Point guard will miss four NIT Tip-Off games and contest at UVa.
George Mason point guard Andre Cornelius will miss the first 10 games of the season – sitting out the first semester — the school announced on Monday. Cornelius was suspended by the school in September after he was charged with credit card fraud and credit card larceny by Fairfax County.
He will be allowed to practice with the Patriots, but will not accompany the team on road trips. In his sophomore year, he was suspended for taking items from a hotel room. The two-year starter averaged 9.5 points per game last year.
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Mason opens Friday against Rhode Island. Cornelius also will miss four games in the NIT Tip-Off, starting Nov. 14 at Virginia Tech. He also will miss a game Dec. 6 at Virginia.
“I made a mistake, and as a result, I have lost the opportunity to do one of the things I love the most – play basketball at George Mason,” Cornelius said in a statement. “I accept this punishment and will work as hard as possible to support my team and get ready to make an impact when I come back.”
The loss of Cornelius means first-year coach Paul Hewitt will employ 6-3 sophomore Byron Allen, who appeared in 27 games last season shooting 30 percent from the floor, and for 5-11 freshman Corey Edwards, rated No. 56 among the nation’s senior point guards as a player at Christ the King High in Queens, N.Y.
Both played well in the Patriots 90-62 exhibition victory over Lycoming last Monday.
Allen had 13 points, four assists, and three steals in 25 minutes. Edwards, son of former Georgetown player David Edwards, hit all three of his shots from the floor and both from the free-throw line, scoring nine points and dealing three assists in 23 minutes.
