Is anybody an "insider" on espn.com? I'm curious to read the write-up on this guy and see if there is anything else referencing GMU...; 4:38 PM
variaban said...: Speaking of recruits, VCU's looks pretty good, those bastards.; 4:40 PM
Ryan said...: Nice find Variaban.

There's a good write-up on Allen here from back in August:

http://eersports.com/basketball/18-future-wvu-guard-bryon-allen-one-tough-customer; 4:45 PM
Beach Dreams said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 11:32 PM
Ryan said...: On his twitter page he just tweeted Isaiah Tate and said "lookin like gmason"

I hate to get myself too excited but I am.; 9:19 AM
variaban said...: Nice...El Presidente must have made a good impression on him, LOL.; 9:45 AM
Beach Dreams said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5:21 PM
Beach Dreams said...: Mason needs BIGS!; 5:59 PM
Beach Dreams said...: Nice if Allen signs, but the backcourt playing time next year will be mainly comprised by all of the returnees. Good for the future, however. GMU needs BIGS! Mason was outrebounded continually in the second half of many games. The front court guys did very well, but they wore down. Got one big on the way... need one or two more. What would be nice would be to get a junior college transfer at the 4 or 5 spot.; 6:03 PM
Beach Dreams said...: Mason will miss Foster.; 6:08 PM
Mr. Miles said...: Could we trade a guard or two for Bowles from JMU? That would be NICE!!!!; 7:25 PM
greenandgold said...: Not going to get too excited. But does this guy know how to pass the ball and create for others? Lots of talent on this team already. So what if GMU gets another "highly recruited" player. If there is NO CHEMISTRY, the team will continue to struggle. And if Larranaga doesn't create plays that are consistent with the players athletic abilities, next season will be a carboncopy of this season. GMU needs a BIG STRONG REBOUNDER.; 2:02 PM
Ryan said...: Everyone on the roster struggled last season because of the team's imbalances. That's something that would be hard to have happen again when practically the whole team is returning the next season. You can't recruit chemistry but you can get all the pieces in order to lay the ground work.; 2:05 PM
Ryan said...: @ Mooky

That would a nice deal.

This team could use more help on the boards. I'm really hoping Johnny Williams makes strides this next season to be more assertive in the paint.; 2:07 PM
greenandgold said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 9:57 AM
greenandgold said...: ESPNScout: "Allen is an extremely strong and physical guard that repeatedly attacks defenders off the dribble. He is a good athlete that can finish above the rim in transition. Allen is a good ball handler and passer as well. He can penetrate draw and kick but HIS MAIN OBJECTIVE IS TO SCORE AT THE RIM." To me, Allen mirrors that of Sherrod Wright. Great, just what GMU needs! Ugh; 10:04 AM
Ryan said...: greenandgold,

No offense but you couldn't be more wrong. The kid transferred to the St. Thomas More in CT to become a better PG. They use a shot clock which other high school leauges do not. Having a shot clock teaches you better game management especially if you are running the show from the PG spot.

Yes he can slash to the hoop like Sherrod but he has been developing a lot of intangibles at the guard spot that most of the roster doesn't currently have.

Also keep in mind the staff is looking at the best players available since Foster left and most guys are signed already. If there aren't any forwards out there to the teams liking is it so terrible to get a 6'3" 215lb PG who once put up good numbers at Oak Hill?; 10:12 AM
HL said...: Bigs we got. We need a premier point to feed the bigs and attack. Would love to have this kid.; 2:28 PM
variaban said...: We're going to find out soon enough, he's making a decision in the month of April...; 3:22 PM
Beach Dreams said...: The reason for needing more bigs is because GMU got whipped on the glass in the second half of so many games. Like I said, the big guys did a great job, but they needed some help. They wore down. Many times, Mason was not much bigger than many high school teams. Gotta get those second half boards to not only get follow up points and to stop the opposing team from getting so many offensive boards and second/third chances to score, but also to keep other teams from fast breaking. That is a big deal in second halves of games. Like Moses Malone said on boarding "If you don't have the ball, you can't score." Williams should be much better next year. It all hinges on how hard they work in the offseason. Hopefully, Arledge can provide some quality playing time.; 5:48 PM
greenandgold said...: Ryan I'm just going by what the article detailed. "Allen will take his game to St. Thomas More School (Conn.) this fall, his mother said.

"He got a chance to play at another level. At Oak Hill, they do a lot of recruiting and things like that. He wants to have a great senior year and really have a chance to play [a starring role]," Cindy Allen said.
Based on what his mom said, he wants to be a STAR his senior year.
We'll see..........; 10:06 PM
GMURayRay said...: Uh. GreenAndGold, you just made Ryan's point. Kid is a player. He went to a solid program to learn how to become an all around player. Having someone like that will hopefully take some of the pressure off of Cam, and allow him to relax and play next year. This has the potential to be great for us.

A lot to be excited about next year. An off season for Wright, Luke and Johnny to develop and hone their game, and develop chemestry with Andre and Ike.

Hopefully finally getting to see what Whack, Vaughns and Bennett have.

Plus we add Jonathan Arledge, who I know didn't have as great a season as was expected, but should add some presence underneath. Arledge, Johnny, Morrison, Pearson, and hopefully Bennett will be great for us.

