Freedom High senior Cameron Long knew where he wanted to play college basketball. So the recruiting pitch from George Mason’s coaching staff during their home visit this month wasn’t for Long. It was for his mom, Myrtle, who is moving back to their hometown of Palm Bay, Florida next year and wants to make sure her son is taken care of.

Mission accomplished on that account. With his mother’s blessing, Long, a 6-foot-4, 180-pound guard, verbally committed to the Patriots on Sunday. He also had scholarship offers from George Washington, Virginia Tech, Penn State and Virginia Commonwealth, among others.

“I’ve had good experiences with the coaches and with the players at George Mason,” said Long, whose coach at Freedom, Ahmad Dorsett, played for the Patriots. “I know everybody there real well at this point. Now my mom feels that comfort level, too. That was important to us.”

Long averaged 15 points, six rebounds and five assists per game last season for the Eagles, who finished 4-23 after forfeiting most of their wins for using an ineligible player. Freedom still reached the Northwest Region Tournament semifinals and graduated just forward Bruce Black. The rest of the lineup returns intact for a team that is considered a region title contender.

George Mason is coming off a landmark NCAA Tournament run, becoming the first Colonial Athletic Association team to reach the Final Four. The Patriots finished 27-8 and beat Michigan State, North Carolina and Connecticut on the way to Indianapolis.