Author: bygeorgemason

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Twittering with DeAndre Abram

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BG – Welcome to By George’s second live Twitter interview. Tonight features GMU starting forward DeAndre Abram – follow him @young_abram1.

DA – A honor to be interviewed! I’m excited

BG – First of all, how was your first semester away from home? How were your grades?

DA – My first semester here was definitely a great learning experience! It for sure prepared me for my future years in school. my grades were good but I can improve with when to start working on assignments so things can be easier for me. The biggest struggle with the first semester was definitely being away from family. Not being able to see my mom and sister was really hard to get through sometimes.

BG – Has your family gotten a chance to watch you play live this season yet?

DA – Yes my mom, sister, and uncle from Florida all came to the Penn game.

BG – Where does the team hang on campus in your off time? is there a such thing as off time being a college athlete?

DA – Usually we mostly hang out at Ike’s or the Johnson’s Center. Honestly no, If I’m not playing on the court, I’m usually at class, study hall, or other events that we have to attend. the only time we really have off time is during the summer and during the winter break.

BG – What won you over here at Mason when you were deciding on schools and have you enjoyed campus and Fairfax so far?
DA – The coaching staff and the opportunity to play early at the D1 level. The campus also caught my eye! Fairfax is nice.

BG – Got it, glad you chose GMU. What do you bring to this team? Also what did you get from the a10 for winning rookie of the week?

DA – What I bring to this team is my length, offensive gift, someone to rebound, being able to guard any position and energy. I will get a certificate but it’s just a honor to be recognized twice in this very competitive league.

BG – What are you bumping to get cised pregame.

DA – Usually any rap. But I’m big fans of Lil Wayne, Future, Fetty Wap, Shy Glizzy but those are just a few!

BL – 50 or Meek?

DA – I gotta say 50!

BL – What jerseys are the most fresh – white, grey or green?

DA – Definitely the greys!!

BG – One game you wish you could take back from this season?

DA – Virginia. We really wanted to win that game. But every one of my good and bad games are great learning experiences.

BG – Prefer playing the 3 or the 4?

DA – Whatever the team needs honestly! Coach P is doing a great job with playing me at the 4 but offensively like a guard.

BG – Have you watched ‘Making a Murderer’ on Netflix yet and if not what are you watching?

DA – No I haven’t! But I usually watch Hardball, The boondocks, Katt Williams comedy, or anything else someone suggest.

BG – Recently you toured the monuments. What was your favorite one?

DA – I loved all of them but definitely the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial.

BG – Do you have a favorite MLK quote?

DA – “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” My high school coach said that quote before our rival game.

BG – Thanks so much for joining me for our 2nd ever live Twitter interview. Continue to grind and keep filling the stat sheet!

DA – Yes sir I will! Thank you for having me!

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GW-UR-Dayton Quick Takes

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-GW and Richmond were both a step in the right direction. Both fans and players showed up for the Revolutionary Rivalry, and both fed off of each others energy.

-Beating Richmond in Richmond is no easy task. Quality win.

-Top 25 team + Freshmen – our leading scorer = expected loss

-Green out…ehh, green-ish out.

-Jay Gruden in attendance for the Dayton game? He may want to keep an eye on Ian Boyd next year, future Redskin?

-The experience our freshmen are gaining this year will put them near that of a traditional junior at any other school.

-Who else felt chills after the Otis behind the back pass to Abram dunk?

-Scary to think how good this team can be in 2 seasons. If our team were a video game, our freshmen would be leveling up every game.

-Not televising an A10 matchup versus schools 100 miles a part…not good. Our win sounded great doe.

-Probably had more fun at the GW game than any win we’ve had at EBA/PC in the last 2 years.

-Kudos to Edwards, Cabrera and company for finalizing the long awaited practice facility. Please don’t half ass this facility upgrade. I’d love something similar to VCU’s but anything at this point would be a win.

-Practice Facility + Edwards + Quality team in 2 seasons + Quality coach = recruiting just got a whole lot easier.

-Practice facility won’t bring a Ben Simmons but will hopefully bring someone on the fence like a Tim Quarterman.

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Twittering with Otis Livingston II

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BG – Hey [Slim], what’s up man? Welcome to the first ever By George live twitter interview! Follow him @Slimm_4

OL – Thanks man, I’m excited!

