Upper Marlboro's Allen Welcomes New Mason Coach

Paul Hewitt, who was born in Kingston, Jamaica and grew up in Queens, N.Y., was introduced Monday as the new men's basketball coach at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA. Hewitt is the first person of color to hold that job in school history, but that was not a concern for Bryon Allen of Upper Marlboro.

"Race does not matter to me," said Allen, an African-American who was a reserve freshman for George Mason this past season.

Allen credited the five-person search committe, led by athletic director Tom O'Connor, that hired Hewitt. And what really mattered to Allen, a 6-foot-3 guard who ended his prep career at St. Thomas More in Connecticut?

"He is a great coach," Allen told Patch after the news conference at the Mason Inn on the university's campus. "If you can coach, you can coach."

Hewitt takes over for Jim Larranaga, who led Mason to the Final Four in 2006. Larranaga, after 14 seasons at Mason, took the head job at Miami of Florida last month while Hewitt was fired at Georgia Tech after last season. Both Miami and Georgia Tech are members of the Atlantic Coast Conference. Mason is annually one of the top programs in the Colonial Athletic Association.

Another player with local ties for Mason last season was Isaiah Tate, who grew up in the Largo High district and played at DeMatha Catholic High in Hyattsville. Tate, who completed his senior season, told Patch at the end of last season he hoped to play overseas if a pro league in North America does not work out.

Allen, who still has family in Upper Marlboro, came off the bench in 27 games last season and averaged 5.8 minutes and 1.4 points per game. Fellow freshman Rashad Whack (McNamara) of Hyattsville came off the bench in 22 games and averaged 5.3 minutes and 0.8 points per contest. He planned to leave the Mason program but that could change with a new coach in Hewitt, Allen said.

Hewitt is no stranger to Prince George's County players. At Georgia Tech, one of his top players was guard Jarrett Jack, who grew up in Fort Washington and played at St. Vincent Pallotti High in Laurel for one season before heading to Mt. Zion in North Carolina.

Jack, who played for Hewitt on a Final Four team at Georgia Tech in 2004, has played several years in the NBA. His mother, Louise, was on hand to watch Hewitt meet the media and Mason boosters on Monday afternoon.

She said her son was recruited by dozens of schools but she was impressed with Hewitt and his emphasis on academics. "It is not just lip service. And he is family oriented," Jack said of Hewitt, who is married to Dawnette and has three daughters.

Jack, whose NBA season ended a few days ago with New Orleans, was invited to Miami for the playoffs by former Georgia Tech teammate Chris Bosh, according to his mother. Bosh now plays for the Miami Heat.

Another person on hand Monday was Jim Emery, who lives in Ellicott City and has coached youth hoops in Howard County. He used to coach in upstate New York in the 1980s against St. John Fisher College, where Hewitt played. Emery is also a former assistant coach at George Mason.

Hewitt said he figured he would stay out of coaching for at least one season and admitted that the Georgia Tech run drained him emotionally. But after talking to friends he realized Mason was a good job. "I am happy to be back in the game," he said.

The Patriots made the NCAA tourney last season and knocked off Villanova in the first round before losing to Ohio State. "This was too good to turn down," said Hewitt, a former Villanova assistant coach who was also the head coach at Siena before going to Georgia Tech.

Hewitt, who turns 48 on Wednesday, said he understood the importance of his role as a high-profile coach at Mason. "You understand you are one of the leaders on campus," Hewitt said.

It took about a week for Mason to find a new coach after Larranaga left for South Beach.

"This was a team effort," O'Connor said Monday. "We were looking for a coach who could teach. We wanted someone who could recruit."

Mason President Alan G. Merten, who will step down next year, said Monday: "The men's basketball program is extremely important. Today we open a new chapter in men's basketball history."

When Mason made the Final Four in 2006, all five starters were from Maryland. That included Lamar Butler, who played at Oxon Hill High. A redshirt that season for the Patriots was John Vaughan, a former Laurel High standout. Butler and the other four starters from the 2006 team (Will Thomas, Jai Lewis, Folarin Campbell and Tony Skinn) have all played pro ball overseas.