2023-24 Basketball Season: Hopes, Dreams, Wishes and Analysis

By George.

By George.

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Verdad said:
Will it show up on the Bygeorge podcast in my apple podcast ap? Just checked, not there yet
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Yeah, that will drop later tonight. Wanted to throw it on YouTube first. Thanks to everyone who subscribed! Expat Hoops Andy has taken the lead with our YouTube, it’s much appreciated
 
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GMUgemini

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By George. said:
Our interview with Tony is about to drop. Please click the link and subscribe so you don’t miss it -

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I think one of the most interesting insights to come out of that interview is the revelation that Billups had been dealing with an injury for the last 1 1/2 years that has affected his shooting and that we should expect to see a different player on the floor this year than his numbers would indicate.

If that winds up being true in game situations that’s going to be huge for the upside of this team.

Oh, and Skinn saying Maddox is a much better shooter than Sherrod is wild given how good Sherrod was.
 
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gmujim92

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GIVING DAY 2023
GMUgemini said:
I think one of the most interesting insights to come out of that interview is the revelation that Billups had been dealing with an injury for the last 1 1/2 years that has affected his shooting and that we should expect to see a different player on the floor this year than his numbers would indicate.

If that winds up being true in game situations that’s going to be huge for the upside of this team.

Oh, and Skinn saying Maddox is a much better shooter than Sherrod is wild given how good Sherrod was.
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People around the league are definitely sleeping on Maddox. He got buckets against ACC-level players — he’s gonna be a nightmare in the A-10.
 
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psyclone

Hall of Famer
psyclone said:
Ahh...you jinxed it! Here's the A10 (Tom Aiello) with Mason at #9:

