The Scoop
Once a perennial A-10 contender, the George Washington basketball program has fallen on hard times. Over the past five seasons, the Colonials — who are set for a nickname change soon — are 53-92 overall and 28-51 in the A-10. That futility on the court forced a change on the bench: exit former boss Jamion Christian, enter new head coach Chris Caputo. Caputo is a Jim Larranaga disciple, serving as an assistant under the longtime head coach at both George Mason and Miami (FL) since 2005. He was part of the famous 2006 Final Four squad at GMU, as well as Miami’s Elite Eight run last season. Assistant pedigree doesn’t always equal success as a head coach, but it certainly doesn’t hurt to have. Caputo inherits a team featuring six players who started more than 10 games last season, but the squad also loses an A-10 All-Rookie Team member in Brayon Freeman, who transferred to Rhode Island, and arguably its best all-around player in Joe Bamisile, who moved on to Oklahoma.

Road to Success
The best thing George Washington did this offseason was hire Chris Caputo. While Colonial fans shouldn’t expect a gaggle of wins and an NCAA Tournament appearance this year, they can rest assured knowing the leader of their program is approaching the job in the best way possible. Caputo made it clear this summer that he was ecstatic to be the head coach at GW, saying, “I have great respect for the program ... there’s history here.” Caputo’s approach won’t be laser-focused on just winning games, but rather the process of getting his team in a better position to win games. How his team competes on a daily basis, how they compete in every area, is far more important — especially in Year 1. “I don’t know how to win,” Caputo says, “but I know how to eliminate losing.” That’s the mantra Caputo is rolling with this season: eliminating the things that lead to losing. His offensive style will result from reverse engineering that idea. He wants his team to take great shots and take care of the ball. His basic principle is to get higher quality shots than his opponent. The lion’s share of the offense will fall into the hands of GW’s two senior guards, James Bishop and Brendan Adams. This tandem represents the Colonials’ greatest strength on the offensive end. The pair will combine to make GW one of the better ball handling squads in the conference. Caputo said Bishop and Adams worked extremely hard this offseason and have exhibited a will to win. Bishop was an All-A10 Third Team selection last season and ranked second in the league in scoring. He’s a threat to stop-and-pop from anywhere on the floor and excels in isolation situations, scoring 1.205 points per possession last season, per Synergy, the fourth- best mark in the country for players with over 35 iso possessions. Adams brings power conference experience from UConn and will look to build on a solid first season in the nation’s capital. While Caputo was hesitant to definitively say he would rinse, wash and repeat Larranaga’s offensive style at GW, it’s clear that an attack that includes a heavy dose of ball screens for his primary creators will be at the forefront. Caputo will look to mold his offense around his personnel by adapting his optimal style to the tools he has at his disposal. In addition to a fiery 1-2 punch in the backcourt, GW will benefit from a deep frontcourt that features five forwards with starting experience. Ricky Lindo, a former Maryland Terp and D.C. native, enters his third year with the program after being fished back out of the transfer portal this offseason. Lindo will be tasked with pacing the Colonials on the defensive end, an end in which they didn’t fare too well in 2021-22. Rotation pieces Hunter Dean, Keegan Harvey, Noel Brown and Qwanzi Samuels should all see the floor in some capacity this season. Caputo was especially impressed with Dean this offseason; his athleticism and ability to put pressure on the rim likely lands him in the starting five. Harvey is eligible after sitting out last season following a transfer from Charleston. He’ll bring floor spacing to the fold and could be used like Sam Waardenburg was at Miami last season — that is, an inverted forward who allows the Colonials to play 5-out. Brown’s sheer size and Samuels’ ability to hit the 3 are their greatest attributes. Samuels started 12 games last season after transferring in from Florida Gulf Coast. If he can continue his late-season marksmanship — he shot 52.2 percent from deep over GW’s final 14 contests — it will be hard to keep him off the floor.

Potential Potholes
Backcourt depth — particularly at the point and 2-guard spot — is a major problem. While GW is flushed with forwards, Bishop and Adams are the only true proven ball-handlers on the roster. Both guards will be forced into major minutes, and cracks could emerge if one or both suffers an injury. Former Nebraska transfer Amir Harris could be asked to take on a larger role this season. At 6-5, Harris brings size to the 2-guard and wing positions, and he can handle the rock in spurts. Injuries have plagued Harris during his career, but he could be a serviceable contributor and ball handler off the pine — if he can stay healthy. In late July, Caputo turned to the transfer portal to help bolster his thin backcourt, signing EJ Clark from Alabama State. Clark started every game for the Hornets in conference play last season and shot nearly 47 percent from deep in those contests, ranking second in the league in free-throw rate. The other issue for George Washington heading into the 2022-23 season is the looming question as to whether its roster has improved from last year. Can we really expect a 12-18 team that went 8-9 in league play to jump up the standings in an uber-competitive A-10? The answer is likely not, especially when the Colonials’ star players are at or near their college playing peaks — that is, upperclassmen or graduates — as opposed to rising underclassmen with more room to grow. Finally, while many A-10 teams landed major assets in the transfer portal, GW was relatively quiet in the player acquisition market. Improved coaching can only take a team so far. Talent still matters in this competitive A-10 landscape

The X Factor
By far the most intriguing and mysterious piece of GW’s roster this season is Kansas State transfer Max Edwards. Caputo had nothing but praise for the high-flying wing. The Colonials’ head coach believes if he was healthy last season, Edwards would have been widely perceived as a major breakout candidate this year. A former three-star recruit out of high school, Edwards impressed during EYBL play prior to college, but he suffered a broken tibia in February 2021. Surgery forced him to miss all of last season. Edwards, along with the potential rise of Harris, are GW’s greatest hopes for real improvement in 2022-23.

The Outlook
George Washington has been a middle-to-bottom tier A-10 squad in each of the past five seasons and that likely doesn’t change in 2022-23. Chris Caputo offers hope for a bright future, but it will take a few years to build a sustainable winning program. Expect a more intelligent GW team this season. Too many times over the past couple years, the Colonials — a talented team on paper — have given away games with silly turnovers and poor shot selection. Caputo’s emphasis on quality shots, combined with his commitment to the defensive end and the offseason work ethic of his three stars, could conceivably propel GW to a top-eight league finish. That said, it’s far more likely we see the Colonials near the bottom of the A-10 for at least one more year.

Last edited by GW0509 (9/26/2022 10:59 am)