# 1996–97 George Mason Patriots men's basketball team

The 1996–97 George Mason Patriots Men's basketball team represented George Mason University during the 1996–97 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. This was the 31st season for the program, the fourth and final under head coach Paul Westhead. The Patriots played their home games at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Virginia.
In the CAA tournament, the Patriots lost to Richmond in the first round.

## Honors and awards

Colonial Athletic Association All-Conference Team
* Nate Langley
Colonial Athletic Association All-Rookie Team
* Ahmad Dorsett
Colonial Athletic Association All-Defensive Team
* Nate Langley

## Player statistics

| Player | GP | FG% | 3FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
| Nate Langley | 27 | .428 | .299 | .669 | 4.9 | 2.4 | 3.0 | 0.4 | 20.9 |
| Demetrius Somerville | 10 | .444 | .425 | .833 | 1.7 | 1.6 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 12.6 |
| George Redd | 27 | .441 | .293 | .675 | 7.4 | 0.9 | 1.3 | 0.1 | 11.8 |
| Avery Carey | 27 | .449 | .338 | .698 | 4.9 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 11.1 |
| Contrell Scott | 27 | .388 | .266 | .745 | 2.9 | 4.7 | 1.9 | 0.2 | 9.9 |
| Nik Mirich | 26 | .429 | .235 | .627 | 5.5 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 5.2 |
| Kevin Ward | 23 | .404 | .750 | .704 | 3.6 | 4.8 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 4.8 |
| Ahmad Dorsett | 27 | .379 | .191 | .556 | 1.5 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 4.6 |
| Bernard Wanjara | 24 | .486 | .000 | .611 | 4.5 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 3.8 |
| Leighton Henry | 24 | .375 | .240 | .385 | 1.5 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 2.0 |
| Lee Brown | 20 | .341 | .182 | .700 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 1.9 |
| Michael Sharp | 25 | .423 | .000 | .385 | 2.2 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 1.1 |
| Shawn Woods | 4 | .500 | .000 | 1.000 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 1.0 |

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site city, state |
| Non-conference regular season ||||||
| November 23, 1996* | | Alabama State | W 97–66 | 1–0 | Patriot Center Fairfax, VA |
| November 30, 1996* | | Virginia | L 93–106 | 1–1 | Patriot Center Fairfax, VA |
| December 3, 1996* | | Morehead State | W 107–98 | 2–1 | Patriot Center Fairfax, VA |
| December 7, 1996* | | Colorado | W 85–81 | 3–1 | Patriot Center (2,481) Fairfax, VA |
| December 10, 1996* | | at Long Beach State | W 78–70 | 4–1 | The Pyramid Long Beach, CA |
| December 14, 1996* | | at Ohio State | L 72–102 | 4–2 | St. John Arena Columbus, OH |
| December 20, 1996* | | St. Francis (PA) | W 96–95 | 5–2 | Patriot Center Fairfax, VA |
| December 29, 1996* | | at Akron | L 86–99 | 5–3 | James A. Rhodes Arena Akron, OH |
| CAA regular season ||||||
| January 2, 1997 | | VCU Rivalry | L 70–75 | 5–4 (0–1) | Patriot Center Fairfax, VA |
| January 4, 1997 | | at UNC Wilmington | W 63–59 | 6–4 (1–1) | Trask Coliseum Wilmington, NC |
| January 6, 1997 | | at East Carolina | L 74–80 | 6–5 (1–2) | Minges Coliseum Greenville, NC |
| January 8, 1997 | | Old Dominion | L 85–94 | 6–6 (1–3) | Patriot Center Fairfax, VA |
| January 13, 1997 | | at James Madison | L 80–85 | 6–7 (1–4) | JMU Convocation Center Harrisonburg, VA |
| January 15, 1997 | | Richmond | W 98–86 $^{OT}$ | 7–7 (2–4) | Patriot Center Fairfax, VA |
| January 18, 1997 | | at American | L 75–84 | 7–8 (2–5) | Bender Arena Washington, DC |
| January 25, 1997 | | William & Mary | W 70–67 | 8–8 (3–5) | Patriot Center Fairfax, VA |
| January 29, 1997 | | at VCU Rivalry | L 77–90 | 8–9 (3–6) | Richmond Coliseum Richmond, VA |
| February 1, 1997 | | East Carolina | L 81–85 | 8–10 (3–7) | Patriot Center Fairfax, VA |
| February 3, 1997 | | UNC Wilmington | L 61–81 | 8–11 (3–8) | Patriot Center Fairfax, VA |
| February 5, 1997 | | at Richmond | L 69–86 | 8–12 (3–9) | Robins Center Richmond, VA |
| February 8, 1997 | | James Madison | L 63–67 | 8–13 (3–10) | Patriot Center Fairfax, VA |
| February 12, 1997* | | at Alabama State | L 79–81 | 8–14 | Dunn–Oliver Acadome Montgomery, AL |
| February 15, 1997 | | William & Mary | L 85–89 | 8–15 (3–11) | William & Mary Hall Williamsburg, VA |
| February 22, 1997 | | at Old Dominion | L 62–85 | 8–16 (3–12) | ODU Fieldhouse Norfolk, VA |
| February 25, 1997 | | American | W 79–70 | 9–17 (4–12) | Patriot Center Fairfax, VA |
| 1997 CAA tournament ||||||
| February 28, 1997 | (9) | vs. (8) Richmond First Round | L 57–85 | 9–18 | Richmond Coliseum Richmond, VA |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time. ||||||