The shooting percentages for George Mason junior Cam Long are down — way down. After coming into the season with career marks of 45.8 percent from the floor and 39.6 percent from 3-point range, Long has sunk to 36.6 and 26.7 percent.
But Jim Larranaga isn’t concerned about his best player. According to the GMU coach, Long’s shooting has suffered because he’s not getting the ball in optimal situations.
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“It’s not Cam. It’s really the offense,” said Larranaga. “When he’s open, we don’t find him. If you have a really good shooter but the ball never hits his hands when he’s open, only when he’s being guarded, then the shots he takes are a lot tougher than they need to be.”
Tonight when Mason (9-7, 4-1) hosts Colonial Athletic Association foe Georgia State (8-9, 2-3), the Patriots will try to get the ball to the 6-foot-4 Long in his preferred spots. The responsibility falls primarily to point guard Andre Cornelius.
“What he need is for guys to recognize who the open man is,” said Larranaga. “We are a team that once we think we have a shot, we’ll take it, rather than maybe making one more pass to find an open man with an easier shot. There are times we do it, more at home than we do on the road.”
To his credit, Long’s shooting woes have not affected the rest of his game. He is a versatile defender and playmaker, leading the Patriots in steals (1.6 pg) and assists (2.9 pg). In addition, Long, also the team’s second-leading scorer (10.8 pg), has emerged as a leader, filling an important role on a team that starts three sophomores and rotates four freshmen.
Two weeks ago, Long was instrumental in uniting the Patriots after their worst loss this season (by 27 points at Radford). After calling a team meeting, Long led Mason to its best win this year (by 16 over Old Dominion).
After a 71-46 loss Thursday at Northeastern, Long felt the need to take the reigns again. Less than 48 hours later, GMU was tired, but obviously inspired in a 59-46 victory over UNC-Wilmington
“Cam Long again stepped forward, talked to the team, again showing great signs of leadership,” said Larranaga. “Some of the things he’s doing, we’re benefiting from.”
Now, if only Long could convince his teammates to give him the rock.
