2013 CAA men's basketball tournament will field 7 eligible teams

So it is official now, the 2013 CAA tournament next March will field only seven teams. The conference presidents unanimously voted that both ODU and Georgia State will not be eligible for the post season tournament that determines the conference's champion. Both ODU and Georgia State had asked the other member schools to reconsider the conference bylaws that banned schools from the conference tournaments after announcing a conference change but were shot down. With VCU already in the Atlantic 10 and both UNCW and Towson penalized for low APR scores, that leaves the tournament with only seven eligible schools. 

Michael Litos of caahoops.com also mentions that league commissioner Tom Yeager also stated today that the #1 seed in the conference tournament gets the NIT bid, should they not win the NCAA autobid. Thus meaning that neither ODU nor Georgia State can earn an autobid to the NIT by finishing in first place during the regular season. So in the end, the conference stuck to their guns, and then some.

No official word yet from the CAA on the addition of new members but Yeager was quoted today saying they are "active in the conference membership business." Also the conference is looking into whether or not to change the location of the tournament.

Jalen Jenkins commits to George Mason

Paul Hewitt and his staff got a verbal commitment from 6'7" small forward Jalen Jenkins over the weekend. Jenkins, a native of NYC, already knows current George Mason point guard Corey Edwards from his AAU team and chose the Patriots over Iona, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Temple, and Providence. 

Jenkins is often described as a versatile and athletic forward and resembles the template for that type of guys Paul Hewitt likes to have on his roster. He seems to have a ton of upside and is a labled as a hard worker on both ends of the court. Zach Braziller, who covers high school basketball for the NY Post says high majors were also after him:

"There were high major schools to inquire and show interest in Jenkins, he said, like Providence and Marquette, but he felt George Mason fit him like a glove."

Jenkins also seems to have a lot of potential and upside when you read what his coaches have to say about him:

"George Mason is getting a multidimensional player in Jenkins. A combo forward who can step out behind the 3-point line, score inside and distribute and lead a fastbreak, one Division I coach familiar with Jenkins said he has the “potential” to be an all-conference performer in the CAA."

For George Mason to play uptempo and fast they need players like this and it is easy to see what Hewitt likes about this kid. You can watch some video on Jenkins here, he's number #13 and his team is wearing the maroon jerseys. You can see he sometimes handles the ball and is a terrific passer. I like the way he gets up and down the court, especially for someone his size.

According to the report from Adam Zagoria, Jenkins may prep a year, which means he could actually be a 2013 recruit and wouldn't enroll at George Mason this fall. This would also be the program's last available scholarship, unless someone transfers or redshirts in the future. 

It's definitely an interesting move by the staff given the point guard and overall ball handling situation. Hewitt seemed to be scouting a ton of point guards and I wouldn't rule out seeing the staff still actively pursue one. 

Full 2012 Paradise Jam tournament bracket revealed

Last week we posted that George Mason would be slated against Mercer in the opening round of the Paradise Jam tournament, taking place this November in the Virgin Islands. Yesterday GoMason.com posted the full bracket for the tournament which includes the game times. George Mason will play Mercer on November 16 at 3:30 pm EST. Keep in mind the game times are in Atlantic Standard time (add one hour for Eastern Standard time).

[via GoMason.com]