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3/06/2022 10:31 pm  #1


The Journey to 2022-2023

The A10 will look different next year. Most of the teams were blessed with experienced players who will thankfully move on to post graduate activities. The top 4 teams will lose their best players and more. Dayton will graduate four of its starters-- Giacone (All A10 1st Team), Whalen (All A10 3rd Team), Bradshaw (All A10 Defensive Team), and Whitehead (DU’s leading rebounder). URI will bid farewell to its top two scorers-- Tahane (All A10 1st Team) and Elmore (All A10 3rd Team). UMASS loses Breen (A10 POY) and Philoxy (All A10 2nd Team). Finally, VCU will part with Robinson (All A10 1st Team) and Haddix-Covington (VCU’s leading rebounder).

Other teams that will lose key players include Richmond, who graduates Squires (A10 Sixth Woman and Co-Defensive POY), Klimkievicz, and Holt; Fordham, who will part ways with four starters-- Dingle (All A10 3rd Team), Downey, Heremaia, and Jonassen; and St. Louis who loses Harbison (All A10 2nd Team) and Flowers (All A10 Co-Defensive POY and All A10 3rd Team). Three teams, LaSalle, George Mason and St. Bonaventure will lose their top scorers in Spruill (All A10 1st Team), Scott, and Johnson (All A10 3rd Team) respectively.

Davidson, Duquesne and St Joe’s will suffer some loss through graduation, but each has a solid core of returning underclassman, especially St. Joe’s, whose Brugler (ROY), Fair, Smith, Nystrom took four of the five positions on the A10 All Rookie Team.

Disclaimer: Above may not be 100% accurate if any of them have an extra year of eligibility I'm unaware of.

No conclusions should be drawn about how these graduations may effect individual teams next year, as the top programs have typically been able to reload their rosters and press on without skipping a beat. Suffice to say that the overall A10 landscape will be significantly different next season.

The A10’s graduating class gives us a good picture of how we stacked up against the rest of the league. GW players received no post season honors and when compared with most of the other A10 teams, it’s clear that we lacked the size and depth of talent to compete for a championship. On the other hand, it’s also clear that we have a solid foundation to build on. The defense was really good this year, especially when you consider our weakness in the low post. Our constant need to help defend the inside gave our opponents many open looks and easy chances at the basket. Despite that, we tied GW’s all-time record for least points allowed per game in a season and finished the regular season ranked 19th nationally (as of 3-6-2022).

Coach McCombs was able to recruit some competent transfers who played for lower tier Division 1 programs or came from lower-level college categories, but none were over 6’ tall. As the season played out, none of our freshman recruits (Rizzotti’s) delivered significant minutes for the team. Fortunately, Maxine Engel, who joined the team as a walk-on, played well enough earn a starting role by the end of the season. Although finishing 6-12 in A10 play and 13-18 overall was not up to our usual standards, given the set of initial circumstances, the results were respectable, especially in the A10 tournament. Perhaps a healthy and eligible Ty Moore for the whole season may have netted a couple of more wins.

Now that the season has ended, we can ponder what comes next and how the dreaded transfer portal might rear its head to redirect our plans. Coach McCombs came into a difficult situation and had to cobble a team together that lost it’s top four scorers to the transfer portal or graduation. Included in that group was our top rebounder and our assists leader. Together, the departures combined for 39.6 ppg, 21.7 rpg, and 9.4 apg, but more importantly, Luma and Brigham were the foundation of our interior defense and Whitney provided our on-court leadership.

Frames, Bell, and Loder will graduate. Assuming that the other core players return, we need to address the point guard position, our lack of size, and how we improve our offensive consistency.

Point Guard: Gingras is adequate as a backup PG. She doesn’t yet have the offensive skills to take up starter’s minutes, but she’s a good defender and did a much better job of protecting the ball late in the season and limiting turnovers. We have freshman Nya Robertson coming in, and although she may be the answer for the future, it may require time to acclimate her to the A10 before we turn the keys over to her. We need to find an experienced PG via transfer to either start at PG or to come off the bench to provide consistent offensive help.

2nd Guard: We have a solid nucleus in Laureano, Brown, and Lok. All three can defend taller guards and rebound well. Because offense is always under the microscope, Laureano’s defense may go unnoticed, but she led the team in steals and blocks while frequently locking down her opponents on the perimeter. Offensively, each plays best when they let the game come to them and takes what the defense gives them. They are not great ball handlers and can all improve their shooting percentages with better shot selection and by resisting the urge to dribble into situations that lead to turnovers or difficult shots. Patel could be an X-factor. Based on limited observations, she looked comfortable on the perimeter taking 3-pointers and all of her attempts this year (5) were from beyond the arc. She did not take any bad or rushed shots and there was no hesitation to shoot. She was accurate on her attempts, hitting on two shots and back-rimming the others. She may have to improve other aspects of her game to earn playing time, but if she can, she could be a good situational substitute for us.

