2005–06 George Mason Patriots men's basketball team

2005–06 George Mason Patriots men's basketball

CAA Regular Season Champions
Final Four vs. Florida, L, 73–58
Conference	Colonial Athletic Association
Ranking
Coaches	No. 8
2005–06 record	27–8 (15–3 CAA)
Head coach	Jim Larranaga
Assistant coach	Scott Cherry
Assistant coach	James Johnson
Assistant coach	Chris Caputo
Home arena	Patriot Center

2005–06 CAA men's basketball standings
	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
George Mason	15	–	3	.833	27	–	8	.771
UNC Wilmington†	15	–	3	.833	25	–	8	.758
Hofstra	14	–	4	.778	26	–	7	.788
Old Dominion	13	–	5	.722	24	–	10	.706
Northeastern	12	–	6	.667	19	–	11	.633
VCU	11	–	7	.611	19	–	10	.655
Drexel	8	–	10	.444	15	–	16	.484
Towson	8	–	10	.444	12	–	16	.429
Delaware	4	–	14	.222	9	–	21	.300
Georgia State	3	–	15	.167	7	–	22	.241
William & Mary	3	–	15	.167	8	–	20	.286
James Madison	2	–	16	.111	5	–	23	.179


† CAA Tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll

The 2005–06 George Mason Patriots men's basketball team represented George Mason University in the 2005–2006 NCAA Basketball season. The team reached several milestones, including a team record 23 regular season wins, and a trip to the NCAA Tournament. The Patriots eventually reached the Final Four of the NCAA, becoming the first team from the Colonial Athletic Association to accomplish that feat.

Season notes

On April 26, 2006, it was announced head coach Jim Larranaga received a contract extension to keep him with the team through the 2011–2012 season.^[1]
On March 30, 2006, head coach Jim Larranaga received the Clair Bee Coach of the Year Award.^[2]
For the first time in school history, the men's basketball team was ranked on the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll coming in at #25 for the week of February 20, 2006.^[3]
On December 27, 2005, senior guard Lamar Butler set a George Mason men's basketball record for most career 3-point field goals.^[4]
The 2005–06 George Mason Patriots were predicted to finish 3rd in the Colonial Athletic Association.^[5]
On September 15, 2005, it was announced that sophomore guard John Vaughan would miss the entire season due to a torn ACL.^[6]

Awards

First Team All-CAA

Jai Lewis

Second Team All-CAA

Tony Skinn

CAA All-Defensive Team

Will Thomas

CAA Player of the Week

Jai Lewis – Jan. 30
Tony Skinn – Feb. 20

Recap

The Patriots enjoyed their best season in 2005–2006 when they won a school-record 23 games in the regular season, and for one week were even ranked in the USA Today/ESPN Top 25 for the first time in school history. Head coach Jim Larranaga, who began his stint at George Mason in 1997, also became the CAA's all-time leader in coaching victories and was named the winner of the 2006 Clair Bee Coach of the Year Award^[7] on March 31, 2006, and the Virginia Coach of the Year on June 26, 2006, the same day he was nominated for an ESPY award.^[8] Although the team lost to Hofstra during the CAA tournament, George Mason were still able to grab an at-large bid in the NCAA tournament. This marks the first time in which the Patriots earned an at-large bid and the first time in 20 years in which the CAA sent two teams to the tournament (the other being conference tournament winner UNC Wilmington).

The at-large selection of teams from mid-major conferences (which included George Mason) to the tournament was criticized by media personalities, most notably Billy Packer. In the case of George Mason, this was possibly because of the absence of Tony Skinn, who was suspended for one game by the Patriots for punching Hofstra guard Loren Stokes in the groin during the CAA tournament semifinal loss. Moreover, many believed that Hofstra, who didn't get invited to the tournament despite of the fact that they beat the Patriots twice in a span of ten days, deserved to get in instead of them. Nevertheless, the Patriots entered the tournament as an 11th seed and defeated the 6th seeded Michigan State Spartans, who had played in the previous year's Final Four.

