NCAAB – ATLANTIC 10
Arena: Charles E. Smith Center
Coach: Jamion Christian
TEAM LEADERS
George Washington Colonials
Team Summary
The 2021-22 George Washington team appears to be continuing the downward trend under once promising coach Jamion Christian. Christian was never a world beater at his previous stops but rose from the Northeast Conference to the Atlantic 10 in just eight seasons.
This season’s Colonial squad is far better on paper than what they have shown on the court. With a roster full of former high-level recruits that “transferred down” the expectations should have been higher and the results should be better.
James Bishop, the Colonials’ current leading scorer, once committed to Louisiana State University before transferring to GW. Bishop led the team in scoring last season at nearly 20 points per game but is scoring 3.5 fewer points this season and is far less efficient.
Some of Bishop’s regression could be due to the arrival of Joe Bamisile. Bamisile, a top 100 recruit in the 2020 class, originally committed and played for Virginia Tech before transferring. He has broken out as a sophomore averaging 13.8 points per game which is 10.3 ppg higher than his freshman output. Of course, the problem is he is not efficient from behind the three-point line or the charity stripe.
Ira Lee, a once promising player at Arizona, ruptured his patella tendon in August and will miss the entire season.
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Colonials History
Like many of the Atlantic 10 schools, the George Washington program is well traveled. The program started out as an independent in 1912 and remained as such until joining the Southern Conference in 1941. Their overall record in 105 seasons is 1,370-1,193 which is a winning percentage of 53.5%.
Following their exodus from the SoCon, the Colonials joined the Eastern Collegiate Basketball League for a single season before joining the Eastern Athletic Association. GW stayed ith the EAA for just five seasons before joining the Atlantic 10 in 1982.
The program found its groove in the 1950s, specifically from 1953-1956 when they were ranked in the top each season and as high as fifth in the nation. They made the NCAA tournament in 1953-54 after a record of 23-3. They, unfortunately, lost in the first round and ended the season ranked 12th in the nation.
The program peaked between 1992-2013 through multiple head coaching changes. The Colonials participated in nine NCAA Tournaments and three postseason NITs. They were ranked in the preseason AP Poll three times and as high as sixth in the 2005-06 season.
2022 Key Stats
To put it as plainly as possible, George Washington has not been good in any facet of the game during the first half of the 2021-22 season. The Colonials rank 319th in adjusted offensive efficiency and 202nd in adjusted defensive efficiency.
As stated above, individual talent has not produced winning results on the court. While players are putting up nice counting statistics, the efficiency numbers are horrific. The Colonials rank 304th in the nation in effective field goal percentage and 316th in three-point percentage offense. George Washington is 321st in the nation in points scored per game at 64 points and 248th in the nation in defensive points per game at 71.4.
The Colonials don’t keep opponents off of the offensive glass, ranking 309th and they shoot just 64.7% from the free throw line as a team that ranks 335h in the nation.
Championships
Apart from their recent struggles, the program has been an overall success. The Colonials have won three regular season conference championships and five conference tournament championships. The most recent coming in 2007 when Karl Hobbs led the team to a 23-8 regular season record.
George Washington also won the postseason National Invitational Tournament in 2016 under coach Mike Lonergan. The Colonials were led by Tyler Cavanaugh and a roster that would eventually see three of its players appear in the NBA.
Important George Washington Events
The entire 2005-06 season was a special event for the George Washington program. Karl Hobbs led the Colonials to a fantastic 26-2 regular season record and the Atlantic 10 championship.
The team was ranked as high as sixth in the nation and defeated two of the top 12 teams in the nation in Michigan State and Maryland in the BB&T Classic. The tournament was held each season from 1995-2017 in Washington D.C. and was typically dominated by the Terrapins, making the tournament championship that much sweeter.
The Colonials received an at-large bid that season and won their first-round matchup against UNC-Wilmington. GW ran into a buzz saw of a Duke team in the second round eventually losing to the 31-3 Blue Devils by 13 points.
Top Players in Program History
As one might assume, a number of tremendous players have passed through the George Washington program. Joe Holup would be considered the best player in program history by many. Holup played for the Colonials from 1953-1956 and is still the second all-time leading scorer with 2,226 points and snatching 2,030 rebounds. He is still the only player in program history to be a part of the 2,000-2,000 club.
Chris Monroe is the leading scorer in program history with 2,249 points. The 6’3 guard averaged 16.1 points per game as a freshman and never looked back. Not only was he a high volume scorer from the perimeter but he was also effective at getting to the line averaging 8.1 free throw attempts for his career. Monroe remains the third all-time leading scorer in Atlantic 10 history.
Arguably the best duo in program history is guard Shawnta Rogers and big man Alexander Koul. The two played together from 1995-1998 and made a couple of NCAA Tournaments together.
Rogers ranks sixth in program history for points scored at 1,701 while Koul is seventh with 1,656 points scored. Koul also ranks eighth on the program rebounding list with 889 while Rogers is the program leading assist man with 634. Koul is also the all-time leader in blocks with 188.
Historical Coaches
The Colonials have made some fantastic hires in their program’s history but not all have turned out well for the program.
William Reinhardt led the program on two separate occasions and is the all-time leader in coaching wins at the program with a record of 319-237. Of course, the 237 losses make him by far the coach with the most losses in program history.
Mike Jarvis is arguably the best coach in program history. Jarvis led the team to four NCAA Tournament births during the 1990s including a sweet sixteen appearance in 1993. Before leaving the program to lead St. Johns he became the winningest coach by percentage in program history at 62.8% (min. 100 games).
Karl Hobbs is likely most GW fans’ selection for the greatest coach in program history. Hobbs led the program from 2001-2011, making three NCAA tournaments and an NIT appearance. The Colonials won two A-10 tournament championships and a regular season title under his watch. The program struggled following the 2007 tournament appearance and Hobbs was released from his contract in April of 2011.
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George Washington Colonials FAQs
Who is George Washington’s All-Time leading scorer?
Chris Monroe leads is the All-Time leader in points at 2,249 points scored.
What is the most points a George Washington player has ever scored in a season?
SirValiant Brown scored 738 points during the 1999-00 season in 30 games played.
When was the last time George Washington was ranked in the AP Poll?
The program was ranked as high as 20th in the nation during the 2015-16 season which was Mike Lonergan’s final season leading the program.
Who is George Washington’s All-Time leader in steals?
Shawnta Rogers is the all-time leader in steals with 310.
When was the last time that George Washington won 20 games in a season?
The Colonials went 20-15 during the 2016-17 season which was the first under Maurice Joseph who replaced Mike Lonergan on an interim basis. He was named the permanent replacement but only won 24 games over the next two seasons before being relieved of his duties.
