By Ed Morrone
RICHMOND, Va.-Even though it lost to the Pride in the semifinals of the CAA Tournament, George Mason still has high hopes for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. Unfortunately for the Patriots, if they do advance to the Big Dance, they will have to win their first game without senior guard Tony Skinn.
Skinn was suspended Monday by the team for one game for punching Pride junior guard Loren Stokes in the groin in the waning moments of Sunday’s 58-49 Blue & Gold win.
Television replays showed Skinn punching Stokes between the legs with 55 seconds remaining as both players stood on the court away from the ball.
No foul was called on the play, but Stokes laid on the floor for several minutes before walking gingerly to the bench, where he watched the rest of the game with an ice bag on his lap.
Pride head coach Tom Pecora said neither he nor the officials saw the play.
“What are you going to do? If they didn’t see it then they didn’t see it,” Pecora said. “It’s wrong that it happened, and if it did then shame on them, but the bottom line is you can’t let an incident like that mar a game like this. It was a really good college basketball game.”
Stokes didn’t play the rest of the game after he was hit by Skinn, but he played the next day in Monday’s championship game against UNC-Wilmington, a game the Pride lost, 78-67. Stokes showed no ill effects from Skinn’s punch, scoring a game-high 26 points.
After learning of his suspension on Monday, Skinn issued an apology to Stokes, the University, his teammates and George Mason fans.
“In the heat of a tense game, I lost my head and made a bad decision,” Skinn said in a statement released by the school. “I’m not making excuses for my actions and I take full responsibility for what I did. I want to take this opportunity to apologize to Loren Stokes, who I have great respect for. I also want to say I’m sorry to Hofstra University’s players, coaches and fans. They played a terrific game and that should not be overshadowed by what I did”
The Patriots (23-7) are still in good position to gain an at-large bid despite the loss. However, Skinn’s actions could affect George Mason’s seeding, or perhaps the team’s tournament hopes altogether. Skinn averaged 12.8 points and 31.7 points for the Patriots this season.