In their second round matchup against the defending champion North Carolina Tar Heels, the Patriots were once again underdogs. After falling in a 16–2 hole early in the game, the team was able to bounce back and win the game, 65–60. Their next game was against another mid-major, the Wichita State Shockers. George Mason jumped out to a big early lead, and the Shockers were not able to overcome. The Patriots won, 63–55.

Their Elite Eight matchup found themselves facing the Connecticut Huskies, a team that was tabbed as the favorite to win it all the entire season. The Patriots were able to defeat the top-seeded Huskies, 86–84 in overtime, in what is recognized as one of the most memorable games in tournament history. Their tournament run would end in Indianapolis, in a Final Four matchup with the Florida Gators, the eventual national champion in both 2006 and 2007 (with the same starting lineup both years).

The Patriots were the first team out of the CAA to reach the Final Four and also became the second team to reach it as a double-digit (11th) seed (the other being the LSU Tigers in 1986, also an 11th seed).

George Mason's Cinderella story ended in Indianapolis, when the eventual National Champion Florida Gators defeated them 73–58 on April 1, 2006. Despite their loss, many sports analysts considered their performance in the 2006 tourney to be the best run by a mid-major in tournament history. In the final rankings of 2005–2006 season, the USA Today/ESPN poll ranked the Patriots eighth in the nation—their highest rank to date.

Mason was atypical of recent Final Four teams not only in being a true mid-major, but also in their unusual scoring balance. The Patriots had five players average in double figures, making them one of only six Final Four teams in the 10 seasons from 1998–99 through 2007–08 with that distinction. (Two of the other five teams in this club are Florida's back-to-back national champions in 2006 and 2007.)^[9]

Roster

2005–06 George Mason Patriots men's basketball team

Players

Coaches

Pos.	#	Name	Height	Weight	Year	Previous school	Home town
1.5 !G	22	Butler, LamarLamar Butler	74 !6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	4.5 !RS Sr	Oxon Hill	Fort Washington, Maryland
1.5 !G	12	Burns, TimTim Burns	75 !6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	3.0 !Jr	Worcester Academy	Greenfield, Massachusetts
1.5 !G	42	Campbell, FolarinFolarin Campbell	76 !6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	2.0 !So	Springbrook	Silver Spring, Maryland
1.5 !G	2	Carter, JordanJordan Carter	72 !6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	2.0 !So	Brebeuf	Indianapolis, Indiana
3.5 !F	40	Fleming, ChrisChris Fleming	79 !6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	240 lb (109 kg)	1.0 !Fr	Osbourn Park	Manassas, Virginia
3.5 !F	3	Konate, MakanMakan Konate	79 !6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	3.0 !Jr	Worcester Academy	Mali
3.5 !F	55	Lewis, JaiJai Lewis	79 !6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	275 lb (125 kg)	4.0 !Sr	Aberdeen	Aberdeen, Maryland
1.5 !G	24	Makings, CharlesCharles Makings	74 !6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	3.0 !Jr	St. John's College	Silver Spring, Maryland
3.5 !F	5	Norwood, GabeGabe Norwood	77 !6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	3.0 !Jr	State College	State College, Pennsylvania
1.5 !G	1	Skinn, TonyTony Skinn	73 !6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	4.0 !Sr	Takoma Academy	Takoma Park, Maryland
3.5 !F	34	Thomas, WillWill Thomas	79 !6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	230 lb (104 kg)	2.0 !So	Mount Saint Joseph's	Baltimore, Maryland
3.5 !F	13	Urbina, JesusJesus Urbina	79 !6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	235 lb (107 kg)	3.0 !Jr	Amelia Academy	Venezuela
1.5 !G	23	Vaughn, JohnJohn Vaughn	75 !6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	179 lb (81 kg)	2.0 !So	Laurel	Laurel, Maryland

Head coach

Jim Larranaga (Providence)

Assistant coach(es)

Scott Cherry (North Carolina)
James Johnson (Ferrum)
Chris Caputo (Westfield)

