Game 10: GMU (7-2) vs Loyola Md. (1-9) on Saturday, December 16, at 6:00 PM.

[gmujim92]

Well that sucks. Especially after I watched Bamisile drain three threes in about five minutes. Having Haynes for the A10 games would make a difference.

Not to be contrarian, but we don’t have an at-large quality OOC schedule and it’s fairly obvious that despite the record, this team is not a serious NCAA contender barring a run at the A-10 tournament.

Tony knows these guys better than any of us. If he feels like he can keep them together and start to really build something legit over the next couple years, it makes sense to preserve Jalen’s 2 years of eligibility and let Amari/Malik hold down the 5 for now as a stopgap solution.

Seems pretty clear that was the plan all along — Mason went through the process of appealing when Jalen didn’t get his waiver, but there was none of the public pissing and moaning and threats of lawsuits like you saw from other schools.

 

[Jack Strop]

At least if anybody should know how to handle this, it would be Tony.
Unlike the former Duke coach who let his players step on people and trip them (habitually) and didn't do anything about it.

From The Book of Gunston, Chapter XIV:

127. Recall the Prophet Coach K of Duke being perplexed that any coach would take out the team's 2nd best player for the final two and a half minutes of a contentious and still winnable conference tournament semi-final.

128. Yea, the Old Cuban Man, with wisdom before his years, bestowed punishment upon Tony, and afterwards suspended him for the NCAA contest vs. the Spartans of Michigan State.

129. We fans were dismayed by it; we fans understood it; we fans stood by it.

130. Upon such observed selfless display of sportsmanship and discipline applied by the Old Cuban Man, affecting not only Tony but the entirety of Mason's team, its legions of disciples, and its prospects in the NCAA Tournament, the Prophet Coach K of Duke declared (despite confession that he himself would not have imposed such penalty upon one of his own) "...one day the basketball gods will smile upon [Mason]."

131. And here we knew, O, We Were Half Way There.

132. O, O, We Were Livin' on a Prayer.

133. And we prayed to the basketball gods.

134. And smile upon us did the basketball gods.

135. One and one-half fortnights pass, Mason competes in the Final Four.

136. Ye must have discipline and faith.

137. Ye must always Live on a Prayer.

 

[GMU79]

I recall Coach K of Duke being perplexed that any coach would take out the team's 2nd best player for the final two and a half minutes of a contentious and still winnable conference tournament semi-final. Yet Coach L did it to Tony, and afterwards suspended him for the NCAA contest vs. Michigan State.

We fans didn't like it. We fans understood it. We fans stood by it.

After such a move of sportsmanship and discipline applied by Coach L, affecting.not only Tony Skinn but the entirety of Mason's team and its prospects in the NCAA Tournament, Coach K of Duke declared (despite the fact that he himself would not have imposed such a penalty on one of his players) "...one day the basketball gods will smile upon [Mason]." Three weeks later, Mason went on to compete in the Final Four.

Yes...to everything you said.

 

[Bricker]

Too much gloom and doom following this game.

Sure, the whole situation stunk. Amari made a poor choice. Tony lost his cool -- presumably because our guys were getting mugged and we couldn't seem to get a home whistle. And Malik had a family emergency. It doesn't take a genius to see the team was frustrated, disjointed, and distracted. Exam hangover was also in play...

Most important takeaway:

This is a game we should have lost.

This is game we would have lost over the last three coaching regimes.

But we found a way to win.

 

[GMUgemini]

Not to be contrarian, but we don’t have an at-large quality OOC schedule and it’s fairly obvious that despite the record, this team is not a serious NCAA contender barring a run at the A-10 tournament.

Tony knows these guys better than any of us. If he feels like he can keep them together and start to really build something legit over the next couple years, it makes sense to preserve Jalen’s 2 years of eligibility and let Amari/Malik hold down the 5 for now as a stopgap solution.

Seems pretty clear that was the plan all along — Mason went through the process of appealing when Jalen didn’t get his waiver, but there was none of the public pissing and moaning and threats of lawsuits like you saw from other schools.

Probably more important ironically now that Pavrette left the team. Having [hopefully] Malik next season and Jalen for the next two gives Skinn the flexibility to target some freshmen or take a transfer if the freshmen don’t pan out

 

[NewPatriot]

Not to be contrarian, but we don’t have an at-large quality OOC schedule and it’s fairly obvious that despite the record, this team is not a serious NCAA contender barring a run at the A-10 tournament.

Tony knows these guys better than any of us. If he feels like he can keep them together and start to really build something legit over the next couple years, it makes sense to preserve Jalen’s 2 years of eligibility and let Amari/Malik hold down the 5 for now as a stopgap solution.

Seems pretty clear that was the plan all along — Mason went through the process of appealing when Jalen didn’t get his waiver, but there was none of the public pissing and moaning and threats of lawsuits like you saw from other schools.

