Welcome AJ WIlson

AJ WILSON IS A PATRIOT
AJ Wilson‏@Justdewit12 11m11 minutes ago
Thank you God for this opportunity! I will be a George Mason Patriot!!! #GoPatriots

Sweet! I've been waiting for this thread for months. Welcome aboard AJ.

So now with AJ playing this year and Goanar Mar signed on for next year does all our focus go to recruiting a PG for 2017?

Yep. Gonna get a good one too.

I like it. Took awhile but looks like excited to be coming to Fairfax.

Damn right he's excited! As are we! Direct quote from AJ, " I'm glad to be a part of a great and historic program! I can't wait to come in and try to make an impact." When asked of how he can make an immediate impact, "Defense, rebounding and energy! I take pride on getting stops and playing at a high level with passion and emotion."

Love the new energy in Fairfax! Can you feel it?

Good things are worth waiting for and this is a very good thing.

AJ is the first DMV kid to sign with our current staff. That's critical because there is an abundance of talent in our back yard and we have to be able to get our share of it.

While Lonergan turns off coaches and recruits across the DMV by acting like the arrogant prick he is, we are in the game with some high-level local kids in 2017, 2018 and beyond.

This sends a signal to those kids that this is a program moving quickly in the right direction.

Also, don't underestimate the impact that Duane Simpkins has had in recruiting the DMV. We are blessed to have a great coaching staff; hopefully Brad can keep them together and sustain this momentum.

As much as I love Dave and value the impact he had in AJ signing, there's little chance we land this kid without Duane. Like you said, kids in this area do their homework and know Duane's backstory and ties to the area and UMD.

That is absolutely true, but Dave gets a lot of credit for this one too.

For a long time, there was a huge question of whether AJ was going to prep school or would sign somewhere else.

A lot of head coaches would've said "Screw it" and moved on, figuring the kid wasn't worth the hassle.

Dave gave the kid space to work through the process and time to make his decision.

AJ noted in his Tweet that Duane and Dave's "unconditional support" is one of the reasons he's coming to Mason.

That is an excellent reputation for our coaches to have and one that will pay dividends with other recruits.

Welcome AJ! I'm ready for some of those headband highlights in a Mason uniform.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXFu9t7QSp8



View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvIeoLocpnw



View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iGiN6dEQKI&app=desktop

Let's not call out just one specific coach here, they come as a package and I'm sure the players love them all. Welcome AJ Wilson!!!!

Wow why say this, who cares? He committed. Last I checked Paulsen hired Duane. You guys are ridiculous.

I love this commitment. I really like the added athleticism next year with Boyd, Temara and now Wilson.

Seems germane to the conversation. Also doesn't seem critical of the head coach, just pointing out the value of the assistant coach.

Is he really being ridiculous? Or are you just being a bit sensitive?

I stand by the comment, which was complimentary of Dave and Duane. My comment was talking about the importance of hiring good assistants with local ties. Coach L constantly praised his assistants and their crucial roles in connecting with and bringing in recruits. I'm sure Dave would agree that Duane was instrumental in getting AJ on board.

Here's hoping Paulsen and his staff continue to tap the local market for talent.

Real slap in the face to the other assistants. Also, who cares

Was it a slap in the face to the other assistants when AJ only mentioned Duane in his commitment comments on social media? Of course not. Each assistant has their hand in bringing respective players on board,and I'll gladly sing their praises when they are mentioned publicly. In this case, Duane and Dave deserve to be singled out.

Would be nice to work some balance into our classes.

However thrilled to get him. Seems like just what we need.

So I just wanted to chime in once more to say, good luck to anyone trying to score against us with Goanar Mar and AJ Wilson at the two forward positions.

Just what the doctor ordered to defend all these quick A-10 wings.

Dave knows what he is doing.

Don't be surprised to see a redshirt or two from 2016 class.