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
(W) Walk-on

Injured
Current redshirt

Roster
Last update: 2010-07-27

Stats

Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3FG%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Jai Lewis	35	–	30.4	.523	.348	.651	7.8	1.8	1.4	.7	13.7
Tony Skinn	34	–	31.6	.396	.339	.802	3.5	2.8	1.6	.0	12.6
Lamar Butler	35	–	31.9	.454	.378	.733	2.5	2.2	.9	.2	11.9
Will Thomas	35	–	31.9	.580	.000	.516	7.2	1.1	.7	.7	11.8
Folarin Campbell	35	–	31.1	.491	.343	.761	4.2	3.4	.7	.7	11.0
Gabe Norwood	35	–	21.1	.425	.375	.588	2.0	1.9	.9	.7	3.4
Sammy Hernandez	35	–	11.1	.518	.375	.278	3.1	.5	.2	.3	2.8
Tim Burns	20	–	6.0	.400	.400	.000	.5	.4	.3	.0	1.8
Jordan Carter	28	–	6.5	.524	.364	.333	.7	.7	.5	.0	1.0
Chris Fleming	28	–	4.7	.440	.000	.500	.7	.0	.1	.2	1.0
Makan Konate	11	–	2.2	.167	.000	.000	.4	.0	.0	.0	.2
Charles Makings	13	–	2.5	.250	.000	.000	.7	.2	.2	.0	.2

