Paul Hewitt adds Roland Houston from GW to his staff

Paul Hewitt has finally added another assistant to his coaching staff, Roland Houston from George Washington.  TheMasonBench is saying it's a done deal but Coach Houston joining the George Mason staff isn't the most interesting news. Houston has a nephew, Erik Copes, who is a prized 2011 recruit who was committed to GW but has since been released from his letter of intent. Perhaps to follow his uncle to from Foggy Bottom to Fairfax? Copes is a 6'8" 230 pound center who is one of the top rated recruits in the country at his position.  ESPN has him as the 6th rated center in his class, while scout.com has him at #5, so yeah this would be a huge get for George Mason if it happens.

Roland Houston is labeled as a "respected big man coach" and "is widely known throughout Philadelphia and the East Coast." He could really help develop Johnny Williams and Jonathan Arledge and perhaps improve Ryan Pearson and Mike Morrison's rebounding and interior defense.  Houston is a great addition to the staff to complement Paul Hewitt's guard heavy mentality.

The possibility of Erik Copes coming to George Mason could mean a lot of things for the Patriots. First of all he'd be the highest rated recruit to ever commit to the green and gold and would very likely have an immediate impact on the 2011-2012 season.  He's labeled as a blue-collar type player who works hard in the low post collecting rebounds and blocking shots.  There are no players on the current roster who could be described like that and Copes is the kind of asset the Patriots need to go toe-to-toe with more BCS programs.  His offensive game is limited to dunks and tip-ins around the basket, which won't be a problem because the Patriots will not have any shortage of scoring power next season.