George Washington Colonials
Overall Rank: #69
Conference Rank: #4 Atlantic 10
George Washington Team Page
2010-11: 17-14, 10-6
2010-11 postseason: none
Coach: Mike Lonergan (First year at George Washington, 126-68 overall)
In the middle part of the last decade George Washington was a consistent power in the Atlantic 10. Those days ended over the last four seasons as former Coach Karl Hobbs struggled to regain the programs former glory. However, Coach Hobbs did not leave the cupboard bare for new coach Mike Lonergan. This is a very talented team that any coach would be happy to have, but Lonergan should have no trouble taking them to the postseason. Having Tony Taylor on the team will help Coach Lonergan make the transition to GW. The 6-1 senior led the Colonials with 15.0 points and 4.6 assists. He is not the best shooter around, but he is enough of an outside threat to keep the defense honest. That allows him to use his quickness to get to the basket where he can finish or find an open teammate.
Who’s Out:
The only major loss is that of center Joseph Katuka. Tim Johnson and Chris Fitzgerald are also gone, but George Washington spent most of last season without those two anyway. Katuka joined Taylor as the only player to start all 31 games during the 2010-2011 campaign. The big man emerged as a pretty consistent interior scorer and averaged 8.1 points and 5.0 rebounds during his senior season. The good news is that this group has plenty of potential and plenty of options for replacing Katuka.
Who’s In:
A couple of those options are incoming freshmen Jonathan Davis and John Kopriva. The Colonials should not have to rely on the newcomers too much, but Davis will likely be asked to at least play a dozen minutes per game or so. And he has the potential to do more than that. This is not a team with a ton of size now that Katuka is gone. Davis is not that big at 6-7 and 215 pounds, but this team may have to play smaller at times and Davis will be in the mix.
Who to Watch:
Nemanja Mikic is back to man the power forward position. Mikic is pretty much a power forward in name only. The 6-8 Serbian spends a majority of his time on the offensive end beyond the arc. Last year 5.5 of his 6.6 shots per game were from long range. That is great on offense, especially since he connects on an impressive 43.6 percent of his three-point attempts, but it does not help on the glass. Small forward Dwayne Smith will have to help in the rebounding department once again. He averaged 5.1 per contest a year ago and the 6-6 junior also ranked second on the team with 9.3 points per game. Smith will have some pressure on him to be a solid rebounder as well as the team’s dynamic scoring threat who can finish above the rim. Yet, this group also needs a true big man and David Pellom can fill that role. At 6-8 and 215 pounds, Pellom has the size and the mentality to play the five spot. He started a dozen games last season and led the team in rebounding. The more intriguing option is Jabari Edwards. He was limited last season with an injury, but Edwards is a shot blocking machine who can hit the glass hard. If he stays healthy, and out of foul trouble, Edwards and Pellom should be able to handle all the minutes at the five spot and then this team will not be forced to play small.
Final Projection:
George Washington really missed the outside shooting ability of Lasan Kromah last season. After averaging 11.8 points and knocking down 35.6 percent of his long balls as a freshman, Kromah missed the 2010-2011 campaign with a foot injury. His return gives Coach Lonergan a big guard who can help out on the glass and score in a variety of ways. Bryan Bynes and Aaron Ware were forced into a little more playing time than they were ready for with Kromah on the sidelines. That experience will be very helpful now as those two will come in off of the bench and give George Washington plenty of options on the perimeter. This group should have enough depth all over the floor, especially if Edwards can stay healthy. He may be the key to this team with his ability to block shots and grab rebounds. If Edwards can play about 25 minutes per game, the Colonials will be a surprise team in the A-10. Even if he struggles to return from his knee injury, Pellom can play some ball and this is a group that has more than enough talent to reach the NIT.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NIT
Projected Starting Five:
Tony Taylor, Senior, Guard, 15.0 points per game
Lasan Kromah, Junior, Guard, DNP last season
Dwayne Smith, Junior, Forward, 9.3 points per game
Nemanja Mikic, Sophomore, Forward, 8.1 points per game
Jabari Edwards, Senior, Forward, 2.4 points per game
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