I just finished a night of non-stop partying with my wife (a GMU grad) and others from around the DC area (will anybody wake me to go to work at 8:30?). This city is buzzing and will be buzzing all week. Downtown DC, which is normally subdued on a Sunday afternoon/night was like Mardi Gras as people took to the streets and celebrated. There is just something special about Mason that everyone is pulling for them.

Being there at the Verizon Center (section 421), it had to be one of the most electrifying moments of my life, up there with our 84 championship, Redskins winning super bowls, the Bullets taking it in 78, and the Caps going to the finals in 98. Overall, here is my prospective on everything and talk with other fans at the game:

My wife and I paid $150 each for seats in the nose bleeds. 90% of the crowd was pro Mason, 5% was pro Uconn, and I would say 5% were just there to see a great game. Uconn looked very lazy and acted as if they could just show up and win. The trash-talking by the Uconn players did not help their cause. The fight in the Uconn section was unjustified since there was no alcohol sold at the game (unless you were an Accelara Club Member or had a Suite) and the fan seemed to egg the security guys on, stupid. The weirdest moment in the game was at the end of the 2nd half. The crowd was going crazy, then Brown tied it up at the end. There was a moment when the entire arena was breathless including the Uconn fans, it felt like the air was taken out, and then there was a small roar from behind the Uconn bench. Unreal, I know some began to say not again, lol. Overall, that was a great game, and I am happy GMU pulled it out.

Positives, this game should move along the long awaited city/beltway/BB&T match-ups between Georgetown, George Washington, Maryland, and George Mason (sort of like the Big 6 in Philly) The city is buzzing and even JT3 and Big John are giving support to Mason.

Negatives, this may justify more (I will not use the term mid-major) non-Big 6 conference schools in the tournament in future years, meaning the Big East may only see 5, 6, or 7 on a regular basis. Recruiting locally will get even tougher.

A little something for you expansion freaks out there, everyone that I talked to thought that if the CAA had take a team to help the Big East football conference get to 9, the ONLY school that the CAA would take in a heartbeat was ECU. The conference would do it in a heartbeat and ECU would do it in a heartbeat even though there may never be a Big East split, meaning ECU would play football in the Big East and move all of its other sports back to the CAA on a permanent basis. The main reason is that Terry Holland is still seen as a king in the state of Virginia and the fact that Holland is a close friend and mentor with almost every coach, AD, and president of at CAA school. Also, there is a history and a positive relationship among schools, alum, and fans with ECU and all the Virginia CAA teams along with UNCW , Delaware, and Hofstra.

I am glad my school can make everyone so happy. Hey now I am a GMU fan too. Those kids played great and as you mentioned, we can't just show up and expect to win them. People always bring their A game against us and I knew soon or later it will catch up to our lazy efforts.

Anyway, glad to see CAA willing to take ECU. We need a 9th in a the worst way. If ECU wants to put all their sports in the CAA and be the 9th member, I don't have an issue. ECU could help us with the Tire Bowl also I suppose.

I know that George Mason has some hard core fans and I am thrilled for them. You couldn't ask for more. It is interesting that the DC area acts like they have always supported George Mason. Before this run they got very little attention from the media. Everybody is a George Mason fan now. Talk about jumping on the bandwagon.

Hopefully they will start to get more attention in the future.

Quote:A little something for you expansion freaks out there, everyone that I talked to thought that if the CAA had take a team to help the Big East football conference get to 9, the ONLY school that the CAA would take in a heartbeat was ECU. The conference would do it in a heartbeat and ECU would do it in a heartbeat even though there may never be a Big East split, meaning ECU would play football in the Big East and move all of its other sports back to the CAA on a permanent basis. The main reason is that Terry Holland is still seen as a king in the state of Virginia and the fact that Holland is a close friend and mentor with almost every coach, AD, and president of at CAA school. Also, there is a history and a positive relationship among schools, alum, and fans with ECU and all the Virginia CAA teams along with UNCW , Delaware, and Hofstra

-- Interesting...thanks SSHoya


Jackson

SilverSpring... I think what is most significant about this victory for GMU is that it may create a fan base for the team. It may spring board the university in to become a more traditional campus.

