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

George Mason Basketball: Will Johnny Williams and Vaughn Gray be the next to transfer?

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Monday, April 08, 2013

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.

Vaughn Gray had been suspended earlier in the season but never seemed to get out of the coaching staff's doghouse. He played more minutes and averaged more points per game in his freshman year and only appeared in 16 games this season. Personally I think the kid has plenty of potential but for whatever reason it wasn't going to work out with this coaching staff. His most memorable moment from this season was appearing on Sportscenter for missing a breakaway dunk.

Johnny Williams is a different case. A lot was expected of him returning after a shoulder injury that sidelined him all of 2011-2012. He was supposed to provide Mason with inside scoring with the departure of seniors Ryan Pearson and Mike Morrison. Early in the year he had his moments but was very inconsistent and had trouble staying out of foul trouble. On paper you wouldn't think he'd want to transfer but since his injury in late January (concussion) he's been rarely seen on the Mason sidelines. In fact he's wasn't on the bench at the CAA tournament or for any of the CBI games. Seems weird that more than a month after his injury he wouldn't be supporting his teammates on the sidelines. Williams, like Vertrail Vaughns, could play right away if he transferred since he is also graduating this May.

Paris Bennett is another graduating redshirt junior to throw in the discussion but my hunch is he stays. Paul Hewitt seems high on him and he was one of the team's captains this year. If you were watching the CBI finals he was the player who accepted the runner-up trophy. He probably has the highest basketball IQ on the roster and rarely makes bad decisions. Every team needs a utility guy with veteran leadership and Bennett does that for this team. Is that enough of a role for him to stay in Fairfax, we'll see.

Jalen Jenkins will be playing next season so that could also be a factor here. He's another Paul Hewitt recruit that was pretty highly rated. We saw how much Hewitt favored freshman Marko Gujanicic and Patrick Holloway over some of the Larranaga holdovers and that will most likely happen again next year.

Still no confirmation from the school on any of these transfers but I'm certain that it will come soon.

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4 Comments:

Anonymous Brandon Smith said...

Concussions are tough. Lights and sounds are huge problems. I am sure it bothered J2. I think he could be a big contributor next season. I really want to see Gray get more time on the court. Hope he gives it another year.

4:30 PM  
Anonymous Christopher Hirsch said...

J2 was at the CBI Semi-Final and on the bench for the first half, but then was absent in the second. Maybe he heard how awesome Bobby Cremins was on color commentary and didn't want to miss out.

4:55 PM  
Anonymous GMURULES said...

I have a friend's wife who had a concussion from a car accident over 8 months ago and still cannot go to places with loud sounds, ie. Concert, B-Ball game. She walked away from the accident thinking nothing was wrong. I could easily see Gray transfer, but not J2. I think it is just a long recovery. I like Gray, but the kid needs to play and could for someone. Sidenote: Jenkins looks like a beast!!!

5:13 PM  
Anonymous Matt_LC said...

Inconsistency is the marker of all three guys who may transfer. Hopefully J2 recovers well and stay but he is definitely behind Arledge and Copes. Arledge made himself a consistent scoring threat and while I'd love for Erik to develop as a scorer if he wants to clean the glass 15 times a game that's fine too. We've never seen enough of Gray but I have to think if he was doing something worth seeing-especially for as bad as we were at times-I think he would have seen the floor. VV hasn't been a threat for a while. Glad to hear J2 and VV got their degrees. Each player has to do what's best for them.

10:04 PM  

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