Monday, June 22, 2015

Comings and goings Parts III: George Mason


Here we go with Part III of our series, Comings and Goings, looking at George Mason.

Comings and Goings: Old Dominion
Comings and Goings: Richmond


Who's going

- Rachel McNair, 6-0 F, 2.0 ppg, 3.2 rpg; started 14 of 29 games
- Talisha Watts, 6-2 F, 4.5 ppg, 5.2 rpg; started 10 of 29 games (also A-10 high jump champion)
- Sandra Ngoie, 6-1 F, 10.3 ppg (second-leading scorer); 5.2 rpg; team-high 73 treys (37.1 percent); started 11 of 29 games
- Cyndi Cole, 5-5 G, 2.5 ppg, 24 assists, appeared in 28 games, averaged 11 minutes
- Qierra Murray, 5-7 G, 4.9 ppg, started 13 of 29 games, averaged 21.2 minutes
-Jasmine Jackson, 5-9 G; 9.6 ppg; made 26 starts last season and was third in the team in scoring; she graduated from George Mason in May and will play her final year of eligibility at Georgetown, where she played her first two seasons.

Bidding adieu to Sweden's Ngoie is the biggest loss here as she was the second leading scorer for the Patriots last year and a part-time starter. It's also unusual to see a player return to the school she transferred from: Jackson will pursue her master's in sports industry management at her first alma mater, Georgetown. Point guard Cole and shooting guard Murray are both transferring out of the program into Appalachian State, 14-16 a year ago and ironically also a program relying heavily on transfers as two juco players are eligible this season.

Who's coming

Eligible transfers

 - Katrina Hutzell, 5-11 G (UMBC); limited action in 19 games
- Kara Wright, 5-11 G/F (Southeast Missouri St.), 7.9 ppg, 2.9 rpg (career-best 26 vs. Mizzou)
- Bridget O'Donnell, 6-6 C (UMBC); Leading shot blocker in America East her sophomore year, something she has in common with her Aunt Anne, that would be Anne Donovan; 6 ppg, 5.1 rpg
- Mikala McGhee, 5-11 G (Missouri St.); 3.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg
- Tiffany Padgett, 6-1 F (Loyola-Md.), 5.1 ppg, 5.0 rpg

Incoming freshmen

Allie McCool, 6-2 C, East Central High (Ind.), East Central Player of the Year 2015
- Jewel Triggs, 5-11 G Thibodaux High (La.), McDonald's All-American Game nominee; involved in bizarre eligibility court case as a sophomore
- Chinyere Bell, 6-0 F, Cumberland County High (NC); Fayetteville Observer All-Cape Fear POY; Led Mid-South 4A Conference in scoring as a senior with 24.9 ppg and 12.3 rpg

More than half the roster of the Patriots has turned over in a near-complete makeover engineered by third-year coach Nyla Milleson. This much is for sure; Taylor Brown (who also transferred in from Georgetown) will have a senior year unlike her previous three with almost an entirely new cast around her. The 5-7 guard set a program single-season scoring record with 643 points a year ago when Georgetown transfer Jasmine Jackson and Florida State Kristi Mokube joined the team. We give the nod to Milleson's former recruits at Southeast Missouri, Wright and McGhee, for playing time, though we're intrigued by what O'Donnell will bring defensively given an already impressive resume and some notable roots. All the freshmen look capable, though finding playing time on a team where transfers Wright, McGhee, Padgett and O'Donnell will be itching to play as juniors, will be a challenge. It's looking like Milleson is looking to make a dent in the A-10 in a hurry; her Patriots finished 13-17 overall last year, 5-11 in conference play.

An added note, Milleson has also added Sylvia Maxwell, a 5-7 guard from Niagara, and April Henson, a 5-9 guard from Drexel, both eligible for the 2016-17 season.





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