Do what it takes to keep Castro, Jones and Autry.  Castro and Jones have first team potential and Autry's improvement this year was fantastic. I liked Nassah and Blevins, Blevins especially on the defensive end.  I assume Blevins will be back. Wondering about Nassah since he really didn't get much play when compared to what appears to be a high ceiling.  Those 5 and the return of Johnson is a nice core group. Caputo should have 3 to 4 scholarship to work with in the portal.  No. 1 assignment should be a rugged power forward to go up against A-10 level competition. There are a few low major hidden gems that will likely hit the portal this summer that could fit that bill. Excited for next year.

Unless Castro gets a godfather offer, Caputo seems pretty confident we can retain him and others we want to retain including Garrett Johnson.

21 wins this season is a major success in my book. Yes, the schedule was light but unlike previous GW teams this year's one actually blew out the bad squads OOC. It might seem like a low bar, but given where the team has been lately that was a major step forward. Previous teams did not even do that. I was also looking for a major step forward analytically after years of mediocrity. The team is currently in the KenPom top 125, which definitely suggests a step in the right direction. I was satisfied with the slight improvement in conference record but will concede that GW also had a very favorable slate this year.

To me, the issue was less about the soft interior play and more about the insufficient exterior play (aka the guards). The shooting has to get better no doubt but the backcourt could not create their own shots whatsoever. No go-to scorer from the guards and pitiful finishing at the rim. No ability to finish in transition, forcing the team to pull the ball back out. I am unsure whether CC decided to slow things down during conference play out of necessity or because he actually wanted to. He had the depth to play faster but this team was just that bad in transition that I kinda got it. Unfortunately, in the halfcourt the slower play didn't always result in better quality looks and instead just wasted seconds on the shot clock. Defensive rebounding HAS to get better next year. A bit better ball control would be nice too.

Player Review:
Slim Castro - was obviously fantastic all season and there were few flaws outside of FT shooting at times. Underrated passer as well. I wish he had more help from the guards when it came to the offense. That is also the case when it comes to rebounding. Rafael would often be pulled away from the hoop to contest a shot, but there was no one who either boxed out or helped out to end the defensive possession with a rebound. This was arguably one of the biggest problems with the team all season and needs to be addressed next year. Obviously need Castro back to continue the upwards trajectory.

Sean Hansen - having a big who could stretch the floor was a huge asset at times, and while Hansen didn't have the highest ceiling he also had the highest floor of any GW player in recent memory. Even his ability to back his man down and finish at the rim was something that few GW bigs have been able to do recently. Usually defensive positioning was good and he had quietly good hands to knock the ball away. I can see why the analytics sites love him. He struggled against more athletic/physical bigs, but that was less of a surprise. Was also a bit of a zero on the boards, which often times undid the defensive stops from Slim. His replacement has to be a significantly bigger presence on the glass. Hopefully that also includes boxing out. He was a decent passer, but often made more mistakes with the ball in his hands than I would have liked to see. I wish him luck in his post-GW playing career.

Gerald Drumgoole - down the stretch of the season, he made much better decisions when it came to shot selection which also unsurprisingly came with better efficiency stats. I wish he did more as a passer given the times he coughed up the ball. The three point shooting was a disappointment but he had to take on more responsibility there following Garrett's injury. He also struggled to finish inside often times and simply didn't do enough on the boards or defensively either. I wish him well after graduation. I hope Drumgoole's replacement can shoot better and/or is a more athletic/explosive option at guard that can create their own shot.

Trey "Tricky" Autry - took a big step forward this year, especially with regards to his confidence. Most nights, he was the most consistent/best guard on the team. His shooting was great, and hopefully he can continue to work on his rim attacking ability. I appreciated his heart on the court, especially when it comes to rebounding. Perhaps the one guy outside of Slim who really took pride in that area. As much as his offense was great though his defense was among the worst of the guards. Prone to fouling/being out of position. Hope he returns next year. With better pieces around him, he can continue to be more effective but the D also has to improve (it's why CC often pulled him his freshman year as well).

