(Jordan Giles / Fourth Estate)
The defending A-10 champions enter the season “Believing Big Squared”
BY PETER MAHLER, STAFF WRITER
When a team surpasses all expectations, how much higher can the expectations be moving forward?
George Mason Women’s Basketball Coach Vanessa Blair-Lewis’ motto has always been to “Believe Big.” Rather than recapturing the success of the 2024-25 campaign, a season where the team reached March Madness for the first time, it’s about “Believing Big Squared.”
Before Blair-Lewis’s hiring, Mason won just 12 games over the span of two years, including a winless stretch against A-10 opponents in 2020-21. She instilled the belief that her players would one day hang banners in EagleBank Arena. To shift the culture of a losing program, Mason players were immediately challenged to envision future success.
“It was audacious,” Blaire-Lewis said, “because we hadn’t won the games yet. But that’s what belief is, right?”
After several years of steady improvement, the Patriots achieved their most successful season ever in 2024-25, reaching an overall record of 27-6 while going 14-4 against A-10 opponents for the second straight year.
Mason finally hung a banner last season, commemorating the school’s first-ever NCAA tournament appearance. In the A-10 tournament, they defeated Saint Joseph’s 73-58 to win the conference, a major achievement in their remarkable turnaround.
Even while riding the high of success, the Patriots’ hard work doesn’t stop after the tournament season ends.
“It was kind of like homework over the summer,” said junior forward Louis Volker when discussing the offseason, which included many one-on-one games and film study.
Volker, one of just four Patriots to play in every game last season, will have a greater role moving forward after coming off the bench last season. “One thing I can do every game is show up … whether it’s for five minutes or for 40,” she said.
With the team welcoming several freshmen, Volker embraces the opportunity she has to lead younger players while learning from them as well.
In addition to incoming freshmen, the Patriots enter their A-10 title defense having undergone an offseason of significant roster turnover.
Mason will be without key starters Nalani Kaysia, Paula Suárez and Ta’Viyanna Habib. Kaysia led the team with 9.7 rebounds per game in 2024-25, leaving Mason with a need for players who can replace her impact on the boards.
To help with this, Mason added forwards Maliyah “MJ” Johnson from Ball State and Hawa Komara from Rhode Island, two graduate students who provide presence in the paint.
Johnson says that she and Komara bring height, size and experience to Mason. “You really have to pick your poison in this lineup … like, you can’t leave one or sag off on the other.” She noted the value she and Komara can add on defense, saying they give the team length and versatility on switches.
Johnson says her integration with the team has been seamless. She credits the team’s 10-day trip to Spain in August for bringing her closer to her new teammates.
“When you spend eight hours on a flight with someone, you learn something new,” said Johnson. Having reached the NCAA tournament three times during her career at Ball State and Texas A&M, she brings a valuable March Madness pedigree.
Johnson defines these intangibles as ways to impact the game that don’t necessarily end up on the stat sheet, such as loose balls, deflections and bench energy.
Looking back on her freshman season at Texas A&M, she discussed the idea of being ready to contribute in any way possible when given the opportunity.
“If I had to be ‘Aliyah Boston in South Carolina,’ then I was gonna be the best Aliyah Boston I could be for my team,” she said. If Mason is getting a player who treats each play like she’s one of college basketball’s all-time greats, then Patriot fans are in for a treat.
Returning for the Patriots is Zahirah “ZaZa” Walton. She enters 2025-26 after leading the Patriots with 14.8 points per game last season. In addition to her scoring success, she also received numerous accolades, including A-10 All-Conference First Team and All-Defensive Team selections.
Walton, a junior, believes there is still room for improvement within her game. One of these areas is her voice.
As a star player, Walton recognizes the importance of leading her teammates both through her play and vocally as well.
“Coming up these past few years, I haven’t really been talking. So when my voice is heard, people have told me it means more,” said Walton.
She embodies the “Believe Big Squared” tenant that Blair-Lewis has consistently reiterated, particularly in her preparation. Walton says “taking things one day at a time” and “stacking good practices on top of each other” will help the Patriots find success.
For a team coming off such a historic season, Mason appears focused on the present and not what was done in the past. The Patriots will open the 2025-26 season in Philadelphia against Temple on Monday, Nov. 3.
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