Pats draw comparison to ’06 Final Four squad
In the offseason, George Mason coach Jim Larranaga asked Luke Hancock to pattern his game after former Patriots’ standout Folarin Campbell. The transformation has been a success.
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“Coach wanted me to do a little bit of everything,” Hancock said. “Folarin was the utility guy. He could rebound, play defense, shoot, pass, dribble, get to the rim, kind of do it all. He wanted me to be that glue guy, just make everybody better.”
With Hancock playing the Swiss Army Knife role, the Patriots have returned to the NCAA tournament. And it’s no coincidence that the 2011 team is drawing comparison to the 2006 team that Campbell sparked to the Final Four.
How does the 2011 team stack up with the 2006 squad?
| NCAA tournament |
| No. 8 George Mason vs. No. 9 Villanova |
| When » Friday, 2:10 p.m. |
| Where » Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland |
| TV » TNT |
| Andre Cornelius and Luke Hancock suffered minor ankle sprains in practice on Tuesday but are not expected to miss any practice time. … The Patriots practice at 11 a.m. on Wednesday and then depart for Cleveland in the afternoon. |
Point forward
Campbell vs. Hancock » The numbers for the 6-foot-4 forwards are strikingly similar. Campbell averaged 11 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists and shot 49.1 percent. Hancock averages 10.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists and shoots 49.4 percent. “He’s been able to [fill the role] at a level even higher than we anticipated,” Larranaga said of Hancock.
Edge: Even
Shooting guard
Lamar Butler vs. Cam Long » Butler (11.9 ppg, 2.5 rpg) didn’t have the all-around game of the 6-4 Long (15.3 ppg, 4.6 rpg), an NBA Draft prospect. But, like Long, Butler was George Mason’s go-to player in the clutch. In the NCAA tournament, Butler hit 24 of 43 shots (55.8 percent) and averaged 14.4 points a game.
Edge: Long
Point guard
Tony Skinn vs. Andre Cornelius » Skinn was a superior offensive threat, averaging 12.6 points and 2.8 assists per game, to 9.9 and 1.6 for Cornelius. But the junior is a stellar defender. “Tony wasn’t a great on-the-ball defender like Andre,” GMU assistant Chris Caputo said. “Andre keeps people in front of him, controls the dribbler. It really keys our defense.”
Edge: Even
Power forward
Jai Lewis vs. Ryan Pearson » Some might be amused by the comparison of the 6-7, 275 Lewis to the 6-6, 225 Pearson. But Pearson is a similar low-post weapon. The left-hander uses spins, quickness and an ability to shoot under duress to produce the same results as Lewis achieved with width and brute force. Lewis’ production (13.7 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 53.2 FG percentage) closely resembles that of Pearson (14.4 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 52.3 FG percentage).
Edge: Even
Center
Will Thomas vs. Mike Morrison » Both are left-handers, but different players. The 6-7 Thomas had better numbers, averaging 11.8 points and 7.2 rebounds. Morrison plays seven fewer minutes a game but at 6-9 is a more intimidating inside presence. Morrison averages 1.2 blocks a contest.
Edge: Thomas
Bench
The 2006 team got minimal contributions from its bench, which included Gabe Norwood and Sammy Hernandez. Isaiah Tate (6.2 ppg) and Vertrail Vaughn (4.8 ppg) play greater roles this year.
Edge: 2011
