George Mason misses out on Devin Wilson, recruit commits to Virginia Tech

Well 2013 point guard prospect Devin Wilson has committed to Virginia Tech. I'm surprised he picked them over both George Mason and a school close to his hometown, Saint Joseph's. You have to wonder that since he has a big interest in football and even had aspirations of playing in college, if that had something to do with the decision. Either way it's a solid get for former George Mason assistant James Johnson, now the head coach at Virginia Tech. The Mason staff was very high on Wilson but will have to move on to other prospects. 

With few good point guard prospects remaining in the 2013 class where does the staff go from here? Let's take a look at some options:

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GMU Hoops Season Awards Results

Thanks to everyone who voted, here are the results for this year:
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Manhattan added to 2013-2014 non-conference schedule

Looks as though a game at Manhattan will be on George Mason's non-conference schedule next season:

Steve Masiello again loading up Manhattan's non-conf schedule for 13-14. Home: GW, George Mason, Fordham. Away: La Salle, South Carolina.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) April 13, 2013

Also there is news that Davidson is close to joining the A-10. An excellent replacement if Dayton and St. Louis due in fact leave after next season.

2012-2013 GMU Hoops Season Awards, vote now!

With the college hoops season officially over it's time for the GMU Hoops 2012-2013 season awards. You may remember voting in this last season. See below to vote and I've saved the best poll question for last:

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Another 2013 PG recruit set to visit George Mason

We now know of at least one open scholarship for next season with the news that Vertrail Vaughns is leaving the program. The coaching staff has already been going after point guard prospects including Devin Wilson who visited George Mason recently. Wilson is set to announce his commitment before April 17. He might choose Mason, he might not, so there's always other kids in the mix. A new name that has popped up is 6'3" point guard Jalen James from Chicago, Illinois. He was originally committed to Illinois but when head coach Bruce Weber left the program he reopened his recruitment. James plans to visit George Mason in early May but obviously that could change if Devin Wilson commits before then.

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Luke Hancock, a hero in the national championship game for Louisville

Former Patriot Luke Hancock has been having one hell of a week. Last night be became one of the most memorable 6th men in national championship history. Despite how you may feel about his exit from George Mason it's hard not to proud of the kid, especially when you read stories like this. Hancock earned Final Four MVP honors after going on "a shooting spree for the ages" last night scoring 14 straight points at the end of the first half. He was also the first reserve player ever to win the award, that's pretty impressive.

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Will Johnny Williams and Vaughn Gray be the next to transfer?

With news today that confirms redshirt junior Vertrail Vaughns is leaving the program, their is talk that he won't be this off-season's only transfer. Sophomore Vaughn Gray and redshirt junior Johnny Williams are the names being mentioned and there is evidence to support both requesting a transfer.

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Vertrail Vaughns is transferring

A lot of people were wondering who was leaving program given that the coaching staff had been offering scholarships to 2013 recruits. It looks as though Vertrail Vaughns is transferring by word of one of his  former AAU coaches. Still waiting to hear back confirmation from the team but Vaughns was one of the obvious front runners to be leaving the team. Vaughns, the redshirt junior, is graduating this May and would be eligible to play immediately anywhere.

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George Mason falls to Santa Clara in CBI championship finale

The Patriots lost a hard fought battle to Santa Clara last night in the CBI championship finale. It was a game of runs as each team traded had their moments on offense with George Mason coming up short in the closing moments. The Broncos Kevin Foster (24 points, tournament MVP) and Marc Trasolini (20 points) were too much for the Patriots in this one. Trasolini was dominate early in the second half and got Mason players into foul trouble. Foster did what he did best from behind the arch to put the Patriots away when they tried to make a comeback. Keep in mind that Kevin Foster is one hell of a dominate player was only a handful of three-attempts away from the NCAA career record. Mason still could have had this game but they didn't make the stops on defense when they needed to. The story of the season.

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George Mason and Santa Clara duke it out for CBI Championship tonight

So here we are, the last game of the season for George Mason. Win or lose tonight I think it's safe to say that playing in this tournament was beneficial to the Patriots. In this final game that will determine the CBI champion I think we will see a much closer one than the previous two. I don't expect Santa Clara to come out as flat as they did on Wednesday night. Kevin Foster having only two first half points was a big reason why Mason maintained a lead for the entire game. The Patriots did a better job not giving them as many open looks on the perimeter and not fouling as much. The Broncos will no doubt come out firing tonight, keep in mind they have a few seniors who are playing in their final game. Mason can't get behind early like they did at Santa Clara on Monday night.

