One of the best stories in college basketball this season was the George Mason Patriots. George Mason was +1000 to win the Atlantic-10 regular-season title at the start of the season, and that’s exactly what they did.
The Patriots won 27 games in 2024 before falling short of March Madness, losing in the A-10 tournament. It was a great year for George Mason, which can be credited to head coach Tony Skinn. Now, George Mason just rewarded Skinn for his success with a brand new contract extension.
George Mason Signs Tony Skinn to a Contract Extension
Time and time again, Mid-Majors have great seasons and then their coaches are poached by Power Four schools. George Mason, however, is making that harder to happen after they signed head coach Tony Skinn to a contract through 2030.
In his first two seasons at George Mason, Skinn had a record of 47-21, and this year they were about a game away from making their first NCAA tournament since 2011.
There’s no doubt that after his success with the Patriots, other college basketball programs were looking to hire Skinn, and now the Patriots have him until at least 2030.
While the contract extension is a good sign for George Mason, it does not fully prevent another team from poaching Skinn.
If a team is willing to buy out his contract from George Mason, they can do so. The good news about the extension is that it raises that buy-out price tag, which could make Power Four teams a little less eager and willing to pay the price to get Skinn.
Skinn is a great coach and a great recruiter. He has brought in upper-echelon talent to a mid-major program and then developed that talent further to be able to compete on the court.
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If the Patriots can manage to keep Skinn for a couple of more seasons, there should be a few A-10 titles and tournament appearances in the future for George Mason.
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