George Mason University Assistant Vice President/Director of Athletics Marvin Lewis has announced a contract extension for men’s basketball head coach Tony Skinn (’06) through the 2029-30 season.
The 2024-25 Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year, Skinn has quickly established himself as one of the top young head coaches in the nation.
He is the fastest George Mason coach to 40 wins in school history and has totaled the most overall victories (47) of any GMU bench boss over their first two seasons in Fairfax. His A-10 winning percentage (.667) is by far the best in the program’s 12 years in the league and his overall winning percentage (.703) is the best of any George Mason coach over their first two campaigns.
In 2024-25, Skinn led the Patriots to a share of their first-ever A-10 regular season title, the program’s first NIT victory since 2004 and a school record-tying 27 overall victories.
“We are thrilled that Tony Skinn will continue leading our men’s basketball program,” Lewis said. “There is no better ambassador for our university. Tony truly embodies what it means to be a Patriot. Under his leadership, we secured our first A-10 conference title and have elevated our national profile in the process. As one of the most dynamic young coaches in the country, retaining Tony was a top priority for our university. With him at the helm, the program’s brightest days are still to come.”
This past season, Skinn guided the Patriots to the best season in the program’s A-10 history. The Green & Gold set a new school record for Atlantic 10 league victories (15) and started league play 12-1 for the first time in the program’s 59-year history. The Patriots locked up a double bye in the A-10 Tournament for the first time and reached a conference title game for the first time since 2009.
George Mason tallied a school-record 18 home victories in 2024-25. The Patriots also swept their A-10 home schedule (9-0) for the first time ever and won five-straight A-10 road games for the first time in program annals. The team’s 11-game win streak from Jan. 8-Feb. 18 was the second longest in the nation at the time and was just the fourth 10+ game winning streak in school history.
Skinn is a national finalist for the Ben Jobe Award, given to the nation’s top minority head coach, and the Skip Prosser Man of the Year Award, which recognizes a Div. I head coach who wins with integrity both on and off the court.
“I’m proud of what we’ve built over these two years, most importantly because of where we’ve built it,” Skinn said. “George Mason gave me an opportunity 20 years ago, and without it, I wouldn’t be where I am today. It means the world to have reestablished the championship culture we took so much pride in as players here. I appreciate the continued support of Dr. Washington and Marvin Lewis as we navigate this new college basketball landscape and position ourselves on the national stage.”
George Mason’s elite Patriot Pressure defense ranked in the top-25 nationally this season and the Patriots led the nation in field goal defense. The team’s cumulative FG defense marked a Mason school record while its 3pt defense was second best all time.
Skinn has been instrumental in the development of dynamic players who have brought his Patriot Pressure vision to life. Senior Jared Billups became George Mason’s first conference Defensive Player of the Year since 2001 and is a finalist for the Lefty Driesell Award, given to the nation’s top defensive player.
Jalen Haynes earned NABC All-District First Team honors and was just the second All-A-10 First Team pick in school history. What’s more, Darius Maddox earned NABC All-District Second Team accolades and a position on the All-A-10 Third Team. Both Haynes and Maddox garnered A-10 All-Tournament accolades after shining on the national stage in DC this March.
Skinn has led the Patriots to 20 wins in each of his first two campaigns at the helm. Last season, he was named a finalist for the Joe B. Hall Award, given annually to the nation’s top first-time head coach.
Skinn extended through 2029-30 season at George Mason
