I’d love to be a perennial top 75 team and make the tournament, really wish we made it last year because last years team would crush this years squad. Hard to get an entirely new team to play tight, hopefully they figure it out by conference play.
This is the fundamental quandary for Mason in the NIL era.
Last year’s team was so connected because the core guys — Darius, Jared, Woody and Jalen — were all in their second year with Tony, complemented by BOC, Zach, KD and Gio.
But is Mason ever going to spend on players at the level of vcu, SLU and Dayton, so the staff can afford to keep an all-A10 player with remaining eligibility like Haynes or Okojie?
Robbie Avila and Rafael Castro stayed at SLU and GW, respectively, because they both got paid enough that it was worth passing up a P4 bag to stay with a coach and situation they enjoy. Same for Max Shulga at vcu last season.
Meanwhile, Tony has to watch his first-team all-A10 big walk to Cincy for a million bucks and backfill that spot as best he can with basically no money.
Rebuilding an NCAA at-large caliber roster every year at our level isn’t difficult, it’s basically impossible.
We’re punching above our weight class because we have the best coach in the A-10, but being a perennial top-75 program is an unrealistic ask unless the university gives him the resources to acquire and retain high-end A-10 talent.
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