BG – First off, how are finals? Are you all finished?

OL – Finals went well! I had my last final which was Communications which I think I did pretty good on.

BL – After your first semester in college, would you say that high school or college is harder?

OL – College is harder, in high school everything was structured and I had Mom and Dad at home staying on top of me. It’s just me in college making sure I take care of business.

BL – Give us a glimpse of your day during finals. Are you practicing as well? Does the program supply tutors or set up study groups?

OL – Yes, we have practice and weights and there is mandatory study hall and tutors set up to give us the best chance to succeed.

BL – Awesome, as a former teacher, I applaud coaches stance on academics. What helps you study? Music, study groups, rewriting, sleep?

OL – Just rereading, I have a pretty good memory so once I read something about 5 times it’s stuck. I like listening to Mozart too.

BL – I wish I could say the same! You bumping Mozart before a game too? If not, what’s hot right now?

OL – Mozart mostly for studying but I like to listen some other times too. Right now I’m liking J Cole, Drake, and lil Wayne.

BL – By George is rockin’ G.O.M.D & No Role Models still. Do you guys listen to music during practice? That’s a trend as of late.

OL –  That’s all good! And no we don’t. Everything is about focus in practice. When coach talks, everything is silent so no music. LOL

BL – Good to hear! What brought you to Fairfax? Did you enjoy your first semester away from home and living on campus?

OL – Great opportunity to play basketball for a great school. I love campus and Fairfax, it’s really chill which is how I am.

BL – Tight, I’ve lived here since birth. Did you think you would have an opportunity to start right away? If not, when did you find out?

OL – An opportunity but coach didn’t promise anything and he made me work for it extremely hard. I found out about two or three weeks before the first game

BL – Congrats, we all can tell you earned it. I’m speaking for a lot Mason fans, it’s fun to watch you play. What are your strengths?

OL – Thanks man, and I feel my ball handling, passing/court vision and my feel for the game are my strengths. I’m working on my shot to get it more consistent. I feel like my love for the game is my biggest strength though. I use that love to work in off season and preseason to set me up for success in the game.

BL – You’ve shot pretty well to start the season from 3. Do you monitor your own stats throughout the season?

OL – I don’t like to pay attention to stats. The only time I would pay attention is if it’s turnovers. I hate turnovers so I want that number as low as possible, zero would be great! Lol I play to win the game. So as long as we win I’m happy.

BL – Love it, I also see your shot fake baseline drive and pull up. What shooting drills do you do?

OL – We do a lot of shooting drills in practice for pull-ups, spot up 3’s and shooting threes on the move.

BL – I saw at the open practice, high tempo shooting drills. Do you have your own routine after practice? Make 200 FTs etc?

OL – Yes, at the end of practice we shoot free throws against a teammate and then I’ll continue when that is over. I do those same shooting drills we did in practice

BL – Keep it up Slim! When you’re not studying or practicing, are you watching other sports? What do you do with free time?

OL – I like watching other college teams play to see what other teams are doing, and I like watching movies. My favorite is V for Vendetta, followed by the Planet Of The Apes movies and Lion King.

BL – Remember remember the 5th of November. That’s a great poem. Have you met a lot of alumni yet? If so who have you talked to the most?

OL – Yes it is, and I met some when we handed out season tickets but I haven’t talked to any since then. I want to start having a relationship with the alumni. I’ve started a relationship with Lamar Butler and I know Paris Bennett who is from my hometown of Linden, New Jersey.

BL – Thank you for being apart of By George’s first ever twitter interview. Let’s do it again soon. Help us do the same with DeAndre Abram.

OL – pleasure is all mine and okay I will, thanks!!

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Mid-Season Report Card

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As we approach the mid way point of the season, we are grading the performance of our team (thus far) in major categories using grade school metrics. Yes, I know, it’s unfair to grade a young team with a first year head coach but the grade won’t be dependent squarely on the national ranking but also taking in account progress through the season and the ol’ eye test.

Defense (122nd): B-

Have we held our opponents to just 69 points a game? Yes and thats pretty damn good.  Games like Wright St. and Penn showed Mason Nation that the Patriots can play some legitimate defense.  Holding opponents to some ridiculously low shooting percentages (see Wright St. box score) but has at times been a liability.  When Mason needs a big stop or turnover, it’s been difficult to get.

