November 1998

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Men's Basketball Looks Forward to an Exciting Season By James Engelhardt E Pluribus Unum--Out of Many, One. The George Mason University men's basketball team will receive a crash course in Latin etymology this fall. During the 1998-99 Patriots season, this statement will get a workout on T-shirts, on blackboards, in the coaches' offices, and in the locker room. It is a phrase, and a theme, that the Patriots will hear often as they attempt to continue their ascent up the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) ladder. George Mason, picked last in the nine team CAA preseason poll a year ago, finished tied for fifth. This year, there will be no more sneaking up on people, no more being taken for granted, no more serving as opponents' homecoming fodder. Injuries notwithstanding, a depleted 1997-98 roster should become a full house this time around. The challenge for second year head coach Jim Larranaga and his staff will be to get his squad to play as a cohesive, well-oiled unit, feeding off individual strengths to collectively become a player in the CAA. Last year turned out to be a wild ride. Two returning starters were sidelined by season-ending injuries, leaving Larranaga only four letter-winners from the previous year. Two of the team's top players weren't eligible until midsemester break. The coach himself was in his first roundup in an unfamiliar league. Ultimately, this was a senior-less squad with just one player in his third year with the program. All that should change. Larranaga has a feel for the coaching and playing styles of his conference brethren. Fourteen players are on the preseason roster. Five seniors add experience and maturity. Any of three talented returnees could be a potential first team CAA selection. "We have some experience. Everybody's back, and they are more familiar with the system," Larranaga says. "We have depth at each position, experience at each spot, and we'll have additional athletic ability with our newcomers." But don't go making plans for Tampa­St. Pete just yet. There's work to do, and plenty of it, for a program still attempting to become a perennial first division member of its own conference. "We were the weakest rebounding team in the conference, and we must improve in this area," Larranaga emphasizes. "We have to recognize good shots and make those shots. Yes, we have made progress, and it would be easy for us to be optimistic. "But," he cautions, "only wins will give us confidence." Larranaga's enthusiasm is tempered by the fact that many of the CAA's top players will return, and that three teams won 20 or more games last season. Still, George Mason should add to its rapidly rising reputation. The coaches are excited about newcomer Keith Holdan, a 6', 6" junior transfer from Campbell University who sat out last season. Holdan averaged 7.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.0 assists for Campbell during the 1996-97 season. He made 42.6 percent from the floor and was 10th in the Trans America Athletic Conference in three-point shooting at 39.2 percent. Holdan, who averaged nearly 31 minutes per game at his former school, brings experience and versatility to the Patriots, in addition to an impressive outside game. Holdan will get competition from 6', 5" freshman Rob Anderson. Anderson brings athleticism into the mix at the swing spot. A versatile and gifted player, he will attempt to adjust from a dominant inside performer to playing more on the wing and facing the basket. The Arlington, Va., native averaged 17.5 points, 9.2 rebounds, 3.7 blocks, and 3.0 assists as a senior at Wakefield High School last season. Leading his team to a 22-4 record, Anderson shot 52 percent from the field and 47 percent from three-point range, indicating that the perimeter skills are present. The final piece to a potential "power forward by committee" scenario is 6', 7" freshman Quilninious Randall from Boston, Mass. Randall averaged 16.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, and shot 52 percent from the field as a senior in leading his Thayer Academy team to its second straight New England Prep Class B title. He is the proverbial "defensive specialist," giving no quarter when his man has the ball. These attributes should fit in well with the Patriots' scramble defense. Due to lack of manpower, Larranaga was unable to run his vaunted "scramble" defense with any regularity last season. That should change this time around with an abundance of athletic talent. George Mason should continue making progress in the CAA in Larranaga's second year. The keys to improvement, the coach says, are his team's ability to play within the system, shut down opponents in late game situations, and convert more free throws, where the Patriots shot only 61 percent last season. There are a number of offensive options, starting with Jason Miskiri outside, George Evans inside, and Ahmad Dorsett and Erik Herring on the wing. Add a newcomer like Holdan, an improved repertoire from Nsilo Abraham, and a resurgent Avery Carey, and the Patriots should be poised to continue their improvement. There are, in fact, many numbers, many options, many opportunities . . . but only one goal.