The 2006 Final Four opened the recruiting door like never before for George Mason, and it looks to have paid dividends this fall, with the Patriots’ much-heralded freshman class consisting of two players from Florida (6-foot-9 Michael Morrison and 6-7 Kevin Foster) along with one each from North Carolina (5-10 Andre Cornelius) and New York (6-6 Ryan Pearson).
It’s a welcome addition of height and athleticism — qualities that weren’t predominant among the Washington area’s latest crop of players. It’s also part of what head coach Jim Larranaga said is a short window for the Patriots to make the most of their Cinderella run.
“If we don’t capitalize on that, it’s shut off,” said Larranaga. “And I’d say three years. The reason is the kids are in high school then. They’re freshmen, sophomores and juniors, and they’re watching college ball. They’re starting to think about what college they might want to go to. They’re developing, if they haven’t already, a favorite program or team. I want to go to Carolina. I want to go to Duke. Oh, wait a minute, let me take a look here at George Mason.”
After that, it’s up to the current team to build on the tradition because the next generation of high schoolers need something more immediate that will give them a connection.
Any chance Maryland head coach Gary Williams realized that?
