Am I missing something?I realize I’m a “homer” but this is getting ridiculous.Are we really that awful a destination?Apparently so.

I feel a bit inclined to put our entire recruiting situation in perspective.  Of course it's disappointing to see local players like Favour Aire, Jordan Geronimo and Steve Settle transfer elsewhere.  At the same time, let's focus on who will be arriving.

Among the early signees, Jacoi, Trey and Christian, it's hard to envision at least two not being solid contributors next season.  Jacoi had the benefit of starting for one of the top high school programs in the country.  While there are exceptions to every rule, I worry far less about guys who received outstanding coaching and played against great competition.  Patricio, KevLar, Zeke Armwood  (with Nova in between), even Brayon Freeman all looked more than ready for D1 basketball in the A10 by the time they arrived at GW.  Trey is a coach's son who has elevated his game immensely.  Christian was high school teammates with Max and if Max wanted him, that's good enough for me.  Each had interest from outstanding programs.  Since they all signed last November, they almost appear as after-thoughts by some of you.  It would be a mistake to think that we are not picking up quite a bit of talent from these 3.

And since last fall?  Garrett Johnson who assuming his health has the chance to be a very pleasant surprise.  Benny Schroder who has enormous talent.  Injuries put him behind the 8 ball at Oklahoma but again, praying for exceptional health, allows him a second chance.  The same should be said for Darren Buchanan who could not break through at Virginia Tech.  And of course, let's not forget Zamoku Weluche-Ume who is a project to be sure but who also has received the benefit of practicing hard against older professional players.

My point is a simple one.  Despite missing out on some players, which happens to most EVERY school EVERY year, my sense is that there is a lot of new talent set to join JB and Max.  This is all very easy to overlook as we wait to see whether 1 or 2 more big guys will join the team.  But even if this turns out not to be the case, next year's team is in far better shape than some of you might believe.  (And this is said under the assumption that our new arrivals are all healthy and ready to play.) 

Last edited by Gwmayhem (5/23/2023 3:45 pm)

Do we know if they met academic requirements?  Know we are certainly not Harvard but are we not accepting some credit or maybe not waiving some of the grade requirements?
Not trying to make any specific judgements- just looking for reasons why we are missing on so many potential players.

With a high profile coach and tons of playing time available- just surprised we are not a  more desirable destination

The Portal Report

@ThePortalReport
·
9m
Mississippi State (D1) transfer Will McNair Jr. told 
@ThePortalReport
 that he has heard from the following programs:

Vanderbilt
Wisconsin
Nebraska
Tulsa
Temple
Georgetown
Western Kentucky
George Washington
UTEP
 

GWRising wrote:

Look, I don't think some of you understand how this works. CC is deliberate and to his credit kicks the tires on a lot of guys before buying. You can check twitter all day and it won't give you a good insight into what he is doing and all available options. His real interest is predicated on what options he can find that fit GW, fit academically, fit his program and fit his goal of trying to be at the top of the A-10. That's a lot of boxes that need be to be checked and a lot of due diligence. He is just not out there swinging away. It is a deliberate process and also depends on those players who would be interested in coming to GW. (Spoiler Alert: Not everyone thinks GW is the place they would like to be for a host of reasons, many unrelated to basketball).

Further, you likely can't fix everything in one offseason. He had a ton of scholarships to fill and a lot of holes. He is still working on it. Did he get everyone he wanted? Of course not. No one generally does. Not even the blue bloods.

That all said, the general trajectory is pointing upward but it is not always going to be a straight line. Instead of worrying about what we don't have at this point, focus on what we do have. A team that is likely going to be better/deeper than last year's version and returns two pretty good players in James and Max. And, as I mentioned, CC is likely not done yet. Stay tuned.

I think most get that the process is much more complicated than a twitter rumor/post about player interest. Yes some probably have some misguided angst over us missing on rumored interest but I'm happy to see people care enough. In the end any info is ok as long as it's taken with a grain of salt.

As I said I'm just happy people care .
In CC and staff we trust

GWRising wrote:

Richmond's Tyler Burton a late entry to the portal as a graduate transfer. Maybe he'd like to spend a year in DC.

If by DC you mean the Hoyas then maybe. He’s done his four year term in the A10. If he’s not staying at UR, he’s getting $$$ somewhere bigger. I could see Kentucky. They’ve sort of been a loser in the portal so far.

Florida Colonial wrote:

The Portal Report

@ThePortalReport
·
9m
Mississippi State (D1) transfer Will McNair Jr. told 
@ThePortalReport
 that he has heard from the following programs:

Vanderbilt
Wisconsin
Nebraska
Tulsa
Temple
Georgetown
Western Kentucky
George Washington
UTEP
 

Looks like he’s in town for a visit

Last edited by GW0509 (6/02/2023 12:22 pm)

That's 22nd & Constitution.  Two minutes away from the Smith Center.

Turn right on 23rd and he's right where he should be.
We really need a big man in our starting lineup and there's plenty if playing time for new players. Along with a great education in an exciting city.

Another one bites the dust. 

NIL I'm sure

Joe Tipton


@TiptonEdits
·
3m
Mississippi State transfer Will McNair Jr. has committed to Providence, per source. 

6-11, 265-pound graduate transfer center.