I think Tony is making a mistake. This Team has a net rating of 60 before the a10 season starts. Our active roster has more than 50% chance at being a top 4 team in conference.

However, we stand a great chance to become a Top 25 NET team, an A10 regular season and tourney champion NOW with Haynes in the lineup.

We need to knock 2 teams off their perch: vcu and Dayton. Putting Kelly together with Haynes allows to move Hall to the 3 where he can lockup guys like Michael Belle, Fats Billups and Dayton's Santos.. Down low, Mason will wear down Holmes and vcu's front line with Haynes and Kelly.

Does Haynes lose a year of eligibility by playing now? Maybe so, but it's alot easier to recruit the transfer portal with Mason coming off an NCAA invite..which Mason.may get with Haynes in the rotation.

 

[Junkees9]

This was a game in which we could have used Pavrette.

 

[masonhoops1984]

I think Tony is making a mistake. This Team has a net rating of 60 before the a10 season starts. Our active roster has more than 50% chance at being a top 4 team in conference.

However, we stand a great chance to become a Top 25 NET team, an A10 regular season and tourney champion NOW with Haynes in the lineup.

We need to knock 2 teams off their perch: vcu and Dayton. Putting Kelly together with Haynes allows to move Hall to the 3 where he can lockup guys like Michael Belle, Fats Billups and Dayton's Santos.. Down low, Mason will wear down Holmes and vcu's front line with Haynes and Kelly.

Does Haynes lose a year of eligibility by playing now? Maybe so, but it's alot easier to recruit the transfer portal with Mason coming off an NCAA invite..which Mason.may get with Haynes in the rotation.

More to story….. People need to dig a little deeper, things aren’t always as they seem.

 

[NewPatriot]

More to story….. People need to dig a little deeper, things aren’t always as they seem.

If you know the rest of the story then can you please elaborate?

 

[gmujim92]

If you know the rest of the story then can you please elaborate?

Not always possible or the best thing to do. Tony deserves our trust until proven otherwise IMHO.

 

[Son-of-a-Gunston]

From The Book of Gunston, Chapter XIV:

127. Recall the Prophet Coach K of Duke being perplexed that any coach would take out the team's 2nd best player for the final two and a half minutes of a contentious and still winnable conference tournament semi-final.

128. Yea, the Old Cuban Man, with wisdom before his years, bestowed punishment upon Tony, and afterwards suspended him for the NCAA contest vs. the Spartans of Michigan State.

129. We fans were dismayed by it; we fans understood it; we fans stood by it.

130. Upon such observed selfless display of sportsmanship and discipline applied by the Old Cuban Man, affecting not only Tony but the entirety of Mason's team, its legions of disciples, and its prospects in the NCAA Tournament, the Prophet Coach K of Duke declared (despite confession that he himself would not have imposed such penalty upon one of his own players) "...one day the basketball gods will smile upon [Mason]."

131. And here we knew, O, We Were Half Way There.

132. O, O, We Were Livin' on a Prayer.

133. And we prayed to the basketball gods.

134. And smile upon us did the basketball gods.

135. One and one-half fortnights pass, Mason competes in the Final Four.

136. Ye must have discipline and faith.

137. Ye must always Live on a Prayer.

OHHHHH, TESTIFY!

 

[GMUMiked]

I think Tony is making a mistake. This Team has a net rating of 60 before the a10 season starts. Our active roster has more than 50% chance at being a top 4 team in conference.

However, we stand a great chance to become a Top 25 NET team, an A10 regular season and tourney champion NOW with Haynes in the lineup.

We need to knock 2 teams off their perch: vcu and Dayton. Putting Kelly together with Haynes allows to move Hall to the 3 where he can lockup guys like Michael Belle, Fats Billups and Dayton's Santos.. Down low, Mason will wear down Holmes and vcu's front line with Haynes and Kelly.

Does Haynes lose a year of eligibility by playing now? Maybe so, but it's alot easier to recruit the transfer portal with Mason coming off an NCAA invite..which Mason.may get with Haynes in the rotation.

We almost lost to one of the worst teams in the country at home yesterday and you think adding Jalen Haynes makes us a top 25 team?

 

[masonhoops1984]

If you know the rest of the story then can you please elaborate?

It’s not Tony’s choice to make.

Not always possible or the best thing to do. Tony deserves our trust until proven otherwise IMHO.

correct, there’s a plan in place. I know it’s hard to believe after the last 3 coaches. One was a dope who mentality checked out, did a lot of damage and made a lot of money in the process, one was in over his head and one who was using Mason as a stepping stone. Tony seems to have something in mind when it comes to building back a winning team. He’s in it for the long haul. While it may take some patience to become nationally relevant, there’s a reason Hayes is at Mason. It’s all part of the longer process one that never had Hayes playing this year. He was never going to play this year and the only reason it’s now in question is because of the rule change. If you want to ask around the answer will become clear. With the exception of Kelly and wood everyone else can come back. Tony is setting up the team for next year and the future while not entirely sacrificing this year in the process. An extra big man would have been nice but it is what it is for this season.