9. George Mason Patriots
Last Season: It was a fascinating time in George Mason men’s basketball a little over two years ago when they hired Kim English. He had one goal when he arrived in Fairfax: change the mindset of this perennial A-10 loser. While some decent seasons were mixed in, the combined efforts of Paul Hewitt and Dave Paulsen were becoming intolerable for the school. English’s first season went alright, a 14-16 record was not much but highlighted by a few wins against good programs. English turned that into a 20-win season and a quarter-final appearance, ending the regular season on an absurd six-game win streak.
The Patriots faced off against Saint Louis — who proceeded to stomp on them — but it was evident progress from the season before. Josh Oduro solidified himself as one of the better A-10 talents to go through Fairfax, making his second consecutive all-conference first-team and hitting the 1,000-point mark. An injury to Victor Bailey took them off track a bit given it was a sustained one, but still made good on the season.
It would’ve been safe to pencil Mason as a team that would be a lock for the top four… until Kim English took the vacant Providence job. Not only did another Big East power whisk away a promising young coach from the A-10, English got a few of his guys to follow: Josh Oduro, Justyn Fernandez, and Davonte ‘Ticket’ Gains were the three Patriots turned Friars. Mason also said goodbye to a number of other guys who ran out of eligibility, beyond their best A-10 coach getting poached.
Now they turn to a program icon from their historic Final Four in 2006 under Jim Larranaga, a disciple of Kevin Willard and someone with strong DMV roots: Tony Skinn. As he assumes the head coaching post, many believe that some of the magic from 2006 will follow him as he tries to continue what English was doing. As is with any new coach who turns an entire roster over, there are tons of new moving parts. Skinn brought along tons of new transfers and only held onto three guys from last season.
Returnees: Ronald Polite, Devin Dinkins, Malik Henry
Out: Josh Oduro, Justyn Fernandez, Davonte ‘Ticket’ Gaines, John Ojiako, DeVon Cooper, Victor Bailey, Elvis Nnaji, Blake Jones
In: Tre’ Wood, Jared Billups, Darius Maddox, Woody Newton, Keyshawn Hall, Baraka Okojie, Austin Ball, Jalen Haynes, Amari Kelly, Nicolas Pavrette
Potential Strengths: The element of surprise is on Skinn’s side for his first season, and he has the advantage of a clock that won’t be ticking right away — assuming everything goes just fine for them. There are tons of moving parts here which should be helpful for Skinn to adjust accordingly. Tre’ Wood is a graduate leader who has exceptional playmaking skills with over four assists per game last season. Polite should likely win the starting spot being the stronger scoring threat as he also averaged four assists per game. Jared Billups showed flashes at Siena with his combo style being a 6’5” guard. He has an ability to get to the line in two seasons shooting 70%+ from there. Darius Maddox came over from Virginia Tech — he was having a career season until he missed the final 14 games, but is another large off-guard at 6’5” who can hit the three.
Jalen Haynes, a two-time transfer, will need a waiver to play. Haynes is coming off a monster season at ETSU with 14.6 points and 6.4 rebounds per contest — a muscly forward who can feast inside with the best of them. The same can be said for Amari Kelly, a Coastal Carolina transfer who will provide more size inside and adequate shot-blocking. 6’11” Nicolas Pavrette will also push the issue inside, while Malik Henry retains his hybrid role at the four. Woody Newton also presents length and size at 6’8” with more defensive potential — his waiver was processed by the NCAA after transferring from Syracuse and Oklahoma State.
Keyshawn Hall joins the ride from UNLV, a promising shooter who shot 50% from three and showed defensive promise. Skinn also landed two freshmen in Austin Ball and Baraka Okojie. Ball is a 6’7” wing who will add to this very deep wing rotation, and Okojie gives them another ball handler behind Wood, Polite, and second-year guard Devin Dinkins. Skinn will construct his offense to create ball movement, mismatches, and easy chances for pick-and-roll scores. If you haven’t figured out yet, Skinn’s charges for year one are long, athletic, and physical specimens.
Potential Weaknesses: If you’re looking at a glaring part of the x’s and o’s, three-point shooting is wobbly for the Patriots. Maddox (32%) and Polite (36%) are the only true snipers this team holds that shot with volume last year. Everyone else has a history of subpar percentages or low volume from that area. Given the overwhelming size that they do have, they may be able to bully their way to win games using their size even if they can’t knock down their threes. But instances will come up when they are in shootouts and have to hit threes.
Haynes is of concern here being a multi-time transfer. The NCAA has been on a warpath with granting multi-time transfer waivers (graduate students are the exceptions). While Patriots faithful, and Skinn, will hold their collective breath to a degree, they probably shouldn’t be banking on him getting a waiver this season. This may not be a big problem with two graduate students holding down minutes (Wood and Kelly), but it is still hurting their chance to crack the top four.
There are tons of elements to every offense, but this roster is unique because it has a very diverse cast of characters who all do very different things. And while having a few holdovers is nice, can Skinn resemble some continuity in year one? Between potential waivers being denied, lots of new guys trying to get used to each other, and a new system in place, there is a margin for error. It may not be as big as you think — very modest expectations have something to do with this — but it can go poorly in a lot of different ways.
Outlook: I personally don’t expect much from George Mason this year, but they are too talented to be stuck in the pillow fight. Skinn is the A-10’s winner in the portal department by far which is something to be proud of. There is going to be tons of foundation-building this season with a first-time head coach running the show. They can certainly find themselves in the thick of it, but lots will have to roll in their favor. Skinn’s collective talent for year one is certainly good enough to win them games based on individual skills alone. Most will be more interested in what kind of identity the Patriots will have and projecting Skinn’s potential as a coach.

www.a10talk.com

2023-24 Atlantic 10 Team Preview: George Mason

9. George Mason Patriots Last Season: It was a fascinating time in George Mason men’s basketball a little over two years ago when they hired Kim English. He had one goal when he arrived in Fairfax: change the mindset of this perennial A-10 loser. While some decent seasons were mixed in, the...
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Continuing with the A10 preview countdown:
UMass #8

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2023-24 Atlantic 10 Team Preview: Massachusetts

8. Massachusetts Minutemen Last Season: Massachusetts athletics are in a weird phase right now: outside their awesome hockey team, they’re starting to put some money into football after they raised it to division one. Women’s basketball underwent a coaching change after Tory Verdi accepted the...
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mkaufman1

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It makes sense that UMass has some hype considering roster turnover and Martin is in year 2.