Front Court: Returning next season are Blethen, Engel, Taiwo, Haydon, Ojo, and Webster. Caia Loving, a 6’3” freshman is coming in to join the mix. Taiwo and Engel will see a lot of playing time. Taiwo was probably the most underrated player in the A10. She was our most reliable and consistent player and her energy was boundless. She played defense all over the court and led the A10 in offensive rebounds (15th nationally). Engel has the biggest upside offensively and the ability to play inside and out. She needs to refine some of her skills, but more importantly, we have to better integrate her into the offensive schemes and get her more offensive looks. Although a bit undersized, she showed toughness and the ability to defend and rebound down low. When we play the shorter line-up, Webster should get a lot of minutes. If Blethen can regain her form from her freshman year (she made 35 3’s, more than anyone this year besides Frames), she would get extended minutes. Ojo needs more playing time to develop her offensive skills, but in an already crowded field she would have to earn her minutes. When we need a taller presence in the middle, will we go to Haydon or Loving? Haydon showed some defensive toughness earlier in the year, but her offensive skills are raw. It’s not clear whether Loving is A10-ready, but that would be asking a lot. As an insurance measure, it would be great to find an experienced low block defender via transfer to anchor our interior defense.

Of course the transfer portal could change a lot of things, but we’re a year away so it will be interesting to see how the coaching staff approaches the areas that require improvement. Next season’s success will generally be driven by the improvements made by our incumbents, so it behooves the coaches to focus their off-season efforts on our areas of need.

It’s a long way to go before next season. Stay tuned. 

Last edited by xAC (3/07/2022 9:46 am)

 

3/09/2022 11:41 am  #2


Re: The Journey to 2022-2023

So now the activity begins, although not as one might have imagined.

Maddie Loder has entered the portal, so I imagine she gained a year of eligibility due to Covid. We expected her to go in any event, but if she gets a chance to play somewhere else, I'm very happy for her. She got her GW degree and was always a great team member. Wish her only the best.

Last edited by xAC (3/09/2022 1:26 pm)

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3/09/2022 9:29 pm  #3


Re: The Journey to 2022-2023

I knew there was a lot of experience in the league but didn't realize how many were leaving.  At least 3 key players did get another Covid year of eligibility.
Sam Breen has another year on eligibility and has indicated she'll be back.  It's been confusing but that's the latest information I've seen.    
Destiny Philoxy won't be back.  Rookies Brooks and Kulesza are first in line for her spot.  They've already had a transfer (Shavonne Smith) and freshman  Damoni Tucker leave the team and opt for the transfer portal.  Not sure about the status of the other transfer, Michelle Pruitt.  She was a handy sub but didn't play that much, and wouldn't be likely to see more time next season if she comes back. She wan't introduced on Senior Night.  I'm curious to see how freshman 6'4" Natousha Harden fits in if she comes back.  She could be a back-up to Ngalakulundi and White.  Verdi has a couple of recruits committed.
Flowers is coming back for St Louis and one Davidson senior, Chloe Welch maybe, is coming back.
I haven't heard any coaching moves yet.   I know Tammi Reiss wants to move to a Power 5 conference (or the Big East) eventually.  One would believe she would be interested in the Virginia opening.    If she leaves, would she take some of her French Connection or Cairns with her?  And she has 5 commitments for the next 2 classes.

 

3/17/2022 3:31 pm  #4


Re: The Journey to 2022-2023

It's been about two weeks since our season ended and outside of Loder entering the portal, there hasn't been any activity since. Even if some eventually leave, it's a good sign that they're taking their time and not making rash decisions. At least for now, it's a sign of some stability.

On the other hand, there are a couple of other interesting developments with the portal. Two of the A10's premier players, Harbison of St. Louis (All A10 Second Team) and Squires of Richmond (A10 6th POY and All Defense) have entered the portal. Both, who are graduate students, could be looking to move up. Also entering the Portal is Wakefield from George Mason. She's a Junior who may just want to get to a better program. 

There are a lot of teams still playing, so I expect the portal to have more activity in the weeks to come. 

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3/22/2022 3:21 pm  #5


Re: The Journey to 2022-2023

Seems like the entire freshman class sans Engel (Rizzotti's last recruits) are all transferring out. Not much of a surprise. Was hoping to hold on to a couple because they all showed potential in the minutes they played, but understandable that playing time wasn't likely to be there. Good luck to them and hope they get more minutes elsewhere!

