Flour, eggs, sugar, frosting.
The primary group of substances is for baking a cake. The second is for placing collectively a basketball staff.
George Mason ladies’s basketball head coach Vanessa Blair-Lewis strikes the connection between the 2 and likens a school basketball staff and season to baking a cake.
“The thrilling half comes from whenever you get all of them within the bowl and also you begin mixing it,” Blair-Lewis mentioned. “That’s what non-conference is. You begin mixing this collectively. We’re going to study some issues about ourselves, perhaps some lumps we received to sort of bang out and get the batter clean.
“Come convention time, we’re going to place that cake within the oven. You’re going to have the temperature all set, after which it’s going to bake. You’re going to search out out what you have got. This a part of it’s the thrilling half. You have got all of the substances, and also you’re simply beginning to stir it as much as discover out what this cake goes to appear to be. After which in March to have the ability to take it out of the oven and have fun.”
Blair-Lewis has fine-tuned the Patriots’ recipe.
George Mason gained its first Atlantic 10 championship in 2025 and earned its first NCAA Event berth. GMU gained a share of the A10 regular-season title final season, one other first for this system.
That’s a far cry from the three-win staff Blair-Lewis inherited when she took over this system in 2021.
“We simply went to work,” Blair-Lewis mentioned. “We believed sufficiently big that we weren’t stunned by the outcomes, and that’s the place our hashtag comes from, ‘consider large.’ In case you’re going to consider, you may as properly consider large. There’s no limits on believing. That’s part of my religion. That’s part of being faith-based. We believed large, and we did it. We did the factor that we mentioned we have been going to return right here to do. It’s nonetheless a large that may be woken up. We nonetheless have a lot extra to do right here.”
Hearken to the total interview with Blair-Lewis on the “Something However Mid” Podcast
The job is much from executed for Blair-Lewis and her workers. The Patriots misplaced all 5 starters and 7 of their high eight scorers from final season’s staff that went 26-10 and 16-2 within the Atlantic 10.
Regardless of the change, Blair-Lewis has a optimistic outlook on this upcoming season on account of GMU’s handful of holdovers and switch portal additions.
“I’m most likely extra excited than I’ve ever been,” she mentioned.
Mary Amoatang is the lone returning scorer from that high eight from final yr and gears up for her sophomore season after garnering All-Rookie and All-Defensive staff honors as a freshman. The Columbia, Md., native averaged 8.5 factors per recreation, which ranked third on the staff. He 2.2 steals per recreation tied for third within the A10. Amoatang additionally pulled down 2.8 rebounds and dished out 2.3 assists whereas capturing 39% from 3-point land.
“We’re so excited to have her again,” Blair-Lewis mentioned. “Her fireplace, her gutsiness, how she performs and her relentlessness on the market on the court docket are contagious. It’s infectious… Mary is unquestionably a frontrunner. She’s going to be why we’re actually profitable.”
The Pats’ portal haul consists of 9 gamers coming into this system.
“The portal has been nice,” Blair-Lewis mentioned. “We’ve got been capable of placed on the board each single factor we wished in a participant, and we have been capable of get it within the first shot. So, I’m so enthusiastic about this staff.”
One main addition from the portal for George Mason was guard Anovia Sheals. The junior led Austin Peay in scoring (14.1 factors per recreation) and was second in rebounding (5.9 per recreation) whereas she earned Second Staff All-ASUN honors final season. Sheals started her profession with the ASUN Sixth Participant of the Yr award in 2025.
“She undoubtedly performs either side of the ball,” Blair-Lewis mentioned. “She is quick. I’m telling you, she may be on one finish of the ground and the subsequent minute you blink, and he or she’s making a layup on the opposite finish. She not solely provides offense to us. I believe that’s what most individuals learn about her: she will put the ball within the gap. However defensively, she goes to be a nightmare.”
Different notable additions for the Pats embody Tia Dobson, who spent the final two seasons at UNC Wilmington; Lourdes Da Silva Costa, who transferred in from Alabama; and Summer time Yancy from UCF.
Dobson performed simply two video games final season for the Seahawks earlier than struggling a season-ending harm however averaged 5.8 factors, 3.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.4 steals per recreation as freshman the earlier yr. Da Silva Costa performed in 26 video games with the Crimson Tide. Yancy posted 6.4 factors, 2.1 assists, and 1.0 steal per recreation whereas making 16 begins for the Knights.
Mason opens the season with residence video games in opposition to Temple and Akron earlier than dealing with Maryland on the street. The Patriots can even go to Military and Princeton within the non-conference earlier than a house recreation with James Madison. They’ll compete in opposition to Vermont and Windfall within the Puerto Rico Clasico Thanksgiving weekend. Journeys to Liberty, Navy and Florida Gulf Coast spotlight December’s slate.