Can't wait for November. Ryan thanks again for putting this together, and all the time and effort you put in. It's nice to have a go to place for information.; 8:52 AM
variaban said...: Agreed, it's very nice to be able to come here knowing there are updates and new information related to our team.; 9:37 AM
Beach Dreams said...: Green and Gold...I see your point. BTW, I am perplexed as to why a guy would LEAVE Oak Hill. Usually , they rush to get to Oak Hill, if they can play. Oak Hill does not need a shot clock there. I have seen them play. He was practicing every day against D-1 college players (potential stars)at Oak Hill. Great, great training. The transfer seems perplexing. No way he can replace Cam at point. At best, he may spell Cam for a few minutes rest. Don't even know if he is coming... as time goes on, I think it is un- likely. It really does not matter for next year, one way or another. I would be highly surprised if he beat out any starting Mason guard for significant playing time. I am also worried about the lack of scoring from the inside throughout the season. Pearson was the only guy with moves or touch around the hoop. I sure hope there is more to Williams than we saw. Morrsion needs to work on his shooting. He missed, way too often, five foot shots. Incoming frosh, Arledge, averaged like.. 13 points a game in his senior year. Would be unreasonable to depend on him too much...especially for points. Too late, however, to get any impressive player from this point on (unless their deals fall through elsewhere.) Most all decent D-1 guys are committed. If the guards don't learn how to defend the perimiter and the bigs get out rebounded and we have little inside and outside touch.... long season coming. Wishin the best. Best to lower our expectations. Wright can become a really good one, however, as I believe Williams may also. Time will tell.; 9:47 PM
HL said...: Beach,

Rebounding is all about desire, and it came and went this year. That said, we were outrebounded a lot this year because we ran rarely played a big lineup- it was mostly 3 guard sets. I think they went with this for ball help. I know I harped on this all year but without a consistent point, it is hard to play a big, 3 man front court. The best passer we had from the wing feeding the post was Hancock. I don't necessarily agree with this approach. I advocated bringing the center out to foul line extended and beyond to give ball help, but Coach L knows who can do what, not guys like me.

Pearson is tough and wide down low,
Johnny Williams I think can be very good and Morrison can wreak havoc but he needs to learn how to rebound, how to anticipate. He stands and watches without the ball and as a result is often out of position to rebound. When he just works consistently and thinks defense and rebounding first, he has good games- twice against Saunders he played well. He will not take over a game offensively unless he really learns to play with his back to the hoop; drop step, an occasional pump fake etc.

Siena coach is leaving, this may help Mason pick this guy up.; 5:21 PM
Beach Dreams said...: What Not..
Yes.. a point guard like you describe would be nice. All teams would love that. I cannot see it happening next year, however. This fellow, or any incoming freshman, cannot beat out Cam. I realize Mason almost always goes three smalls....two bigs...but, it was in the second half of games that they wore down on the glass. They boarded evenly in first halves... not in second halves. The offensive set was the same, but only so much can be asked of a 6'9 and a 6'6 to hold their own with other teams the entire game.
Maybe the offense should be switched up soas to get more glass help. It is too late, most likely, to get any players that can really help next year.... unless they pull out from another school. Gotta work more bigs in. I thought the guys worked very hard.; 9:27 PM
HL said...: Beach,

Agreed about any incoming frosh and the inexperience. This kid would have to be a phenom to step right in and coming out of Oak Hill does not mean he's a real player, it means he's a talent. But that's another thread.

Cam is no point. He does not pass well and he's not enough of a ball handler. He played point (sort of) this year because teams were salivating at the chance to press Cornelius if he were left alone with the ball, bringing it up. Cam would typically give ball help then once in half court set, give it up and hope to get it back. With a true point this would allow Cam to get down court, run the baseline and pop out. post people up and/or work from the wing.

Our defense and rebounding overall this year was not up to typical standards for a Larranaga team. Getting out rebounded in second halfs can have everything to do with the other team being better conditioned and picking up the intensity and just beating us. Yeah, it would be great to have someone 6'10+ who can also play, but they're at Kentucky and Syracuse. Morrison needs to develop.

We have plenty of size. There's no one in the CAA with a front line as big as Pearson, Williams and Morrison if we can play that set. Pearson and Williams are big, not just tall. Morrison is key. He plays tall but he doesn't play big. He has to play in position and play physical. (Back to the top.) He's a talent but he really is poor, fundamentally.

Maybe what I'm missing is that you think our bigs are just not good enough. You could be right about that but I really haven't seen a better set of sophs and freshman (from a talent perspective, not performance)in league play.; 7:42 AM
Beach Dreams said...: What Not...
I think our bigs are good enough. I think they play very hard, also. Pearson, however, was the only big that seemingly scored other than a dunk. But, re: rebounding, maybe it is the 2-3 set. However, once you have Williams in... you are out of bigs, excepting Arledge. Injury, foul trouble, anything has you exceedingly thin then. Williams will help, I am sure. Maybe point guard will have to continue by committee. Cam is, in my opinion, the best option for the 1. Don't need a 6'10... but I would still love to see another 3-4 guy with some touch. Hopefully, the next signing (if there is another for this coming year) will fit that mold. Mason is gonna be in trouble next year if they keep getting beat on the glass during the second half.; 2:15 PM
greenandgold said...: Great dialogue. Everyone needs to work on something during the offseason. The one thing all of them need to work on is a DESIRE to win as a TEAM. Fundamentally, each position is lacking. Guards need to protect the ball and move without the ball. Bigs need to learn to box out for rebounds, set hard picks/screens, and have more than one offensive move. Everyone needs to play hardnose DEFENSE. Larranaga needs to come up with new and effective offensive sets.; 9:19 AM

George Mason basketball hoping to cash in on President Obama campus visit

George Mason Basketball

Saturday, March 20, 2010

George Mason basketball hoping to cash in on President Obama campus visit

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