Welcome to the #A10WBBTipOff for the 2020-21 season. Today, we feature the George Mason Patriots. To revisit all of the season previews throughout the week, click here.
George Mason
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Expect speed and athleticism from George Mason women’s basketball starting with a new face.
Welcome to Fairfax, Daijah Jefferson! Or should we say, welcome back to Virginia. Jefferson hails from Hopewell, just outside of Richmond, a little more than an hour from her new school. She transfers in from Georgia Tech as a graduate student.
The 6-2 forward adds size to the Patriots and a mentality reminiscent of Natalie Butler, the UConn transfer, the Atlantic 10 Player of the Year in 2018.
Much like Butler, Jefferson transfers in from a proven Power 5 program where she was a role player. At GMU, expect her to contribute on both ends of the floor.
“Like Natalie, she has the impact and the experience of knowing what it takes to compete at the highest level,” said Coach Nyla Milleson. “She has athleticism. There’s a reason she went to Georgia Tech.”
As enthusiastic as Milleson is about this group, it will take time for them to jell given the absence of senior forward Camarie Gatling, the team’s top returning scorer and rebounder, who continues to recover from a knee injury.
“She’s not with us yet, and we don’t have a timetable,” Milleson said. “We need Cam back, but right now, she’s an unknown.”
Role players from last year’s team will get the opportunity to become major contributors given the graduation of starters Jacy Bolton and Sarah Kaminski and the transfer of former A-10 Player of the Year Nicole Cardano-Hillary. That includes Finnish senior Marika Korpinen, a starter in 19 games a year ago. “We start at both ends of the floor with Marika,” Milleson said. “I think she’s ready to have a great senior year. She’s so athletic on the defensive end; I think she could be a bigger scorer for us.”
The sophomores return healthier, including Jordan Wakefield, slowed with mono last fall. Forward Tamia Lawhorne, who torched GW last season with 22 on Jan. 4, impresses Milleson with added strength. Center Jazmyn Doster earned the “most improved” nod from Milleson; the 6-2 center started 11 times last season.
Redshirt freshman guard Rachel Balzer and true freshman point guard Taylor Jameson are both impact players likely to see major minutes.
Look for George Mason to improve on last year’s 3-13 conference finish, and if Gatling can get healthy, it will be fun to see her share the spotlight alongside Jefferson.
A look at the Patriots:
Coach: Nyla Milleson, 385-244 in 21 years of coaching and 95-121 in 7 seasons at George Mason
Last year: 9-21 overall, 3-13 Atlantic 10 (Lost to Saint Louis 69-61 in the first round of the A-10 Championship)
They’ll miss: Nicole Cardaño-Hillary (Patriots all-time leading scorer (1,766 points in just 3 seasons, transferred to Indiana); Jacy Bolton (8.6 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 4-year starter); Sarah Kaminski (third in program history with 173 career 3-pointers)
Impact returners: Camarie Gatling (8.1 ppg, 5.2 rpg, top returning scorer and rebounder); Tamia Lawhorne, 5.1 ppg); Marika Korpinen (5.9 ppg, 19 starts)
Newbies of note: Daijah Jefferson, 6-2 F (transfer, played 44 games for Georgia Tech); Taylor Jameson, 5-6 freshman PG; Vanessa Laumbach, 6-2 freshman F.
The good news: The versatile Jefferson gives these Patriots an added dimension for a team hungry and capable of improving on last year’s mark.
Bottom line: If last year’s role players can get comfortable taking a step forward, expect the Patriots to show improvement, especially if Gatling returns sooner rather than later.
Vicki Friedman is a freelance writer who has covered women's basketball for major newspapers for over two decades, and she has written for Atlantic10.com since 2012. Her blog, Lady Swish, can be found at ladyswishwbb.com and on Twitter.