But the end of last year was so bad, and I’m not convinced Martin can coach that well anymore. I had them in the bottom of my predictions but I guess 8th sounds about right for them at this juncture.
 
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psyclone

Hall of Famer
psyclone said:
Continuing with the A10 preview countdown:
UMass #8

www.a10talk.com

2023-24 Atlantic 10 Team Preview: Massachusetts

8. Massachusetts Minutemen Last Season: Massachusetts athletics are in a weird phase right now: outside their awesome hockey team, they’re starting to put some money into football after they raised it to division one. Women’s basketball underwent a coaching change after Tory Verdi accepted the...
www.a10talk.com www.a10talk.com
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#7 GW

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2023-24 Atlantic 10 Team Preview: George Washington

7. George Washington Revolutionaries Last Season: For the first time since 2017, the “Revs” finished with a .500 record under first-year commander Chris Caputo. He opened up the offense and milked some career seasons out of a few guys that stayed from the Jamion Christian era: Brendan Adams ran...
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psyclone

Hall of Famer
psyclone said:
#7 GW

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2023-24 Atlantic 10 Team Preview: George Washington

7. George Washington Revolutionaries Last Season: For the first time since 2017, the “Revs” finished with a .500 record under first-year commander Chris Caputo. He opened up the offense and milked some career seasons out of a few guys that stayed from the Jamion Christian era: Brendan Adams ran...
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#6 St. Joe's

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2023-24 Atlantic 10 Team Preview: Saint Joseph's

6. Saint Joseph’s Hawks Last Season: After two and a half seasons of injuries, Hawk enthusiasts whined to bring back Phil Martelli, and almost indirectly called for the AD’s resignation. That’s not to say that the transition post-Martelli has been smooth, but 2022-23 was certainly a step in the...
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jessej

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GIVING DAY 2023
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NCAA Basketball: Ranking all 362 D-I head coaches for 2023-24 season

There are currently 362 D1 NCAA Basketball teams in the nation and each is led by a talented head coach. Let’s again endure the crazy task of ranking eac...
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303. Tony Skinn (George Mason) (Last year: N/A)​

  • Overall record: 0-0
In 2006, Skinn was a major piece of George Mason’s incredible season, as the Patriots marched to the Final Four. He played internationally for several seasons before beginning his coaching career and now it’s a career that’s come full circle. Skinn spent time on the staffs of Seton Hall, Ohio State, and Maryland in recent years, but his alma mater presented him his first chance to run his own program. The Patriots are coming off a 20-win campaign under former coach Kim English and it’s on Skinn to stay competitive in a tough A-10.

340. Duane Simpkins (American) (Last year: N/A)​

  • Overall record: 0-0
As a player, Simpkins starred at the famous DeMatha Catholic HS just outside Washington DC and he now takes over at nearby American. He was also a star player at Maryland under Gary Williams back in the mid-90’s and played internationally for several years. The head coach at a couple of high schools, Simpkins spent just over a decade as a D1 assistant, including the last eight years with George Mason. This is his first collegiate head coaching job after working wonders with Kim English the last two years.

18. Jim Larranaga (Miami FL) (Last year: 24)​

  • Overall record: 697-458
  • Final Four in 2006, 2023
Way back in the day, Larranaga was a ball player at Providence in the late 60’s before spending time on the Virginia coaching staff back in the days of Ralph Sampson. He’s had three long and successful head coaching stints, starting with a long stretch at Bowling Green before heading to George Mason. In 2006, he took the Patriots to a wild Final Four run as an 11-seed before taking the Miami job half a decade later. These last twelve years with the Hurricanes have been his finest work and he just had the cherry on top, leading Miami to last season’s Final Four.
 
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