GMU has plenty of students and plenty of these students (many working) have desires to be entertained.... Mason rarely has had this type of event to bring them together. (Sure we pack the house for JMU)

GMU won a national title in women's soccer. They are "the school" for indoor track and we typically are known for our olympic sports,etc... Basketball is the real deal for the public. I am so glad they have this opportunity.

Mason has a team that can win the championship. That blows my mind. We are good enough to win a national championship! We beat teams that could have won the national championship!

Johnson built this school into the most relevant modern university in the world. Merkin (I think that is the current President's name) has worked to "spread the word" about this school. Amazing. I am so amazed.

SilverSpring_Hoya Wrote:A little something for you expansion freaks out there, everyone that I talked to thought that if the CAA had take a team to help the Big East football conference get to 9, the ONLY school that the CAA would take in a heartbeat was ECU. The conference would do it in a heartbeat and ECU would do it in a heartbeat even though there may never be a Big East split, meaning ECU would play football in the Big East and move all of its other sports back to the CAA on a permanent basis. The main reason is that Terry Holland is still seen as a king in the state of Virginia and the fact that Holland is a close friend and mentor with almost every coach, AD, and president of at CAA school. Also, there is a history and a positive relationship among schools, alum, and fans with ECU and all the Virginia CAA teams along with UNCW , Delaware, and Hofstra.

Does "everyone you talked to" mean fans, just like the people posting here, or actual administrators at CAA schools? It wouldn't make sense for the CAA to expand to 13 teams or to take the 300 RPI of East Carolina. There are better options for the Big East.

Lolly Popp Wrote:Does "everyone you talked to" mean fans, just like the people posting here, or actual administrators at CAA schools? It wouldn't make sense for the CAA to expand to 13 teams or to take the 300 RPI of East Carolina. There are better options for the Big East.

Lolly, I don't think anyone is talking a move that would last forever.

I think what it being suggested is that ECU be allowed to compete for a short period of time in the Colonial until the Big East splits. At that point, ECU would join the remaining Big East football programs.

ECU has a nice history with most of these schools and left on good terms. For the most part, we are talking non-revenue sports, too. All CAA teams may not compete in these programs.

First, everyone has to realize that one of the main reasons that this area is falling in love with this GMU team is that it is home grown. All of the starters are from the area and most of the team is from the area. Yes, there is a bandwagon effect; however, this can be expected with almost any school and any area. The same occured in the 80s with Nova in Philly and the Wildcats gained a lot of fans with the attention they received. GMU has always been behind Georgetown, Maryland, George Washington, Virginia, and Virginia Tech when it comes to local coverage; however, when they moved into the top 25 this season, they began to move up the ladder. Also, the national media questioned if Mason should be in the tournament while some local sports reporters knew that they deserved to be there and knew that they could pull some upsets.

As for UConn, as more come out of it and their players refusing to shake hands before the game with the GMU players, thinking that GMU played in the MVC and the trash-talk, it serves them right.

As far as the CAA and ECU are concerned, all of the talk I had was with fans at the Verizon Center, a Dean at GMU, a coach from a non-revenue sport at GMU and fans/general public at Clydes Bar/Restaurant after the game, the overall agreement was that the CAA would take ECU in a heartbeat and ECU would take that deal if offered, which could mean that ECU would play in the CAA for the long term just as long as their football program played in the Big East. Terry Holland is a power figure and is closer to almost everyone in the CAA. Since there will be no split, ECU would be in the CAA for the long haul.

Quote:It wouldn't make sense for the CAA to expand to 13 teams or to take the 300 RPI of East Carolina.

Several years ago, Mason was the in the same ordeal, very low RPI and etc... Things can change if teams fan find coaches that can build a program.

chess Wrote:Lolly, I don't think anyone is talking a move that would last forever.