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Ryan Pearson credits his entire basketball career to Lamar Odom

It's not often TMZ and George Mason basketball come together for a story but today that's the case. Former Patriot Ryan Pearson, who now currently plays in the Ukraine, says Lamar Odom "rescued him from the streets". Pearson apparently owes his entire career to Odom whom he met when he was 11 years old at a basketball event:

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With win over Santa Clara, George Mason forces decisive game three of CBI championship

Last night was a unique experience playing the RAC, it was loud, intense, and  fun to be a part of. George Mason thrived in the environment and have now forced a decisive game three of the CBI championship. The Patriots did what they do best by starting off strong and jumping out to an early lead. But a slow start to the second half, as we have seen dozen times, made the game interesting down the stretch. The Broncos had a terrible night shooting the ball and George Mason was able to control the game by getting to the free-throw line often. Sherrod Wright bounced back from a poor game on Monday to lead the Patriots in this one. He got to the line for 17 free-throw attempts and really helped put away the game late. As a team they got to the line for 43 attempts, their highest total of the year by a wide margin. Defensively they didn't give a lot of open lots on the perimeter and as a result Santa Clara star Kevin Foster didn't become a factor until late in the second half. By that time Mason was getting to the line at will and despite missing some keys ones at the end of the game, were mostly in control.

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George Mason hosts Santa Clara at the RAC for game two of CBI championship

George Mason needs to win games two and three of this series to be CBI champs after losing game one at Santa Clara. The Patriots looked sluggish in their short west coast trip and weren't playing with the energy and intensity on defense like we saw in earlier CBI games they played. Perhaps playing in the RAC will give them a lift, after all it is where they practice and are comfortable. The atmosphere will be something they have not experienced, especially when you consider the noise level and being in such a small venue for a home game. An uptempo game, with a loud crowd on Mason's side should be a small advantage. From what we saw in game one, the Patriots will need all the help they can get trying to slow down that Santa Clara offense. If anything the game will be a unique experience in the RAC for the team and the fans. 

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George Mason falls in game one of the CBI championship at Santa Clara

George Mason lost game one last night of the CBI championship against Santa Clara 81-73. Sherrod Wright struggled mightily going 0-for-6 from the field and scoring only three points in 30 minutes of playing time. Overall it was a sloppy game on both sides and Mason couldn't take advantage of their opponents turnovers like they had been doing in other CBI games. The Broncos efficient offense build a strong first half lead and the Patriots struggled to close the gap. Jonathan Arledge (21 points) had another great night on offense but he didn't get much help until it was too late. Patrick Holloway provided a huge spark in the second half when Mason cut the lead to three. During an 11-2 Mason run Holloway scored 10 consecutive points but they couldn't slow down Santa Clara's offense enough to regain the lead. It looked like the Broncos were going to coast to victory on their three-point shooting alone but that wasn't the big issue on defense for Mason. The Broncos were able to go 21-for-25 from the free-throw line in the second half due to Mason's sloppy defense. It was too much to overcome given how poorly Mason was shooting the ball.

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PG Devin Wilson has George Mason in his final top three

Point guard Devin Wilson, who recently had a visit to George Mason, has narrowed down his choices to three final schools. Per Western Michigan's Rivals.com affiliate it seems that Wilson cancelled his official visit to Western Michigan and will choose between Virginia Tech, St. Joesph's, and George Mason:

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Game 1 CBI Finals: George Mason at Santa Clara

The best of three CBI finals starts tonight at Santa Clara (10 p.m. tip-off) with George Mason being tabbed the underdog. The Patriots have been playing some inspired basketball lately and this should be a fun series to watch. Santa Clara's Kevin Foster is a dangerously good shooter and is the school's all-time leader scorer and three-point shooter. On top of that the Broncos have three other 1,000-point scorers on the roster, including skilled big-man Marc Trasolini. Foster's been averaging 30 PPG during the CBI and will be drawing a lot of attention from the Mason defenders. The Patriots will have to rely on their versatility and balanced scoring to counter the Broncos strong one-two punch of Foster and Trasolini. Perimeter defense will be most likely be an issue for Mason and they need to not leave others open by focusing too much on Foster. Santa Clara however sends opponents to the free-throw line more than the other teams George Mason has faced so far in this tournament and they will need to continue to be aggressive in that area.

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