The Patriots of George Mason will be hosting their annual Mason Madness event Friday night at 9:30 at the Patriot Center. Mason fans will get to hear from new head coach Paul Hewitt, who will address the crowd in his Patriot Center debut on what to expect from the Patriots as they look to return to the NCAA tournament this season. The Mason cheerleaders and the band, Doc Nix and the Green Machine, will also perform alongside a host of musical acts. Fans will also be able to watch the women's team partake in a number of skills competitions while the men's team will get up and down the floor in the annual Green vs. Gold scrimmage.
We last saw the Patriots leaving the floor in the NCAA tournament in Cleveland, losing to number one seed Ohio State after a thrilling upset win over Villanova in the first round. This team enters the 2011-12 season with many new faces, most notably Hewitt who replaces the departed Jim Larranaga, who left for Miami after 14 years at GMU. The suspension of Andre Cornelius last month has only added to the list of unknowns facing the 2011 edition.
But along with the newcomers, familiar faces Ryan Pearson and Mike Morrison return and will greet the fans Friday night. Doors open at 9:00 PM and GoMason.com has all of the event details.