Christian "CJ" Jones - overall, a very successful redshirt rookie year. He has an unorthodox shot but if he can continue to make three point shots at a decent clip on higher volume, that would be huge going into next year. CJ was often an agent of chaos. Defensively, he was great and made use of his long arms to create issues for the other team (definitely the best guard GW has had in a very long time when it comes to generating turnovers). Offensively, he showed flashes of rim penetration (and finishing) but too often dribbled into traffic and lost the ball as you'd expect from a freshman. Due to this, his offense and defense often canceled each other out. Obviously, that has to improve as does his FT shooting to remain playing late in games when GW is only ahead by a little. I also hope to see him continue to develop his playmaking chops for others. Hopefully he comes back.

Jun Buchanan - clearly didn't look like himself for much of conference play but seemed to be closer to his old self during the conference tournament. I wish his teammates showed as much fire as he did over the past couple days. DBJ's limited shooting range (making threes and even midrange/FT shots) was a disappointment this year but he continued to do well as a passer and did show improvement playing off the ball a bit. He needs to be able to get back to finishing through contact and especially converting at the FT line. It was disappointing to see his development flatline. I still think Buchanan would have benefitted from open driving lanes, but the inconsistent/lack of shooting made this very difficult on him and the other interior players this year. I don't feel confident that he's going to be back next year but I'd be happy to see him back in Foggy Bottom another year. I appreciate everything he does off the court as well and how he represents GW as a whole.

Jacoi Hutchinson - his transition to starting point guard was a major disappointment to start the year, but in the last couple weeks he has looked a lot better/closer to his freshman year self. Unclear whether that was because of the injury from the MTE or not. Hutch's ability to manage a game when needed was vital this year, as was his defense. His passing was decent but it felt at times that he couldn't connect with the frontcourt players on passes to the level he should have. He also needs to be able to make a three when left wide open. I've never seen a guard get so many layup attempts get blocked, but he was also better there lately. He's one of my favorite players on the team and I think he definitely fills a role on the squad, but at the same time the team could also use a more dynamic option at the point of attack as well. Conflicted on that.

Trey Moss - I probably defended him more than most on the board despite his insistence on taking threes and undershooting them. During OOC play when he saw more time, his ability to get to the rim at will stuck out on the team, although he didn't finish as often as you'd like. Seemed to care on defense, but just wasn't a good defender. Also flashed playmaking chops at times. It felt like his confidence was shot by conference play and was often seen deferring to others in his few minutes on the court. Injuries didn't help. I'd be stunned if he chooses to come back next year and probably drops a level.

Ty Bevins - was pleased with his growth over the course of the year. His confidence definitely grew to the point where he felt confident in taking and making an open shot, making passes when needed, and doing a decent job defensively. Overall, played the glue guy role very well when on the team and already showed to be one of the less volatile guard options on the squad. I'm curious to see what a second year Ty would look like. It's unclear as of now how his role would change unless an older guard (Coi, Tricky, and CJ) chooses to leave but I like what he brought to the team this year. If he can develop a penetration game that would be beneficial.

Dayan Nessah - like Ty, I thought he did well when he played. Often looked to attack the rim which more on this team could have explored at times. More than anything though I do worry about his availability in the future due to recurring injuries. It would be nice to see him shift to a larger role but that might not be possible if he can't stay healthy.

I also wish Keegan the best. It takes a lot of maturity to accept a deeper bench role as well as remain at a school through a coaching change. That leaves Zam, who seemingly fell under the radar this year. I assume he had a season-ending ailment this year but I'm curious as to what others think his role will be in the future. Is he shifting to the Keegan role/would he embrace that? I think he has way more potential than that but can't help but feel he may have lost his opportunity by sitting this year out.

If the reports about GW opting in and committing a sizable amount of money towards next year's roster are true, hopefully that results in another big, wing, and at least one guard if not two. CC has a tough decision to make regarding the backcourt moving forward. Each brings something to the table but no one is really a complete two-way guy which caused issues throughout the year. As mentioned above, need more dynamic play from the backcourt and shot creation. Looking forward to the offseason. Thanks all for reading the previews this year as always.
 

