Looking ahead more than one year doesn't make a whole lot of sense in the current transfer era. Who knows what the team will even look like a year from now? It should all be about the coming year.

Team record and NET ranking look at results rather than process. Of course they are important (it will be easier to quantify those after seeing completed league rosters and the schedule for the upcoming year - I more or less agree with what Ryan said as benchmarks) but at this point I'm looking to see the "small" things improve. If they do, I think results/improved metrics will take care of themselves.

To start, can next year's team play competent defense? That includes closing out on shots along the perimeter without fouling, staying with the opposition on drives, generating pressure, and finishing missed shots by the opposition with a rebound. It feels like it has been a decade since GW was even respectable on this side of the ball. GW has to improve there first and foremost in order to improve to the level we all want to see. It would be nice to be known for something outside of just being a team that doesn't foul a lot.

Under CC, the offense has been decent but in both years the scoring wasn't balanced. In year 1, interior scoring was strong while three point shooting was spotty. Last year, GW finished better outside the arc while struggling inside the lane. There needs to be equal ability both inside and out this year (includes scoring from the post), and the team needs to move the ball better. GW was one of the worst assist-generating teams for much of the year although things improved a bit at the end of the year. Can that carry over to this year? As talented as JB/Max were, the team honestly played the best together when it was the freshmen playing so I'm glad that we were able to keep the core together for now.
 

gwstudent2024 wrote:

It's 13 scholarships for men's basketball, right?

It is 13, although I genuinely cannot remember the last time GW used all 13 scholarships (not counting handing a walk-on one mid-year). Definitely seems like it's been a while. I don't know if that approach changes moving forward. It feels like there have been fewer mid-year transfers to make it worth holding onto the last one though imo. I get that most coaches only go 8-9 deep in a rotation but maybe inconsistent player availability last year makes me think that it's good to have as much depth as possible.

Buff&BlueBandit wrote:

What positions do you think CC will look for to fill out this team? My guess would be another pure ball handler PG (to back-up Jacoi) and defense first wing. Thoughts?

Since it's a guarantee at least one more scholarship will be filled, I definitely think a wing makes sense. Garrett showed great promise last year, but his availability moving forward with the hip issue is a bit concerning. At the very least, it definitely seems wise to have someone splitting time at the 3. Christian Watson is still available and he would be a good fit as a defense-first guy. I think he recently visited Tulane.

CC needed to address the frontcourt situation first after what happened last year. Castro/Hansen definitely seems like an upgrade from last year, and hopefully their presence will lead to a more balanced team. I'm a bit surprised CC hasn't signed a couple tall walk-ons like JC did - that feels like an easy way to build emergency depth up front.

Having said that, guard play is a difference maker when trying to be a top team in any conference. Outside of Moss, the backcourt is still pretty young and I don't know who the "go-to" guy is going to be there (Jun of course will be an option in general, but he's not a guard). Trey Moss has to become a lot more efficient I think to become that guy (going from W&M to GW should hopefully help some by default).

Based on that

Mike K wrote:

Trey’s third school. Hopefully the third time is a charm.

His coach got fired the year he transferred the previous two times (although he was probably going to leave USF anyways). Hopefully history doesn't repeat itself while he's here.

Sean Hansen
Year: 2020
Position: C
Height: 6-9
Hometown: Ramsey, NJ
High School: Ramsey HS
AAU Team: NJ ShoreShots (NJ)

Eligibility: One year to play

Statistics:
(from Junior year at Cornell) - 8.8 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2 apg, 0.9 spg, 0.2 bpg; 53% FG, 37% 3-PT, 60% FT per 19.5 mpg with 30 GP
(from Sophomore year at Cornell) - 8.7 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 2.7 apg, 0.8 spg, 0.4 bpg; 50% FG, 33% 3-PT, 68% FT per 20.6 mpg with 28 GP
(from Freshman year at Cornell) - 5.6 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 1.4 apg, 0.4 spg, 0.4 bpg; 46% FG, 29% 3-PT, 66% FT per 12.8 mpg with 26 GP

