Adding to an already stacked Atlantic-10 roster filled with upperclassmen talent, George Mason head coach Kim English acquired three graduate transfers this offseason to continue building on his depth of veteran talent.
While all three will join the Patriots from well respected programs including Ginika Ojiako arriving from Virginia Tech and Saquan Singleton transferring in from New Mexico, perhaps neither have caught the attention of fans and media more so then 6-foot-4 guard Victor Bailey who finds himself in Fairfax following stints at both Oregon and Tennessee.
An Austin, Texas native, Bailey began his career with the Ducks struggling for time off the bench across two seasons while still averaging a respectable 7.1 PPG, 1.9 RPG, and .9 APG in 73 career appearances with eight as a starter only earning about 17.9 minutes per game.
Despite gradual improvement between his freshman and sophomore seasons in Eugene, a transfer to Knoxville would see Bailey’s playing time and stats drastically improve and after a redshirt season for Tennessee he’d go on to average 10.9 PPG, 2 RPG, and 1.6 APG as a junior while playing a boosted 24.8 minutes per game.
However, with Volunteers head coach Rick Barnes securing one of the nation’s best recruiting classes heading into the 2021/22 season, Bailey would take a back seat for his senior year managing just 9.6 minutes per game and averaging a meager 2.6 PPG before requesting a transfer this offseason and joining George Mason with his final year of eligibility.
With an opportunity to battle for starting minutes in Kim English’s lineup, the Atlantic-10 could very well see the Victor Bailey that was a dominant scorer for Tennessee, shooting 49% from the field and 34% from three and dropping a career-high 29 points against South Carolina.
But even if George Mason can’t find that Victor Bailey, the program is still getting a very exciting veteran with high-major and NCAA Tournament experience and somebody who will be more than capable of running their explosive offense next season.