 

[MASONscott]

Many others coaches have stated that the winter break gives players and coaches them opportunity to indivually and collectively get better without distractions. Incidentally, those coaches usually go on to win NCAA games in March.

It also explains why McCall tenure was a disaster at UMASS.

Well, I agree McCall's tenure was a disaster, but disagree with your overall point.

Many (not all) of the Majors that believe they are in contention schedule glorified scrimmages coming out of exams. Incidentally, why would a two-time FF Coach do this every year? Perhaps, coming out of exams takes a bit of a reboot.

Look at Coach L's Miami schedule
2024 Season - 3 straight home games
#182 La Salle (which they won 84-77)
#357 Stonehill
#294 North Florida

2023 Season
#336 St. Francis PA
then on to league play

2022
#304 Stetson
then on to league play

2021
#279 Fl Gulf State
League Play then
#293 Jacksonville

2020
#343 Alabama A&M

 

[DRK331]

It’s not Tony’s choice to make.

correct, there’s a plan in place. I know it’s hard to believe after the last 3 coaches. One was a dope who mentality checked out, did a lot of damage and made a lot of money in the process, one was in over his head and one who was using Mason as a stepping stone. Tony seems to have something in mind when it comes to building back a winning team. He’s in it for the long haul. While it may take some patience to become nationally relevant, there’s a reason Hayes is at Mason. It’s all part of the longer process one that never had Hayes playing this year. He was never going to play this year and the only reason it’s now in question is because of the rule change. If you want to ask around the answer will become clear. With the exception of Kelly and wood everyone else can come back. Tony is setting up the team for next year and the future while not entirely sacrificing this year in the process. An extra big man would have been nice but it is what it is for this season.

I agree Tony Skinn is in it for the long term.

Darius Maddox is coming back next year? If he is, next year's team would be very loaded.

Imagine this as next years team:

-Darius Maddox (if he can come back for another year)
-Jalen Haynes
-Baraka
-Austin Ball
-Keyshawn Hall
-Justin Begg
-Jared Billups
-Ronny Polite
-Malik Henry
-Woody Newton

 

[gmujim92]

I agree Tony Skinn is in it for the long term.

Darius Maddox is coming back next year? If he is, next year's team would be very loaded.

Imagine this as next years team: Darius Maddox (if he can come back for another year), Jalen Haynes, Baraka, Austin Ball, Keyshawn Hall, Justin Begg, Jared Billups

Pretty sure Woody has a COVID year too but could be wrong about that.

Also not sure what their plans are, but Ronny and Malik have one more year of eligibility.

That would put us at 11 with Begg and Cokley coming in.

 

[tblack33]

I agree Tony Skinn is in it for the long term.

Darius Maddox is coming back next year? If he is, next year's team would be very loaded.

Imagine this as next years team:

-Darius Maddox (if he can come back for another year)
-Jalen Haynes
-Baraka
-Austin Ball
-Keyshawn Hall
-Justin Begg
-Jared Billups

How do you know that Skinn is in it for the long haul? If someone comes in an offers to triple his salary this offseason, do you think he turns it down?

 

[NewPatriot]

We almost lost to one of the worst teams in the country at home yesterday and you think adding Jalen Haynes makes us a top 25 team?

it was a trap game similar to jmu/Michigan st, Davidson/Maryland or UNCG/Arkansas.

Overall,.yes...Haynes has a physical wide body with an elite post game, great handles, a developing outside game and great court awareness.

If you pair him with the rest of our already versatile rotation..Mason is a top 25 team.

 

[gmulion]

Pretty sure Woody has a COVID year too but could be wrong about that.

Also not sure what their plans are, but Ronny and Malik have one more year of eligibility.

That would put us at 11 with Begg and Cokley coming in.

I think that puts the roster at 10, then Begg and Cokley.

Kelly and Wood are out of eligibility after this season and Pavrette left the team.

 

[masonhoops1984]

How do you know that Skinn is in it for the long haul? If someone comes in an offers to triple his salary this offseason, do you think he turns it down?

Because for someone to throw him a 18+ contract that would take a sweet 16 trip. Mason would fire back with a 10 year deal at the 1.3-1.5 to get it to 13/15 mil. He’s not leaving for anywhere outside a top 10 program and that’s going to take at least 5-7 years of winning the A10 at least semi annually if not every single year. If he wins 7 A10 titles good for him, he deserves a blue blood job then! Until that happens not remotely worried and I don’t think they are that close to doing that yet.