Canadian freshman Baraka Okojie shines in tune-up game

The freshman point guard showcased his speed and scoring touch

Last night George Mason unofficially opened their season hosting an exhibition game against NAIA power St. Thomas (Fla.). It was definitely a tune-up game as most college hoops action in October is ugly but there were some good takeaways for Mason as they rolled to a 64-52 win. We saw a team led by their guard play, which is their strength heading into the season. While not a great three-point shooting team, we saw a more uptempo squad who loves to move the ball and attack the paint. Get used to that for this season.

Freshman point guard Baraka Okojie showed his skills as the first man off the bench for Tony Skinn. He has a knack for blowing by defenders while also having a great touch around the rim. It will be interesting to see how he is used in the lineup going forward but definitely seems like he has a high ceiling.

It was also great to see Ronny Polite leading the charge with Darius Maddox with Malik Henry throwing down some dunks to get them rolling in the second half. Maddox led the way with 13 points and could be the team’s leading scorer this season. He played 34 minutes last night so you can tell Skinn is trying to shake off as much rust for him as he can before November. Hopefully we see more from Keyshawn Hall and Jared Billups on offense going forward.

But again, it’s October basketball and with so many new faces this group needs its reps. We do know that they have some nice depth in the backcourt and a fun style of offense we haven’t seen from this team in quite some time. Their next exhibition at West Virginia will be a good test for Skinn’s #PatriotPressure defense.