George Mason coach Kim English has added Colorado guard D’Shawn Schwartz and Morehead State guard DeVon Cooper to the Patriots’ roster for 2020-2021.
Schwartz, a grad transfer, has one season of eligibility remaining. Cooper just completed his redshirt-junior campaign at Morehead State, where he earned All-OVC accolades while leading the Eagles to the 2021 NCAA Tournament.
A three-year starter for the Buffaloes, Schwartz tallied 1,026 career points and made 156 three-pointers over his four seasons in Boulder.
A consensus four-star prospect, Schwartz was an ESPN100 recruit out of high school, rated as the 69th best player in the nation and the top player in the state of Colorado. Rivals listed Schwartz at the No. 67 spot nationally while Scout had him at 89th and the 19th best wing in the country.
This past season, the Colorado Springs product put together his most efficient campaign to date. Schwartz averaged 9.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and shot a sizzling 40 percent from three-point range, playing an integral part in Colorado’s run to the NCAA Round of 32. The Buffaloes finished the season eighth overall in KenPom.
Schwartz averaged 15.5 points, 3.0 assists and shot 64.7 percent from the floor in two 2021 NCAA Tournament games while making 66.7 percent of his three-point attempts. He tallied 18 points and made 5-of-7 three-pointers in the NCAA first round win over Georgetown.
“D’Shawn got a taste of winning in the NCAA Tournament this past season,” English said. “His hunger to get back to the Big Dance appealed to what we are trying to re-create here at Mason. I coached D’Shawn for two seasons with the Buffs and Coach Tomlinson coached him for three. That trust and familiarity played a big role in us choosing each other.”
Cooper was the second leading scorer at Morehead State this past season, averaging 12.5 points per game, shooting 36.6 percent from three-point range, and added 4.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists per contest.
Cooper played his best basketball during the most critical part of the season. En route to OVC All-Tournament Team honors, he averaged 17.0 points, 4.7 assists and shot 55.6 percent from three-point range during the Eagles’ run to the OVC title.
Then in the NCAA Tournament vs. third-seeded West Virginia, Cooper poured in a team-best 21 points, dished out six assists and made five three-pointers on eight attempts during a near upset of the Mountaineers.
“DeVon can play any backcourt spot and is extremely motivated as a defender,” English added. “I know Mason Nation is going to fall in love with DeVon Cooper and his game.”
Over his three-plus seasons with the Eagles, Cooper tallied 860 points, dished out 171 assists and made 133 three-pointers at a career 35.5 percent clip. He started 75 of 98 games, including all 31 this past season.
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