Notable Performances (against D1 competition):
11/16/21 vs. Colgate: 11 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists; 4-6 FG, 2-3 3-PT, 1-2 FT in 16 minutes (freshman year at Cornell)
11/29/21 @ Canisius: 10 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks; 4-5 FG, 1-2 3-PT, 1-2 FT in 14 minutes (freshman year at Cornell)
1/15/22 @ Yale: 11 points, 1 rebound; 3-8 FG, 1-5 3-PT, 4-6 FT in 18 minutes (freshman year at Cornell)
2/18/22 @ Dartmouth: 10 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal; 3-8 FG, 1-3 3-PT, 3-4 FT in 21 minutes (freshman year at Cornell)
2/19/22 @ Harvard: 13 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block; 4-9 FG, 0-2 3-PT, 5-8 FT in 24 minutes (freshman year at Cornell)
11/14/22 @ St. Francis PA: 26 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, 1 block; 8-8 FG, 2-2 3-PT, 8-10 FT in 29 minutes (sophomore year at Cornell)
12/7/22 @ Miami (FL): 14 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal; 6-9 FG, 0-2 3-PT, 2-3 FT in 19 minutes (sophomore year at Cornell)
12/17/22 @ Syracuse: 11 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals; 5-9 FG, 1-1 3-PT in 23 minutes (sophomore year at Cornell)
12/22/22 @ Colgate: 11 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists; 4-9 FG, 2-3 3-PT, 1-1 FT in 18 minutes (sophomore year at Cornell)
1/6/23 vs. Penn: 13 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block; 4-6 FG, 3-5 3-PT, 2-2 FT in 21 minutes (sophomore year at Cornell)
2/17/23 vs. Dartmouth: 18 points, 10 rebound

Rafael Castro
Year: 2022
Position: PF
Height: 6-11
Hometown: Dover, NJ
High School: Dover HS
AAU Team: Team Rio (NJ)

Offers (out of high school): Boston U, Dayton, Fairleigh Dickinson, Florida, George Mason, Marist, Massachusetts, Miami (FL), Providence, Seton Hall, St. Peter's, Stony Brook, VCU, Xavier

Eligibility: Two years to play

Statistics:
(from Sophomore year at Providence) - 2.9 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 0.2 apg, 0.3 spg, 0.4 bpg; 68% FG, 50% 3-PT, 42% FT per 9.2 mpg with 34 GP
(from Freshman year at Providence) - 1.8 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 0.3 apg, 0.4 spg, 0.5 bpg; 51% FG, 63% FT per 6.5 mpg with 26 GP

Notable Performances (against D1 competition):
12/10/22 vs. Albany: 12 points, 10 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block; 5-6 FG, 0-1 3-PT, 2-2 FT in 17 minutes (freshman year at Providence)
11/6/23 vs. Columbia: 13 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal, 3 blocks; 6-7 FG, 1-3 FT in 14 minutes (sophomore year at Providence)
11/17/23 vs. Kansas State: 7 points, 5 rebounds; 3-4 FG, 1-2 FT in 20 minutes (sophomore year at Providence)
1/17/24 @ DePaul: 12 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals; 5-6 FG, 2-4 FT in 23 minutes (sophomore year at Providence)
3/19/24 vs. Boston College: 8 points, 4 rebounds; 4-4 FG in 16 minutes (sophomore year at Providence)

This is a nice pickup given the major need to fill spots up front. Castro is a bouncy forward who played quite a bit at the 5 despite probably being a more natural fit at the 4. His game reminds me of a taller Bo Zeigler. From what I watched of Providence, by all accounts he seemed like a good help side defender and I think he can make a strong contribution on that side of the ball.

Much like the Friar team as a whole though, there were some issues offensively. Castro does have ability as a rim runner and can catch/throw down lobs. Given how poor GW was inside the arc last year, even doing just that will help a lot. However, as you can see from his FT percentages

What a way to end the season. I thought it was one of the better defensive performances of the year for sure, but offensive execution had a lot left to be desired. It looks like GW will come up just short in their quest of finishing as a top 200 KenPom team for another year.

At times ball movement was good in the halfcourt but there were long stretches where GW reverted to the horrible isolation scheme. Dribble at the top of the arc for 15 seconds and jack up a contested shot or long heave. If not that, give the ball to Jun and hope he finishes in traffic or gets fouled. Option #3 is have Jacoi drive and then dribble the ball back out in a full circle, by which time there's like five seconds left on the shot clock. There were also a ton of plays where a GW player (many times Stretch) would get the ball at the top of the key and then be caught in no man's land. La Salle would deny JB or Jacoi from getting the ball leading to additional seconds being run off the shot clock. This to me is more concerning moving forward - GW's ability to take better quality shots regardless of who is on the floor.  The ceiling is capped until that happens consistently.

Too much is generally made of "playing fast" or "playing slow". Regardless of pace, you need to move the ball and take open shots. The problem is GW never moved the ball when playing fast early in the year (watch Belmont to see how it's done) or just stood around and did nothing when playing slow more recently which was equally as bad. The Revs will need to rebound better defensively next year and get stops more consistently in order to get more transition opportunities.

