Patriots to play in BracketBuster

The George Mason men’s basketball team is all alone at the top of the conference standings.

The Patriots have won seven consecutive games and haven’t lost to a Colonial Athletic Association foe at the Patriot Center in their previous 17 contests.

And with Monday’s announcement of the ESPN BracketBusters matchups, George Mason will host Southern Conference leader College of Charleston Feb. 20 on ESPN2 at 8 p.m.

Mason’s Homecoming Weekend will be broadcast nationally thanks to the decision and will feature two clubs that are currently riding extended win streaks.

The Cougars (14-8, 9-2 Southern) have won eight of their past 10 games and are scoring at a clip of 74.1 points per game.

They’re led by Andrew Goudelock’s 19.6 ppg and four starters average 10 or more points a night.

The Patriots (15-7, 10-1 CAA) will host a BracketBuster game for just the second time since first participating in 2005. This game will mark the fifth-straight time the team has been televised in the BracketBusters.

Mason is led by Freedom High School grad Cam Long, a junior guard averaging 13.6 ppg and 3.1 assists a night.

The Patriots are 2-3 all-time in BracketBuster games, with their last victory coming against Wichita State in 2006.

Injuries taking toll on Patriots’ depth

Two of the things coach Jim Larranaga lauded about his team at the beginning of the season were depth and youth.

The Patriots’ roster includes seven freshmen and four sophomores, but now that depth is being tested thanks to frequent visits to the trainer’s room.

A starter and three reserves have been impacted by injuries in the recent week and the longtime Patriots’ coach sounded quite weary of dealing with doctors lately when he discussed the players in
Monday’s CAA coaches’ conference call.

Ryan Pearson, a sophomore who has played a large role for GMU since last season, was lost for last Wednesday’s game against Delaware with a tight hamstring. He returned to action in Saturday’s 70-68 win over James Madison.

On Friday, 6-foot-6 forward Paris Bennett had surgery to repair his broken left wrist, ending his freshman campaign. The same day, freshman Rashad Whack fell exiting the shower after practice and dislocated his left shoulder.

And Larranaga also recently learned that a third freshman, guard Vertrail Vaughns, will miss the remainder of the season as well, needing surgery on his left (shooting) wrist due to a cyst.

Whack’s injury, although not believed to be season-ending at the moment, comes at a particularly bad time for the Bishop McNamara product.

“He’s been practicing very well and every opportunity he’s had when he’s been in the game, he’s played very, very well,” Larranaga said Monday. “We were actually talking to him about giving him some
time at the point [guard spot]. We were working on his ball-handling and running the team in practice.”

Larranaga said X-rays were taken and Whack’s shoulder was put back in place before leaving the hospital Friday. He was also evaluated by team orthopedic surgeon, Frank Petrone, Saturday.

“I think he’s out for probably 10 to 14 days,” Larranaga said. “He’ll be in a sling for a number of those days before being worked back in during that two-week period.”

Whack played in 14 games this year, earning his first career start against Villanova during the Puerto Rico Classic Tournament Nov. 19.

A 6-2 guard from Hyattsville, Md., Whack was averaging 2.2 points a game and shooting 47.8 (11 of 23) percent from the floor.

Larranaga said the team is “working on the logistics” of getting medical redshirts for both Vaughns and Bennett, who injured himself while dunking during a solo shoot around session at the gym.

“We’re inquiring about whether or not he is eligible for a medical redshirt,” the coach said of Bennett.

Bennett, who played in the Capital Classic at American University last summer opposite Whack, appeared in just three games, missing both his field goal attempts.

Vaughns, a 6-2 Mesquite, Texas native, committed 10 turnovers in just 40 minutes of play, and reached the floor in six different games. He scored nine points for the year, shooting 20 percent.

NCAA regulations permit players to retain a year of eligibility due to injury or illness through a hardship waiver. The rule states that a Division I player may only seek a medical redshirt if the injury or
illness occurred in the first half of the season and that the player did not participate in more than 30 percent of the team’s scheduled contests to that point.
Staff writer Joe Conroy may be reached at 703-878-8047.