Campbell, Pats capture CAA championship

By Dave Utnik

Published: March 10, 2008

RICHMOND—The ovation grew louder with every step that Folarin Campbell took up the ladder Monday night until George Mason University’s senior guard was finally perched just a few inches from the rim.

Then he paused a moment to acknowledge the hundreds of Patriots fans gathered around him.

He’d waited for seasons—an entire college career—to arrive at this pinnacle and he wanted at least a couple of seconds to reflect.

The Patriots had finally achieved the one major goal that has eluded them since Campbell arrived as a freshman and he understood what the nationally televised 68-59 victory over William & Mary in the Colonial Athletic Association Championship game meant not only to himself but to each of the players who were waiting to clip a piece of net off the rim.

As Doc Nix directed the Green Machine pep band in a rousing chorus of Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline, Campbell, the player that coach Jim Larranaga often refers to as the “face of George Mason basketball” gripped a pair of scissors in his hand and cut the first cere-monial strand—to the delight of at least half of the 9,122 fans in attendance.

For three days at Richmond Coliseum, Campbell wasn’t just a poster boy. He was also an MVP. After scoring 20 points, grabbing six rebounds and dishing out four assists against William & Mary, Campbell was named the tournament’s outstanding player. Teammate Will Thomas, the player next in line at the base of the ladder, was named to the all-tournament team following an 18-point, 13-rebound performance but the entire team basked in the glow of the pro-gram’s first CAA title since 2001 and the NCAA Tournament berth that accompanies it.

“Coming into this tournament we knew what it takes to win and we played tremendous defense for three straight games,“ Campbell said. “We have to continue that in the NCAA Tournament.“

They began play on Saturday as underdogs and the No. 3 seed, but the Patriots, who reached the finals a year ago before falling to Virginia Commonwealth, completely shut down three potentially lethal opponents and emerged as champions for the fourth time.

“It’s so important that defense be the consistent part of your game,“ Larranaga said. “It takes great effort, great heart and great determination and I think we did for three straight days.“

After defeating Northeastern and UNC Wilmington to reach the finals, Mason faced the daunting task of taming the tournament’s hottest team on Monday. William & Mary made it to the title game for the first time following thrilling last-second victories over Georgia State, Old Dominion and No. 1 seed VCU but the magical run ended despite 22 points from all-tournament selection Laimis Kisielius.

“Every guy on the William & Mary roster can shoot and make 3’s with consistency if left open,“ Larranaga said. “So we had to get our hands in their face. We did want to challenge every 3-pointer they took.“

For the most part, that is exactly what the Patriots did. William & Mary (17-16) shot 38 percent (19 of 50) overall and was 9 for 29 from 3-point range.

“We did feel very good coming into the tournament even though we lost at George Mason and lost at home to VCU at the end of the regular season. Both games were close and well-played,“ Tribe coach Tony Shaver said.

“I worried about one thing a little bit,“ he said. “One thing we did last week was practice cutting down the nets and in a foolish moment the staff talked me into sitting on the rim and I promised the team if we won I’d do it again.“

The Patriots (23-10) wound up being a much greater concern.

After leading by only one point at halftime, Mason opened the second half with a 21-9 run that essentially spoiled William & Mary’s upset hopes. Campbell hit three 3-pointers during that nine-minute stretch as the Patriots built a 48-35 advantage.

“I do think a win would have done unbelievable things for our program,“ Shaver said. “But quite honestly I think this whole weekend has done unbelievable things for our program and I don’t want a loss to a great team like George Mason to take that away.“

With their 2006 Final Four banner hanging from the rafters, the Patriots shot a combined 49 per-cent from the field and received 15 points from Prince William County’s duo of Chris Flem-ing (career-high 8 points) and Cam Long (7 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists).

And now, with a CAA trophy to go along with a 20-win season, the Patriots can turn their attention to Selection Sunday without worrying about whether or not they are part of the NCAA field.

“There’s no pressure on us. No one’s been talking about us,“ Thomas said. “This year we’re going to do the same thing we did two years ago, we’re going to have the most fun of any team in the NCAA Tournament.“