Thanks for the recap Piranha

I think one other frustrating thing is this season should’ve been last season. Instead we get blown up by injuries, go on a losing streak, and then finish with two close losses.

A reminder: this team was picked to finish 13th and had the biggest jump of any team in the A10 from where they were picked to where they finished. That has to count for something.

I wonder if Dayan being an international player will inform his decision to leave or stay due to NIL considerations.

Also, as unlikely as it may be, what do we think about the potential for NIT/Crown play? Caputo said postgame they've already said no to the CBI but would be open to the other two. I think a lot would need to fall GW's way in terms of other teams turning it down but how would we feel about postseason play this year? Caputo said he believes they can play in the postseason and be active in the portal at the same time

Last edited by gwstudent2024 (3/14/2025 11:03 pm)

Unfortunately we literally got run over by "The Big Slime!"  Just like Dayton got hammered by Ajogbor who swatted away 7 shots.  These 2 are NBA material (or NFL akin to our beloved nemesis Mo Allie Cox.)

I want to thank this years team and coaching staff for providing alot to cheer about.  They rolled out the first quality defensive scheme in years. They no doubt could've made more foul shots and threes.  Nobody would've liked that more than them.  But they did compete against the top of the league quite well.  Yes, they had a couple of stinkers but so does everyone.  They aren't pros!  Every team is on a learning curve.  March madness magnifies every whistle and turnover.  The teams that move on execute and play flawlessly.  

No matter what, this years team can hold their heads high because they improved as a unit and supported each other admirably.  Go Revs!!

Now off to get the popcorn and watch "Slime" vs "Swat Ajogbor" sumo their way to the final.
  

 

So I’ve seen a few games in person this year, including last night, and most on TV.  Here are a few of my observations:

CC needs to have a veteran assistant on the bench (although this may have the “head coach in waiting” feel to it if the season goes south quickly, but don't see that happening). This will help with halftime adjustments, which too often seem to be a problem.  An additional veteran head coach may also prompt CC to use his timeouts

Jun is local and active in the community. Don’t see him leaving.  He has minimal lift when he jumps, hopefully it is a lingering ankle issue that will be healed up and strengthened in the off-season. He could jump about as high as me, and I can’t jump!  His mid range game could use a little work, but this too may be a factor from the injury.

Castro was a pleasant surprise the second half of the season. Let’s hope he sees CC and staff as the reason, and stays and improves.

Garrett will be a hell of an addition to the core from this year (stating the obvious).

Bevins will take more of Jacoi’s time on the court next year.  Even though they are different positions, both are in the back court and arrangements will be made.  Love his long arms.

With the Rougier-Roane coming in, Jacoi may lose some more time. Jacoi’s ball handling and FTs are valuable at end of game situations. He is from Laurel, will probably stay.

CJ and Trey should continue to improve next year and make greater strides.

Let’s hope Nessah stays healthy and can show us what he has. He has shown flashes of talent.

Looking forward to the Portal bringing us some big boys and a shooter or 2. A veteran guard will be welcome.

I don’t think halftime adjustments were a problem. In fact, I think ability to adjust on the fly is Caputo’s biggest strength.

Also disagree that last season should have been this season. I know this will be unpopular, but I think losing Bishop and Edwards was essential to take the leap forward. Bishop was a wonderful player, but defense was not his forte.  The ability to defend at the point of attack and force turnovers is the biggest reason we took a huge step forward - we even won games when the shots weren’t falling because we defended so well.

I’m hoping we can add a guard who can create his shot and a stretch 4 to replace Hansen next year.  I would imagine that surrounding Castro with Autry, Garrett Johnson, and a stretch 4 who can make open threes consistently, would really be difficult to guard.

CC appeared to think the odds were leaning well toward an NIT invite, according to his postgame
quote. 
That is often what a coach would say and hard to imagine, especially given our luck in almost a decade.
But as at times with the NCAA tournament, rightly or wrongly about
selection, we had the apparent opportunity in our hands and it slipped away.
   Personally, however would urge the selection committee to pick us. It's a good idea.