Dewhurst easing his way back

Noting the 49ers as they prepare for Thursday's game against George Mason at the Charleston Classic:

-- Injury update: Charles Dewhurst (knee) has been doing some light running at practice and might be back as early as next week. K.J. Sherrill (knee) is still several weeks from being back.

-- Shamari Spears' 13-of-16 free throw performance against S.C. State were career highs for attempts and makes for him. Same for Chris Braswell, who was 11 for 17 (the 11 made tied his career high against Richmond last season).

The 49ers would do well to pound it inside like that against George Mason.

-- The 49ers have averaged 28 3-pointers per game and are hitting just 26.8 percent. That's dragged down by Derrio Green (3 of 18) and Gokhan Sirin (3 of 11).
-- Charlotte is shooting 39.2 percent from the field. Take away the 3's, however, and it jumps to 50 percent.
Just saying.

-- George Mason has five starters back from a team that played in last season's Collegeinsider.com tournament. Watch for guard Cam Long and forward Ryan Pearson, both dangerous scorers and effective rebounders.

-- Funny quote from Derrio Green, when I asked him to compare the coaching styles of Alan Major and Bobby Lutz: "I'm not trying to be mean, but there's something about short people getting mad. When coach Lutz got mad, he got your attention. I love coach Lutz. Coach Major is a little more laid back. But they both know how to get their point across."

--  Charleston ticket info: All six sessions (12 games) , $90 each. Single-session tickets (two games), $20 each. Booster tickets are available for $50, allowing entrance to all three sessions (six games) involving the pre-designated team of choice. Groups of 10 or more receive half off on booster tickets. Information:

www.CharlestonClassic.com or call 843-953-2632.