At the end of the day though, this game was very representative of GW's struggles offensively all season. They just could not score inside the arc (night and day difference from last year) and that was magnified when some of Jun's takes to the hoop didn't fall like they usually do. GW shot under 27% from inside the arc! I don't even know how that's po

And Temple basketball may be taking another hit. Wouldn't be the first point shaving scandal but it's always a surprise when it happens.

https://www.si.com/college/2024/03/08/gambling-watchdog-alerts-unusual-wagering-activity-on-temple-mens-basketball-games

Duquesne Dukes

Date: Saturday March 9th, 2024
Time: 2:00 PM ET
Venue: UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse
TV: ESPN+
Analytic Ranks: 98th (KenPom), 100th (EvanMiya), 101st (Haslametrics)
NET Ranking: 90th
2022-23 Record: 20-13, 10-8 (T-6th in A10)
2023-24 Projected Record: 20-11, 10-8 (T-6th in A10)

Head-to-Head: 55-35. Despite last year's result, GW has won four of the past six meetings against the Dukes after previously dropping five in a row. The have also won the past two road contests against Duquesne.

GW got pummeled in last year's game 93-67. There's no way to sugarcoat it - the game was over by halftime when Duquesne held a 30 point lead, 50-20. After a 5-2 start to conference play last year, teams adjusted in how they played JB and BA and it took CC a few games to figure out how to counter. The Dukes loss was GW's third loss in a row, which was one of just two three game losing streaks all season (the other obviously being the Diamond Head Classic in Hawaii).

Duquesne made nine threes in the first half, and things weren't much better in the second when they knocked down eight more. This is something that CC is going to have to find an answer to in the offseason - defending the perimeter and adding more length to close out on shots better. Under CC, the three point barrage has seemingly happened to GW more often than the average team (like what a nine-win William & Mary team did to us earlier in the year).

Despite a poor performance on both sides of the ball in the first half, GW did play better offensively in the second half and shot 36% from 3 for the game. They actually matched Duquesne in rebounding, and had a respectable 13 assists in the game. Unfortunately, the Dukes had 22 dimes of their own (something we've come to expect) and shot 53% from 3. On top of that, GW stru

Just very happy to see MBB win yesterday given the circumstances. It's been hard to say a lot of positive things in the past month and a half, and I prefer to focus on the good things whenever possible. One thing I never questioned despite the losses was whether the team had given up. The limitations have been obvious, but the will to win was always there.

Not only did JB go out with a win, but he had a very efficient shooting night as well. His third game in the last six where he made at least five threes. The dunk was awesome as well. Seeing him sub out for the final time made me very emotional. Congrats to him on a great career at GW and I'm looking forward to following his professional career!

I'm not sure what was figured out coming into the game when it comes to moving the ball, but the team almost matched their usual average in assists per game by halftime. I didn't expect GW to finish with more assists than the other team the rest of the year, but we got that last night - 19 assists to just 11 for Bona and they outrebounded them by 9! It was also nice for once to see the refs give us calls at home and not the other way around (that deflection out of bounds with just under 8 minutes to go I believe was definitely off GW and not Bona). Making 15 threes helps, but better quality shots improve the likelihood of makes. There were few one-on-many isolation possessions from JB or Jun. Despite it being JB's night, he was still looking to make the pass to a teammate first. It felt like there could have been maybe better quality shots at times in the first 20 (even the shots that went in were a bit too deep) but the team really took good shots after halftime. Case in point: JB took just two shots from deep after halftime compared to seven before. One of the reasons he came back this year was to prove he could be more consistent from behind the arc. Despite all the challenges this year, I think he's done that. However, it's never been what's made his offensive game

St. Bonaventure Bonnies

Date: Wednesday March 6th, 2024
Time: 7:00 PM ET
Venue: Charles E. Smith Center (Senior Day!)
TV: ESPN+
Analytic Ranks: 81st (KenPom), 80th (EvanMiya), 71st (Haslametrics)
NET Ranking: 66th
2022-23 Record: 14-18, 8-10 (T-8th in A10)
2023-24 Projected Record: 20-10, 11-7 (T-5th in A10)

Head-to-Head: 36-30. Last year's 83-81 overtime victory at the Reilly Center ended GW's five game losing streak in the series. During that time, the Buff & Blue dropped two home contests, meaning that they will be looking for their first home win against Bona since 2017 - a game which GW won 76-70. In that game, they took a 13 point lead into halftime before holding on in the second half. The Bonnies held a major advantage in the turnover department (they committed just 8 turnovers compared to 16 that MBB committed) but GW had a sizable advantage shooting the ball, going 50% from 3 (10 made threes) compared to just 22% from 3 for Bonaventure (5 made threes). TyCav finished with 33 points and 10 rebounds, while Jaren Sina had 22 with five made threes.

The two home losses were by 6 and 5 points, so there should be somewhat of an expectation that GW can keep things close at least if enough players are available (although MBB has been performing better on the road than at home lately).

Last year's overtime win was not that different from many of the conference wins the team had last year. GW raced out to an 11 point halftime lead, holding the Bonnies to just 21 first half points (without looking, I'm assuming that's the fewest the team gave up in a half all season). With just under nine minutes to play in the second half, GW had extended their lead to 18 points. Unfortunately, MBB started to run out of gas and Bona made five threes in the last quarter of the game. I'm no