GMU to the A-10

There's been recent news regarding the likely deportation of GMU, VCU and Butler to the A-10 from their respective conferences.  For Mason and VCU, the move is certainly in upgrade in competition and conference prestige.  The CAA has been impressive to some degree as a mid-major but has its limitations.  Apparently the A-10 feels that Mason and VCU are solid additions to an already deep basketball conference.  I don't see Mason competing very well against A-10 competition, at least during the first few years of the move.  Xavier, Temple, St. Josephs, Dayton, Richmond and St. Louis are all mid-major basketball teams with rich history and experience in the NCAA Tournament.  Dayton in particular is a mediocre program in the conference, and has given Mason fits the past couple years.  However, Mason has been finishing at the top of CAA for over a decade, so the adjustment may be beneficial in the long term  There's no telling when or how the players will fully adjust to Paul Hewitt's system.  Until then, lets hope we remain at the top of our current conference so the transition to the A-10 can be as smooth as possible.  Mason had an impressive recruiting class last year lead by Eric Copes and another one seems to be on the way, lead by local guard Patrick Holloway.  They'll be the first generation of Mason players to experience the A-10 competition if the move goes as planned.