I think what it being suggested is that ECU be allowed to compete for a short period of time in the Colonial until the Big East splits. At that point, ECU would join the remaining Big East football programs.

ECU has a nice history with most of these schools and left on good terms. For the most part, we are talking non-revenue sports, too. All CAA teams may not compete in these programs.

This brings up another problem. The Big East CAN'T promise East Carolina a football only membership until - and full membership after - a split. The Big East CAN'T publicly acknowledge any split until at least 2008 or maybe 2009. This would ruin TV contracts.

I have to admit that I was rooting for GMU even though it would knock our at BE team and further perpetuate the whole midmajor thing but it's just so very rare to see a TRUE cinderella get this far....


I mean, I really believe they have as good a shot as anybody right now to win it all!! I just can't believe it.

I'm def. pulling for GMU the rest of the way now!

Adding a 9th member for football does not damage anything. It will help mainly with scheduling.

I understand all the rumors going around are just that rumors. But a small part might not be a rumor. We'll find out later.

Things I do know are going on with the ECU program.

Our future OOC schedule over the next 9 years is outstanding.
WVU, VT, NCSU, UNC, UVA, and NAVY.

This year we start expanding the stadium. The scoreboard end will be horsed in to bring the total to over 50,000. (and yes all of the above OOC games can sell that many tickets)

The important thing is Terry Holland is running the show. So what ever happens he will be fighting for ECU's best interest.

Here's an interesting story about George Mason that's kind of Big East related. Providence assistant coach Bill Courtney just came over from George Mason this year. He recruited most of their team when he was there. They make the Final Four in his first year out. Go figure.

Ian O'Connor of USA TODAY Wrote:Former Mason assistant enjoying ride vicariously
by Ian O'Connor / USA TODAY
3/27/2006 11:39:40 PM

Bill Courtney believes George Mason would not have reached the Final Four had he remained on Jim Larranaga's staff. It is not a claim your average assistant coach would put on his resume, but Courtney deals in the currency of truth.

"I would've convinced Jim along the way to do one little thing differently that wouldn't have worked," Courtney said. "The stars had to be perfectly aligned for this to happen, and part of that destiny was me leaving."

He left last June for Providence, Larranaga's alma mater. Funny how it works out. Courtney grew up 15 minutes from George Mason, as under-recruited as the kids he would later sign for the ride of their lives. Courtney desperately wanted to play in Mason's Patriot games.

Rick Barnes, then the Mason coach, called to express interest, then immediately bolted for - where else? - Providence. "My dream was shattered," Courtney said.

He became a star at Bucknell, good enough to play in the USBL, in Hong Kong and on a Milwaukee Bucks summer team. He coached some high school and college ball before Larranaga interviewed him at Bowling Green 10 years back.

"My interview consisted of staying at Jim's house, in his son's bed," Courtney said. "Woke up, played two-on-two with his sons, had a cookout and went to the movies to see De Niro and Wesley Snipes in The Fan."

They loathed the movie and loved each other. A year later, when George Mason called for Larranaga, Courtney entered his boss' office armed with heavy local knowledge. "Is George Mason really a better job than this one?" Larranaga asked his aide.

Courtney talked up the campus and the leftover talent in the Washington, D.C., area. "We can do special things there," he said.

They spent so many days on the road together, Courtney figured Larranaga logged more hours recruiting than any head coach. They spent one endless car ride through Florida listening to Pat Conroy's The Lords of Discipline. Courtney did all the driving. Sometimes he did all the talking, too.

Like the night Will Thomas' mother asked him to say a pre-dinner prayer. Courtney was a Baptist with a Catholic wife, recruiting a Catholic high school prospect he thought might be Baptist. He asked the Lord seven or eight ways to bless their food, then hoped for the best. He landed far more than he lost.

"Jai Lewis," he said. "First day of the recruiting period, 7 a.m., I was in his mother's house in Columbus, Georgia, before she went to church."