Offense: (325th): C-

New scheme, young players, tough opponents will all play factors in a struggling offense.  The National ranking puts us at 325th out of 351 teams.  This number is deceiving, due to the slower style of play we typically have lower scoring games but either way, you traditional don’t want to be ranked near the bottom of any category. Have we looked bad offensively? Yes, look at our JMU, VCU, Colgate box scores.  The proof is in the pudding, we shot terribly in those games but inconsistency is a trademark of a young team.  Look at Mason’s most recent game, we scored 92 points.  When a combination of; Moore, Otis, Grayer, Shevon, Abram get hot, watch out.

Rebound (30th): A

Shevon Thompson is ranked 12th in the nation in rebounds…Nuff said. There’s Moore to our rebounding than just Shevon.  Our 6′2 PG Marquise Moore is averaging nearly 6 rebounds per game.  That’s good for third on the team.

Turnovers (rather not): F

We don’t force many turnovers and we commit way too many.  Definitely needs improvement.

3 point % (335th): D

We aren’t shooting the deep ball well, the statistics will prove that but one thing that I’ve noticed is that there are open looks.  The shots will eventually fall as our team matures.

Freshmen: B+

Hope. There’s plenty of hope for the future of this program.  Otis, Grayer and Abram have already made a name for themselves earning A10 Freshman weekly honors four times already.  At times, they’ve been the only source of offense and have stepped up defensively in big games.  Outside of few scoring slumps and turnovers (very common with freshmen) you have to think the future is pretty bright with this freshmen class.

Upperclassmen: C+

Moore makes this grade a “C” and Shevon adds the “+.”  They have been great but cannot do it on their own.  Many were looking to Jenkins, Royal, Holloway to bounce back this year but either due to inconsistency, health or just giving up, our upperclassmen haven’t stepped up like we need them to.  Marko could’ve brought the grade up but Patrick Holloway dragged it down.

MVP: Moore

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Quick Take.

Rather than do a complete summary of last nights blow out loss to St. Bonaventure, here are some quick observations instead:

1. Moore may be the best shot blocker since Mike Morrison.  Yes, there’s about 6 inches separating them in height but Moore has a knack for blocking shots. If Moore were 6′10 he’d be the second coming of Dikembe Mutombo.

2. Offensive and defensive schemes worked well for St. Bonaventure last night, although the same could not be said about their color scheme.  Brown uniforms were an eye sore last night.  I guarantee you that it’s a liability when recruiting kids trying to look fresh.

3. Masons most consistent play has come from the point guard position this year.  We haven’t had such strength at PG since Cam Long.  Otis and Moore are scoring at will sometimes and they play with as much effort as anyone on our team.  The theme during the Hewitt era was lack of consistency from PG’s, well, we may have just found it.

4. Second half woes. Unclear whether it’s the lack of making adjustments, execution or a combination of the two.  Last night we go into half down three, not bad, then we proceed to get blown out in the second half 40-24.  What’s going on here?

5. Who wears short shorts? Otis and Abram do, and that’s awesome.

6. We were effective last night near/around the basket but man our shooting was terrible.  Three point and free throw percentages especially were unexceptionable.  You wont win many A10 games shooting: FT- 50%, 3FG- 11.8%, FG- 38.2%. Hell you wont win many middle school games shooting those numbers.  Paulsen after the game stated, “Poor shooting, not poor shots.” (a coach would say that)

7.  Welcome back Marko.  “Marko is not the savior” -Coach Paulsen’s post game comments, well he did make an immediate impact.  We saw Marko effectively move the ball and do the little things to position Mason for a win.  Unfortunately, his 7pts 7rebs 4 asst were not enough last night but moving forward we will be a better team with Marko in the lineup.

8. Attendance: 2,807.  Fenwick made more noise last night.

9.  Dixon checked in late with Rudy and Tate.  Interesting…

10. Last night was a must win at home versus a middle of the pack A10 team.  If we can’t win these games, what hope do we have versus Dayton, VCU, Davidson.  We’ve seen flashes from some players (Abram, Grayer, Shevon, Moore, Otis) at some point this season.  We just haven’t had many performances where the majority of our team is “on” while one or two guys are “off.”

Next up, Davidson.

#BeatDavidson #Patience #MasonNation