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| INSIDE THE NUMBERS |
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2000-01 record: 12-16;
5-11 in A-10 (5th/West)
Postseason: None. Last NCAA appearance was in 1999.
RETURNING LEADERS
Points: Monroe 21.1
Rebs: Monroe 6.1
Assists: Miller 3.9
FG: Forchion 48.4%
3pt: Monroe 36.9%
FT: Miller 81.1%
01-02 Stats: GW | A-10
KEY LOSSES
Jaason Smith | 9.5 ppg
PROJECTED STARTERS
G | T.J. Thompson| Soph
G | Chris Monroe | Senior
G | Greg Colluccis | Junior
F | Tamal Forchion | Junior
C | A. Kireev | Fresh
Player to Watch
Chris Monroe
Senior Guard
Last year's second-leading scorer in A-10 is on pace for 2,000 career points.
DATE TO REMEMBER
The Colonials open the season with a trip to Connecticut, where they not only will face another team with three standout guards (Taliek Brown, Tony Robertson and Ben Gordon), but also Hobbs' former employer. He was a longtime Jim Calhoun assistant.
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GEORGE WASHINGTON
COLONIALS
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The Colonials skidded to a 2-11 record down the stretch last season, but Karl Hobbs' second team ought to be much deeper, and better, than his first. For one thing, he's got three full-time starters back and two others who started 16 of the team's 28 games last season. For another, two reserves who received double-digit minutes per game are back. And finally, a four-player freshman class includes at least two players who ought to make an immediate impact. The best player on the team will be one of the best players in the conference, senior guard Chris Monroe (21.1 ppg), who is the top returning scorer in the A-10. He won't have to shoulder the load alone; far from it. Two other guards also are back - a penetrating point, 5-11 T.J. Thompson (9.8 ppg, 4.2 apg), and a sharp-shooting wing, 6-3 Greg Collucci (10.4 ppg). The starter at center probably will be a huge Ukrainian, 6-11 Alexander Kireev, who should provide bulk in the middle if nothing else - but he is said to have some skill, too.
TOUGH ENOUGH..............................
The three-guard backcourt of Monroe, Collucci and Thompson will be a bear for almost every league team to defend. Thompson is quicker than most point guards. Collucci's range extends beyond the three-point arc. And the 6-3 Monroe is a burly scorer, a power guard who went to the foul line 266 times last season -- most in the league..
TOUGH ENOUGH?..............................
If the answer here weren't "front court," George Washington would be an NCAA Tournament team. That's how good the backcourt is. But the front court isn't quite as strong. Returning starter Tamal Forchion (6.1 ppg) is tough and talented, and Kireev is big, but the real question is whether 6-9 freshman Omar Williams is ready to help. He has tons of potential, but at 180 pounds he might need time in the weight room (and lunch room) before he can handle the A-10 pounding.
BOTTOM LINE..............................
Keep recruiting like this, and Karl Hobbs will have George Washington in a postseason event somewhere on an annual basis. It would be nice to reward a longtime standout like Monroe, a senior, with a trip to either the NCAA Tournament or NIT. The latter could happen this season, if the freshman big men are good enough.
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