Schedule

Date Time, TV	Rank^#	Opponent^#	Result	Record	Site City, State
November 6* 7:00 p.m.		St. Francis Xavier Exhibition	W 99–70		Patriot Center Fairfax, Virginia
November 10* 7:00 p.m.		vs. UC Irvine Coaches vs. Cancer Classic	W 79–56	1–0	Joel Coliseum Winston-Salem, North Carolina
November 11* 7:00 p.m.		vs. Wake Forest Coaches vs. Cancer Classic	L 83–78 ^OT	1–1	Joel Coliseum Winston-Salem, North Carolina
November 22* 7:00 p.m.		Creighton	L 72–52	1–2	Patriot Center Fairfax, Virginia
November 26* 7:00 p.m.		at Manhattan	W 72–66	2–2	Draddy Gymnasium The Bronx, New York
December 2 7:00 p.m.		at Georgia State	W 81–51	3–2 (1–0)	GSU Sports Arena Atlanta
December 5* 4:30 p.m.		vs. American BB&T Classic	W 75–35	4–2	Verizon Center Washington, D.C.
December 7 7:00 p.m.		at Old Dominion	L 54–53	4–3 (1–1)	Ted Constant Convocation Center Norfolk, Virginia
December 10* 5:00 p.m.		Radford	W 81–69	5–3	Patriot Center Fairfax, Virginia
December 21* 7:00 p.m.		Hampton	W 79–66	6–3	Patriot Center Fairfax, Virginia
December 27* 2:00 p.m.		Holy Cross	W 71–38	7–3	Patriot Center Fairfax, Virginia
December 30* 7:00 p.m.		at Mississippi State	L 63–61	7–4	Humphrey Coliseum Starkville, Mississippi
January 2 5:30 p.m.		at Northeastern	W 71–68	8–4 (2–1)	Matthews Arena Boston
January 5 3:00 p.m.		VCU Rivalry	W 73–60	9–4 (3–1)	Patriot Center Fairfax, Virginia
January 7 4:30 p.m.		Delaware	W 70–56	10–4 (4–1)	Patriot Center Fairfax, Virginia
January 12 7:00 p.m.		at William & Mary	W 65–46	11–4 (5–1)	Kaplan Arena Williamsburg, Virginia
January 14 2:00 p.m.		at James Madison	W 65–43	12–4 (6–1)	JMU Convocation Center Harrisonburg, Virginia
January 19 7:00 p.m.		Northeastern	W 74–63	13–4 (7–1)	Patriot Center Fairfax, Virginia
January 21 8:00 p.m.		at UNC-Wilmington	L 69–63	13–5 (7–2)	Trask Coliseum Wilmington, North Carolina
January 26 8:00 p.m.		William & Mary	W 81–58	14–5 (8–2)	Patriot Center Fairfax, Virginia
January 28 2:00 p.m.		Old Dominion	W 66–47	15–5 (9–2)	Patriot Center Fairfax, Virginia
February 2 7:00 p.m.		at Delaware	W 57–52	16–5 (10–2)	Bob Carpenter Center Newark, Delaware
February 4 7:00 p.m.		UNC-Wilmington	W 69–62	17–5 (11–2)	Patriot Center Fairfax, Virginia
February 9 7:00 p.m.		at VCU	W 73–61	18–5 (12–2)	Stuart C. Siegel Center Richmond, Virginia
February 11 4:00 p.m.		Towson Homecoming	W 65–53	19–5 (13–2)	Patriot Center Fairfax, Virginia
February 15 7:00 p.m.		Drexel	W 67–48	20–5 (14–2)	Patriot Center Fairfax, Virginia
February 16* 6:00 p.m., ESPN2		at Wichita State ESPN Bracket Busters	W 70–67	21–5	Charles Koch Arena Wichita, Kansas
February 23 7:00 p.m.	No. 25	at Hofstra	L 77–66	21–6 (14–3)	Hofstra Arena Hempstead, New York
February 25 7:00 p.m.	No. 25	James Madison	W 61–56	22–6 (15–3)	Patriot Center Fairfax, Virginia
March 4 7:00 p.m.		vs. Georgia State CAA Tournament Quarterfinals	W 61–56	23–6	Richmond Coliseum Richmond, Virginia
March 5 5:00 p.m.		vs. Hofstra CAA Tournament Semifinals	L 58–49	23–7	Richmond Coliseum Richmond, Virginia
March 17* 6:40 p.m., CBS Regional		vs. Michigan State NCAA Tournament First Round, No. 6 vs. No. 11	W 75–65	24–7	University of Dayton Arena Dayton, Ohio
March 19* 5:20 p.m., CBS Regional		vs. No. 12 North Carolina NCAA Tournament Second Round, No. 3 vs. No. 11	W 65–60	25–7	University of Dayton Arena Dayton, Ohio
March 24* 5:40 p.m., CBS Regional		vs. Wichita State NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen, No. 7 vs. No. 11	W 63–55	26–7	Verizon Center Washington, D.C.
March 26* 6:20 p.m., CBS		vs. No. 2 Connecticut NCAA Tournament Elite Eight, No. 1 vs. No. 11	W 86–84 ^OT	27–7	Verizon Center Washington, D.C.
April 1* 7:10 p.m., CBS		vs. No. 10 Florida NCAA Tournament Final Four, No. 3 vs. No. 11	L 73–58	27–8	RCA Dome Indianapolis
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from Coaches' Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time.

Recruits

The following is a list of commitments George Mason received for the 2006–2007 season:

Louis Birdsong –
Darryl Monroe –
Dre Smith –

References

↑ http://www.fansonly.com/schools/gema/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/042606aaa.html
↑ http://gomason.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/033006aab.html
↑ http://gomason.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/022006aaa.html
↑ http://gomason.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/recaps/122705aaa.html
↑ http://gomason.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/102605aaa.html
↑ http://gomason.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/091205aaa.html
↑ "Coach Larranaga Receives Clair Bee Coach of the Year Award – The Mason Gazette – George Mason University". gmu.edu.
↑ Larranaga Named Virginia Coach of the Year
↑ Glockner, Andy (2008-02-28). "Florida did it but can balanced scoring lead Xavier to Final Four?". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on 3 March 2008. Retrieved 2008-03-01.

George Mason Patriots men's basketball

Venues	EagleBank Arena (1985–present)

Rivalries	VCU

Culture & lore	History The Patriot

People	Head coaches

Seasons	1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17

NCAA Final Four appearances in italics

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