Lewis' mother thanked Courtney for that visit Sunday amid the delirium after George Mason swiped Connecticut's spot in the Final Four. A George Mason official had given the Providence assistant a floor pass so he could party with his grown-up recruits. The Colonial Athletic Association was letting the Big East behind the VIP ropes. "When I recruited these kids," Courtney said, "I told them, 'Our goal is to win the whole thing.' "

Not the conference tournament. Not the first round of the NCAA Tournament. "The national championship," Courtney said.

George Mason is two games from that title, and friends are busy calling Courtney to rub it in. "You're a moron," they joke. Courtney is sporting enough to laugh along. He knew the Patriots would be good this year, maybe not this good.

But he also knew he wanted to be a head coach and that Big East assistants get better, faster looks. "When I first told Jim I was leaving," Courtney said, "he wasn't happy. But a day later he gave me his blessing and told me he loved me just the same. The hardest thing was telling the players."

The players who scored the George Mason scholarship Courtney never got. They understood he needed to advance his career, just like they understood when Courtney's fellow aide, Eric Konkol, left last year to support his wife's pursuit of a doctorate degree at the University of Minnesota.

Courtney and Konkol often speak about what they shared and what they're witnessing. "We both agree, if we had to leave for George Mason to go to the Final Four, we'd do it over and over again," said Konkol, who just helped Hopkins High School win the Minnesota state title.

He'll join Courtney in Indianapolis for an emotional reunion, but not before Courtney fields a dozen phone calls from Larranaga, who wants to know all about the Friars' December loss to Florida and its own Providence alum, Billy Donovan.

"Jim's calling me so much now," Courtney said, "I had to tell him, 'Coach, I'm not on your payroll anymore.' "

Larranaga wants to keep him in the huddle. It's his way of showing that George Mason never would have made this ride without Bill Courtney on board.

This story appeared on the Yahoo Sports website - courtesy of USA TODAY - on March 27, 2006.

Amazing that George Mason has so much success after the top two assistant coaches leave. Bill Courtney got to suffer through the doldrums of Providence basketball this season while Eric Konkol got to sit on the bench helping out a high school team (albeit state champs).

[quote="It wouldn't make sense for the CAA to expand to 13 teams or to take the 300 RPI of East Carolina. There are better options for the Big East.[/quote]

You mean an ECU team that lost by a last second shot to ODU (NIT final four) and beat the CAA Champion UNCW by 20?

Bermuda 3.14rat Wrote:You mean an ECU team that lost by a last second shot to ODU (NIT final four) and beat the CAA Champion UNCW by 20?

Okay really, I think we all know 1 fluke win does not mean a program is even decent. ECU has been horrid and is still very horrid. Maybe they get better at some point.

Second, no need to lie on here, you'll get busted like right now.

A last second shot for ODU let them sneak by ECU? Was it one of those last second 27 point shots?

ODU 79 - ECU 53

You guys really gave them a great game!

You also must have forgotten to mention that ECU was dead last (2-12) this year in a conference that has 7 of 12 teams below 200 RPI. That 1-12 record against the top 200 teams in the country were also impressive.

I'm not going to claim the CAA wouldn't take ECU, I'm just saying without a titanic earth movement it'll be 1 more conference mate for the good teams to crush.

We won't even delve into how ECU will be losing scholarships under the new APR ratings since ECU had about 80% of their players leave over the last 2 years.

I see some people are just determined not to let a thread about George Mason really be a thread about George Mason. Give some darned respect to the feel good team of the 2006 NCAA Tournament. The world does not revolve around East Carolina.

Krocker Krapp Wrote:I see some people are just determined not to let a thread about George Mason really be a thread about George Mason. Give some darned respect to the feel good team of the 2006 NCAA Tournament. The world does not revolve around East Carolina.

It it almost like the six steps to Kevin Bacon. Almost any thread can degenerate into a discussion about expansion.