Long now in charge for Mason

George Mason University center Will Thomas preserved a two-point lead over William & Mary by pulling a rebound out of the air and then, with just under four minutes remaining, entrusted a freshman with protecting it.

At a different point during the season, that assignment would have gone to another senior.

But Cam Long is in charge now.

More and more frequently, when the outcome is still in question, it's the rookie point guard from Freedom High School who is responsible for bringing the ball up court.

"That's something I've been looking for," said Long, who made his fourth start of the season at Northeastern on Saturday and could be on the floor when the Patriots (20-10) tip-off in the Colonial Athletic Conference Tournament quarterfinals on Saturday in Rich-mond.

"I just play hard. I'm just looking to do whatever I can do to help my team win the game."

After serving as an understudy to seniors Jordan Carter and Folarin Campbell early on, Long has averaged nearly 25 minutes over the past three games -- perhaps the most significant indication that the Patriots believe he's much more than the team's playmaker of the fu-ture.

"He's going to be the point guard in the [CAA] tournament and he just has to have confidence in himself," said Campbell, who has held that position most of the season. "As long as he has confidence he's going to play well."

Even when he doesn't start, Long is most often the first player to sub into a game and he's taken advantage of the opportunity.

He scored a season-high 13 points in a victory over South Carolina at the Old Spice Classic and has scored 12 points on two occasions -- in home wins over Northeastern and William & Mary. There was also a four-assist game against Delaware and the four steals he had in a win over Drexel.

"He's come a long way and it all started in practice with the attitude that he had to earn his way onto the court," junior guard John Vaughan said. "I can honestly say he's worked hard everyday and it shows."

Some of the work took place off the court as well. Long realized after just a couple of games that college players are significantly stronger and faster than he was accustomed to playing against in high school, where he was a McDonald's All-American nominee as a senior. So he used a portion of his free time in the Patriot Center's weight room.

Then he heeded coach Jim Larranaga's plea to be more aggressive and wound up playing in all 30 regular season games.

"I just wanted him to believe that if he needed me I'd be there for him and if the team needed me I'd be there for them," Long said. "It's all a team thing."

The Patriots needed Long much sooner than even Larranaga envisioned -- partly because Carter suffered a foot injury in December and because junior guard Dre Smith went into a prolonged shooting slump following a record-setting 10-for-10 3-point shooting performance at James Madi-son.

Those unexpected developments allowed Long an opportunity to gain minutes and experience. In time, confidence followed.

"Playing at the high school level you are known to be the best," said Long, who is shooting 47 percent from the field and is already fourth on the team with 48 assists. "But playing at the college level and being just another player, because everybody is just as good as you are, shows what kind of talent there is out there and how much harder I need to work.

"College level is a big difference from high school," he continued. "Players are bigger, faster and they have more IQ of the game. I'm just trying my best to get to their level."