Natalie Heavren (she/her) @NatalieHeavren 4h
A source familiar with the situation tells @thenexthoops that Sophia Haydon, Leila Patel and Michelle Ojo of @GW_WBB have entered the transfer portal.

 

3/22/2022 5:37 pm  #6


Re: The Journey to 2022-2023

DMV - I'm with you. Was hoping to see them take the time to develop into college players, but I guess that doesn't happen much anymore. I presume they have to sit out a year, which would be a bummer. I noticed this happening at the other A10 schools (players not getting minutes opting to transfer). I really hope it works out for them, because they seemed like good people.

Now just wait to see what the reinforcements look like.

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4/06/2022 9:00 am  #7


Re: The Journey to 2022-2023

No additions to the portal from GW, which seems like a good sign. Aside from what's already been mentioned, a couple of A10 updates.

Asianae Johnson, the A10's leading scorer this past year, has another year's eligibility, and is leaving St. Bonnies as a graduate transfer.

Marica Cook, Dayton's best player has also entered the portal, perhaps to follow Coach Green to Illinois.

Most of the other transfers from the A10 are players who didn't log a lot of minutes or may be leaving for other reasons, but don't seem to be significant losses.

     Thread Starter
 

4/12/2022 9:34 pm  #8


Re: The Journey to 2022-2023

Makira Cook is going to Illinois.  Dayton's 6'5" Tenin Magassa is also in the transfer portal but is still listed on their roster,  (Cook isn't.)  Dayton's new coach is Tamika Williams-Jeter who has a great pedigree.  She played on 2 National Champions at UConn and then 7 years in the WNBA.  Coached at several big time schools and has one year head coaching experience.  She's from the Dayton area.  With all the 6 years seniors leaving, she has a lot of spots to fill.
St Louis finally hired a coach, Rebecca Tillett, who turned around Longwood.  Also has a lot of recruiting to do.  Natalie McNeal, a key player last year, is also in the transfer portal, along with Harbison.
St Joe's had the 4 players on the league All Rookie team, now down to 3 on the roster.  Laila Fair, 6'2", has transferred to UMass.  Fair had injury issues during the season but played well enough (17.7 pts/ 7 rebounds) in the tournament to make the all tourney team.  Hawks also losing a few other contributors.
Destiny Philoxy is returning to UMass, meaning all 6 of their core players will be back.  Verdi is going have to figure out playing time for the 6, Fair, 4 sophomores, a juco shooting guard, and 2 other frosh who will probably be at the end of the bench.  
-----------------------------------
There have been over 1,000 players in the transfer portal again, with a mass exodus from some schools.  Of possible interest to A10 schools could be Abby Meyers, grad transfer from Princeton, and Potomac MD.  I believe the Ivy League did not grant another year of eligibility for the Covid year, so players will have to go elsewhere to play an extra year.  A Cornell player transfered to Pepperdine because she liked the basketball program, and the school has a graduate program in her field.  
Fairfield was a good team this year and won the MAAC tourney.  Their head coach retired.  They just hired Mike Thibault's daughter.  However, five seniors/graduate transfers are all in the transfer portal.  All are 6' or 6'1".  All of them could probably help an A10 school.

Last edited by WMC (4/12/2022 9:35 pm)

 

4/12/2022 9:50 pm  #9


Re: The Journey to 2022-2023

Don’t look for Abby Meyers to end up in the A10. More likely to end up at a Northwestern or North Carolina or Stanford level of school.

 

4/14/2022 10:37 am  #10


Re: The Journey to 2022-2023

Had been keeping tabs on Stony Brook because of the McCombs connection. Stony Brook had a very good team this year. They finished 23-6 this year and got a WNIT bid (Lost to VCU in first round). 

Earlette Scott, a 5'10" Senior Guard just entered the portal. She was one of 4 who scored averaged double figures (10.5 ppg) and played 28.6 minutes/game. 

I was following India Pagan, their best inside player, who also graduates this year, but so far haven't seen any decision on what she'll do next. She led the team in scoring and rebounding and shot 58.2% from the field.

Just as an aside, I also see that Harbison is going to Vanderbilt. I think we'll see other top A10 players also transferring "up" as the carousel continues.

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4/15/2022 10:01 am  #11


Re: The Journey to 2022-2023

Poog wrote:

Don’t look for Abby Meyers to end up in the A10. More likely to end up at a Northwestern or North Carolina or Stanford level of school.

Abby Meyers to Maryland

 

4/18/2022 8:35 am  #12


Re: The Journey to 2022-2023

During this lull, I thought I'd ask about eligibility rules, since I'm perplexed by the number of entries in the current portal. I know that if a coaching change is made, a player may not have to sit out a year. Also, that Covid may play into it.

