After the dust settled from Saturday night’s thrilling 14-point late comeback win over St. Bonaventure, there were no shortage of words that could be used to describe the George Mason University men’s basketball team. But one rang out above the rest: special.
It was the 20th win of the season for Tony Skinn‘s squad, marking the fastest — both by date and by number of games — that the men’s program at GMU has ever reached 20 wins. With the victory, Skinn also became the first coach in program history to record three consecutive 20-win seasons, doing so in his first three at the helm. That’s right: not even his mentor, the legendary Jim Larranaga, ever accomplished this feat.
It was only fitting that the milestone victory was achieved in such an improbable fashion, one that followed a script that is not unfamiliar for Mason this season. For about 35 minutes, it felt like the Patriots had no chance. They fell behind early and stayed behind, and every time the momentum swung in their favor, St. Bonaventure took it right back. Then, in the blink of an eye, they stole control and left the opposition wondering what in the world had happened to them. As a fan, it’s the type of win that puts a smile on your face that doesn’t wear off the entire rest of the night. You consume as much postgame media as you possibly can, and you go to bed thinking about just how proud you are to be able to root for a team like this one.
That’s been life for George Mason fans for the past two years. Not only is the team putting together consistent results for the first time since joining the Atlantic 10, but they’re doing it with Tony Skinn as their coach. Nobody in Fairfax needs an explanation of what Skinn’s name means to GMU, and for that reason, he almost had no choice but to succeed when he was hired in 2023 to replace Kim English. Bringing in a program alumnus to lead your school can be a true gift, but it can also backfire, and when it backfires, it tends to get ugly. It divides the fanbase between those who will make endless excuses for the coach simply because of who he is, and those who will turn their backs and never look at him the same way again. It becomes an impossible situation in which the school must ultimately push sentimentality aside to do what needs to be done.
If Skinn hadn’t turned out to be the right man for the job, it would have generated absolutely insufferable discourse that would have made every fan’s viewing experience nothing short of miserable. Thankfully, nobody has to worry about that, because instead, Mason has been blessed with the best possible type of coach: an “Our Guy.” Someone whose job security is unquestioned, whose teams can always be trusted to compete at a high level, and above all, whose presence embodies the spirit of the program in such a way that makes every game feel more meaningful because of the fact that he is on the sidelines.
When your coach is someone with an authentic connection to your school, it amplifies the thrill of victory tenfold. And for Skinn, it’s not just any connection. It’s a connection to the greatest team in Mason’s history, to this day the most improbable Final Four run the NCAA Tournament has ever seen. Before he’d even coached a single game for the Patriots, he never had to buy another drink in Fairfax. Now he’s taken what was already a legendary status at GMU and he’s enhanced it. He’s transformed the culture. He’s brought “Patriot Pressure” and “Teeth.” He’s made Mason “NoVA’s Team.” He’s given each one of his groups their own nickname corresponding with the age of the program, because as he so often emphasizes in the press room, he wants the squads he coaches to be just as special as the ones he played on. He is Our Guy.
It would be absolutely wonderful if he could stay Our Guy forever. If he could become as synonymous with the George Mason basketball brand — albeit on a much smaller scale — as a Roy Williams at North Carolina or a Jim Boeheim at Syracuse, a Bob Huggins at West Virginia or a Matt Painter at Purdue. However, the harsh reality no one wants to think about is that the more he wins, the harder it’s going to be to keep him home. Maryland already nearly pried him away last year. Others will likely follow suit this offseason. And, at some point or another, he is going to be offered an opportunity he can’t refuse.
If this was ten years ago, Skinn might be well on his way toward building Mason into the Gonzaga of the Atlantic 10. But in the NIL and Transfer Portal Era, there will likely never be another Gonzaga, as sad as it is to say. College basketball will never have another Mark Few, or another Brian Dutcher, or even another Greg Kampe, someone who’s a true mid-major loyalist for life. Program icon or not.
Only time will tell how long the magical atmosphere Skinn has built at Mason will last. But there will come a day when it will be gone. And when that day comes, you’ll wish you had it back. You’ll wish you had a coach who truly bleeds green and gold. You’ll wish you could be 20-2, in the at-large conversation, receiving votes in the AP poll. You’ll wish you could experience wins like the one against St. Bonaventure.
You are experiencing that now. Tony Skinn is the head coach of the George Mason men’s basketball program. Team 60 is breaking all-time school records. You have Patriot Pressure. You have Teeth. You have NoVA’s Team. You have something special.
As Andy Bernard from The Office once said, “I wish there was a way to know when you’re in the good old days.” Right now, George Mason is living in the good old days. Let’s cherish them for as long as they’re here.