Dr. Gunnie

We were coming from up north, so the weather had us change our plans a bit. We didn't end up spending any time before or after the game because of the roads. The drive down wasn't too bad, but on the way back the rain turned to ice and we saw 6 different cars slide off the highway. Not a fun drive. I'll be back to St Louis for a football coaching clinic later this month... without the kids. I see BBQ in my future.

Well, it was a tough one to watch for us Mason fans, but congrats on the win. Was glad to make the trip to see the game. Your arena is fantastic. Might be the best arena I've been to... reminds me of the Verizon Center in DC, just a smaller scale. Our place at Mason also holds 10,000, but was built in the mid 80's and needs some upgrades. Really loved your place (and they sell beer - another plus). Your fans were fantastic. Very respectful. Same with the students. Only a few knucklehead hecklers - but 99% were loud and respectful. Really thought it was a great environment. You can see why it's been a frustrating year for us - we are not a bad team, just can't catch a break at the end. We played our best game yesterday as we didn't have our usual breakdown late in the game - had two pretty good looks at the end that just didn't fall. Seen some of you guys complain about the officials - I thought they were inconsistent. Couldn't believe it when I looked up with about 6:00 left in the 1st half and you still didn't have a foul called against you. I think it went both ways with the questionable calls. I was shocked that there was no call on our last possession in regulation when you guys went for the steal after the inbounds. You guys have a great team, great arena, and great fans. Good luck the rest of the way - and whatever you do, please beat VCU!

The type of kid that Hewitt is recruitng is vastly different than the type of kid the Coach L used to recruit. Hewitt loves the athletic, face the basket type guys with length that can play mulitple positions. Larranaga used to go after the undersized back to the basket types who could score. I think the transition has a little to do with our struggles right now, mostly that Hewitt is trying to run a system for players he doesn't realy have yet. Oh well, take it easy on us.

Sounds good to me - he is averaging 12.5 points and 10 boards. Our starting 4 from last season played 1 game and called it quits due to an "injury". Jalen has been our only bright spot on the season.

Here's the rundown - Mason is underachieving. They really should be 3-3 in conference right now if they don't throw up all over themselves in the final minute against UMass, St. Joes, and URI. They have led at half for 5 of their 6 A10 games (the other was down 1 to VCU), but they just can't get it done in the 2nd half for a variety of reasons. Here are the players: Marquise Moore will probably start at PG - he's a freshman, decent handle, can drive to the hoop very well, but has an awful jump shot. You guys will probably not guard him anywhere near the 3 point line. Bryon Allen will be the SG. Has a good shot, can drive to the basket. Problem is they try to run him at point sometimes and he'll dribble it off his foot. Sherrod Wright at the 3. Was to be our best player coming in, but is in a funk. He'll turn it over more than he should, but can be dangerous. Jalen Jenkins is the 4. He's a 6'7" freshman - very athletic. He has won the rookie of the week award for the A10 the past three weeks. We were tied with GW in the 2nd half until he got in foul trouble, when he came out the wheels fell off. Eric Copes at the 5. He was a top 100 kid coming out of HS, but has had hip injuries that have hurt his progress. He is limited offensively, but can play decent D when he's not fouling Other guys: Patrick Holloway is our "gangly weak looking kid" - gets decent minutes, best shooter on the team by far. Is 6th in the A10 in 3's, but defense isn't the best. Johnny Williams is our first forward in - sometimes gets the starting nod. Can shoot the mid range shot, would like to see him be more physical on the boards. Marco Gujanicic is another forward - overseas kid who does everything well, but nothing outstanding. pretty good passer and can knock down the three. Anali Okoloji - an athletic forward who transferred from Seton Hall. We wonder why he gets the minutes he does. ________________________________________ My guess is Mason will probably hang around for a little bit, you guys will go on a run in the 2nd half and pull away to win by around 15. Mason has the ability to play with anyone in the conference, but it's just one of those years where anything that can go wrong does go wrong. It's our first losing season in 15 years. Fans are ready for Hewitt to get his walking papers - don't think it will happen with two years left on his contract. Feel free to drop by our message boards at Masonhoops.com to tell us how disappointing we have been to the A10.

I was just soaking in all the info - it took a little while. No clue where we are going yet to eat, where we are parking, or what roads we'll take. I'll have to make some graphs and charts showing the pros and cons of each suggestion. I should have that ready by March. Looking forward to seeing the game. Thanks for all the info. I'll be sure to give you a full debriefing after the game of our experience. The great news for me is I'll be right back at Chaifetz the following weekend for Disney Jr Live! Yippie!

Greetings from a George Mason fan. The family and I will be making the trip to St Louis to watch George Mason get pummeled play the Billikens next weekend. I've never been to your arena before, and wanted to see if there are any recommendations for eating in the area. I'll have my 8 year old and 3 year old in tow, so looking for more of a family friendly type place. Anything close to the arena? Thanks in advance!