The Sleeping Giant is Stirring

By: Taylor Black

I started my fandom of Mason basketball extremely spoiled. I was an undergrad during the 2010-2011 season where we ripped off the longest winning streak in the country, ended the season ranked in the top 25, and got an at large bid to the tournament and upset Villanova in the first round. That season set the bar for me for what Mason basketball should strive to be. We were regularly selling out games, fans were engaged across the board, by every measure of success we were humming right along in Fairfax towards being a perennial mid major power.

In the last decade of following Mason basketball, I have NEVER seen Mason Nation as engaged as they have been the last 36 hours. The internet was quite literally buzzing with Mason basketball news in a positive light. People who I have not talked Mason basketball with since I was in school texted out of the blue with how excited they were about the hire, asking about how they could come to a couple of games next season. Twitter was blowing up, the message boards were abuzz, folks were coming out of the woodwork to talk about Mason basketball.

You know how I know that English was the man for this job? Just when it seemed like the hype was starting to cool off last night, THE MAN WENT AND PUT OUT HIS FIRST SCHOLARSHIP OFFER FOR 2022 TO A LOCAL POINT GUARD. Boom, right back at it. Message boards lighting back up with game footage, Twitter ramping back up talking about the offer, it seems like no one bothered to sleep last night.

In a blatant refusal to let this hype train hit the station, the AD dropped the SICKEST Mason basketball hype video I have ever seen. I don’t know how anyone can watch that and NOT want to go to a game at Eagle Bank next year. Side note – the AD has been crushing in this week, from the announcement, to this video, to striking while the iron is hot and opening season ticket renewals for next year (get them while you can, this might turn out to be the hottest show in NOVA this fall). Whatever they are doing over there, it’s working and I am here for it.

But Kim wasn’t done yet. He then went a tossed a video on his personal Instagram post workout in the practice facility with Josh Oduro and TJ Gadsden, where he talks about trying to get ODURO BACK OUT THE PORTAL!! #GetJoshOutThePortal . I love this guy. He’s been here for 36 hours and we already have more access and insight to the team than we have had in over a decade.

Brad Edwards and the rest of the AD have put us on notice, we are here to win in Fairfax and I have 100% confidence that Kim English is the guy to bring us there. I have not been as excited for Mason basketball since I was a student watching us beat Villanova in the tournament, and I am for sure not alone here. Something is brewing in Fairfax. The train is about to leave the station, jump on while you still can.

The sleeping giant is about to wake up.