Pearson, a 6'6"
small forward from
Far Rockaway, Queens, New York, played high school basketball at
Christ the King Regional High School in Queens. He committed to play college basketball at
George Mason in
Fairfax, Virginia for head coach
Jim Larranaga. In his freshman season of
2008–09, Pearson 7.0
points and 3.6
rebounds per game, earning a spot on the
Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) All-rookie team. As a sophomore, Pearson entered the Patriots' starting lineup, averaging 11.9 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. As a junior, Pearson led the Patriots to a 26–7 record and a CAA regular-season championship. George Mason went to the
2011 NCAA Tournament, losing to #1 seed
Ohio State in the third round. Pearson increased his averages to 14.2 points and 6.7 rebounds per game and gaining second-team all-CAA honors. For his career, Pearson scored 1,626 points and collected 806 rebounds. ==Professional career==