Mason Madness Returns

By Broadside Writer Brendan Murphy. Photo by Assistant Photography Editor Teddy Meyer.

This past Friday, the Patriot Center welcomed the 2008-2009 basketball season with the 12th anniversary of Mason Madness, the first formal practice of the season and a celebration of basketball and school spirit.

“It has become a tradition here. It’s not just a basketball event; it has become so much bigger for our students. It really is a celebration of George Mason University and the excitement that surrounds our campus,” 12th-year Head Coach Jim Larranaga said.

Mason Madness featured Doc Nix and the Green Machine, a performance by Step Afrika, the first professional company in the world dedicated to the tradition of stepping and of course the Mason cheerleaders, Masonettes and the introduction of the men’s and women’s basketball teams.
“The support has grown so much it is hard to fathom. When I first arrived here, 2,000 fans would come to our games and now we have sellout crowds averaging more than anyone in the league,” said Larranaga.

The men’s team comes off a 23-11 record, second most wins in CAA and school history. The Patriots defeated William & Mary to capture the CAA Championship, earning them an automatic bid to the tourney as the 12th seed, where they endured a first-round loss to fifth-seed Notre Dame.

This will be a transition year for the Patriots, as they lose star-player Will Thomas, coming off his most impressive season. Thomas was named First Team All-CAA, made his third straight CAA All-Defensive team and was runner-up for both the CAA Defensive Player of the Year and CAA Player of the Year. The team also graduates Folarin Campbell and Jordan Carter, but returns four seniors, junior forward Louis Birdsong and welcomes what is widely regarded as the best recruiting class in the conference.

“We not only want to get into the Big Dance, but we want to challenge the top teams in the country, eventually head back to the Final Four and win a national championship at George Mason,” said Larranaga.

One constant the team can count on is the continued support of the Mason faithful at home.

“We love it. It is incredible. They are the reason we had the record we had last year at home,” said senior guard Dre Smith.

The young team faces a stiff challenge early, starting three of their first four games on the road, opening on Nov. 15 at University of Vermont.

“We have a different type of team than we had before. We are much more athletic,” said redshirt senior John Vaughan.

Mason Madness is not just about the men’s team though. The women’s team looks to rebound from an abysmal season, one in which they finished with a 9-21 record, starting fresh with a new head coach.

The team welcomes new Head Coach Jeri Porter, formally of Radford University.

In six successful seasons as head coach at Radford University from 2002-2008, Porter earned a 93-85 overall record.

Prior to her tenure at Radford, Porter coached the University of North Alabama from 1998-2002, earning a 64-43 record and was the assistant coach at Liberty University for seven seasons.

Porter also brings all three of her assistant coaches from Radford: Jana Ashley, Simone Edwards and Greg Pulliam.
Sophomore Eugenia Broadus, who started 12 games and saw action in 30 in the 2007-08 season, leads the team. Broadus was first on the team with 18 blocks, finished third on the team in field goal percentage and fifth in scoring.