But what about someone like Laila Fair-- will she have to sit out after transferring to UMASS? What about our three transfers? Seems like a price to pay for swapping uniforms.

Also, I saw in a recent TV interview, UConn coach commenting on the portal (not a problem for the stars) that about 25% of portal entries would not receive an offer from a school. Considering you could lose a scholarship, this seems like a considerable risk. I really hope our transfers can find a decent home.

     Thread Starter
 

4/18/2022 10:19 am  #13


Re: The Journey to 2022-2023

xAC wrote:

During this lull, I thought I'd ask about eligibility rules, since I'm perplexed by the number of entries in the current portal. I know that if a coaching change is made, a player may not have to sit out a year. Also, that Covid may play into it.

But what about someone like Laila Fair-- will she have to sit out after transferring to UMASS? What about our three transfers? Seems like a price to pay for swapping uniforms.

Also, I saw in a recent TV interview, UConn coach commenting on the portal (not a problem for the stars) that about 25% of portal entries would not receive an offer from a school. Considering you could lose a scholarship, this seems like a considerable risk. I really hope our transfers can find a decent home.

As I understand it, all athletes are allowed 1 transfer without a sit-out penalty. All 3 GW freshmen in the portal are eligible to play immediately in their next school though they certainly are not guaranteed being offered a scholarship, let alone one with the financial value of their cost at GW. Once a player enters the portal, the school is no longer required to maintain the scholarship "contract" for the next term either as a total compensation or at the same level. GW had always had a practice not to pull scholarships from players absent an extenuating circumstance but I assume that entrance into the portal relieves GW of that internal restriction since the new NCAA rule specifically frees the university of responsibility to such players in the ensuing term. Anyone in the portal can presumably return to their current school but the scholarship and team membership status is at the school's discretion. (No idea if their academic standing still gives them admission to the university without regard to their status as athletes). Fair is good to go at UMass since the A10 no longer restricts intra-conference transfers (not sure if they're even allowed to any more). As to the number of athletes in the portal, it's a buyer's market for many of the players. The Freemans and the Bamisiles have multiple options at the same D1 level to choose from and did. The Patels and Haydons not so much. Going to be a lot of surprised and/or disappointed students who suddenly have to attend a lesser school than their current one or attend a school that carries a financial cost to their families. Can only hope that everyone in the portal finds a good fit for their remaining collegiate years.
 

 

4/18/2022 10:51 am  #14


Re: The Journey to 2022-2023

Did not realize everyone gets (1) free pass, but it explains the numbers in the portal. Thanks for the information.

     Thread Starter
 

4/20/2022 7:08 pm  #15


Re: The Journey to 2022-2023

While the men’s team loses players, the women lose assistant coaches. Bri Hutchen is leaving for Delaware following Gabe Lazo who was hired at Mississippi State. Maybe GW needs to start investing resources in paying its coaches, particularly the assistants, rather than worrying about charter flights. That’s a problem across the board for GW athletics. Big test for Coach McCombs after bringing her staff with her from Stony Brook.

 

4/20/2022 7:43 pm  #16


Re: The Journey to 2022-2023

Yikes. Definitely a trend

 

4/20/2022 8:29 pm  #17


Re: The Journey to 2022-2023

By all means, pay the asst/assoc/doo people a realistic wage and get the best people.  I would love to see a strong strength and conditioning coach (if we don't have one already).   Do we need to worry about no incoming transfers for the women as well as the men?  Double duty fretting.

 

4/20/2022 8:56 pm  #18


Re: The Journey to 2022-2023

Sophie Haydon is getting interest from UMaine, Holy Cross, Colgate, and Loyola MD, according to World Exposure Report on Twitter.

https://twitter.com/WorldExposureWB/status/1514668220682223633?s=20&t=S4pgIF8Df1z7cAj19OF2Lg

 

4/20/2022 9:10 pm  #19


Re: The Journey to 2022-2023

gwstudent2024 wrote:

Sophie Haydon is getting interest from UMaine, Holy Cross, Colgate, and Loyola MD, according to World Exposure Report on Twitter.

https://twitter.com/WorldExposureWB/status/1514668220682223633?s=20&t=S4pgIF8Df1z7cAj19OF2Lg

Coach G is at Colgate so that makes sense

 

4/21/2022 11:51 am  #20


Re: The Journey to 2022-2023

Leila Patel announced she is transferring to D2 Texas Woman's University in an Instagram post. She's returning to her home state to play for a team that made it to the second round of the D2 women's tournament this past season.

 

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