Tony Skinn era officially kicks off

The Patriots held their first official 2023-2024 practice yesterday

The 2023-24 season is officially underway as George Mason and new head coach Tony Skinn held their first practice yesterday. The Patriots had a big time roster turnover and have few returning faces from the Kim English squads. They will certainly have a different look and a bunch of new lineups at their disposable with the influx of transfers from the portal.

Skinn has stated multiple times they plan to be built off their defense, branding “Patriot Pressure” as their battle cry. You won’t see them lighting up the scoreboard and they will try to bully teams into some ugly games to grind out wins. Excited yet?

Jokes aside, they do have some nice pieces but will struggle to score the ball if Jalen Haynes isn’t eligible this season. The team has experience but overall they are counting on transfers to increase their production with a ton more minutes available at Mason. There isn’t a ton of proven three-point shooting on the roster but they have a lot of guys who can score inside and at the rim. Returning point guard Ronald Polite could make a big leap and should pair nicely with 6’4” Siena transfer Jared Billups in the backcourt.

Virginia Tech transfer Darius Maddox will be counted on to score from the wing and could be their most dynamic scorer at this point. Keyshawn Hall is a big guard who has slimmed down this summer and will be lining up at multiple spots this season. He should benefit the most of the minutes available this year.

Malik Henry and Amari Kelly give them a formable presence up front. Kelly can be a rim protector and really improved his scoring touch around the rim last season. With Henry, we have seen him improve each season and his raw athletic ability will hopefully help open things up for others this season.