Joel Joseph wrote:

I don't think the bleeding has stopped. I think Max will see brighter opportunities at bigger programs and not want to waste his last 3 years on the perpetual "rebuild" of GW basketball now entering it's 8th year.

I don't think he feels this way. If they struggle to fill the necessary gaps in the portal then maybe we have problems. But I agree with much of what GW0509 said

Committed to St. Bonaventure per his Instagram

I really hate the in-conference transfers. Used to be disallowed (or require a second year of sitting out)

Fascinating that Schmidt wants him after seeing him up close.  Wonder how he sees Noel fitting his system.  For what it’s worth, in 2 games against Bona, Noel played 25 minutes total and had 6 points and 3 boards.  (We didn’t play them his sophomore year because game was cancelled due to a Covid outbreak).   

Noel was definitely better finishing this year, but otherwise his per possession stats were basically the same. 

Will be very interesting to play against him - and to see how he does at Bona.

Another transfer that seems not to make sense, depending somewhat on what Schmidt wants to use 
Noel for. 
Noel didn't flourish at this level, for whatever reason--which might not be related to his at least potential talent, so why he would go to a recently top-tier team in the league does seem a bit unusual.
  Have long felt that Noel was not developed at GW, especially his first years. He has shown tantalizing flashes of talent, which has been frustrating for fans and presumably him. But to be polite, he also encountered some difficulties, including holding onto the ball, especially through passes in the post.
  Do think Hunter's emergence mid-late in the season didn't help and perhaps Noel didn't play enough, especially in some games where he was doing well and his presence could make a difference defensively. Now, with Hunter unaccountably gone and us having no one in the post, would think Noel would have been in a good position at GW.
   Don't know who the Bonnies have coming in and everything is fluid these days, but the current roster lists three guys 6'9 and up, if accurate.
   Anyway, Noel seemed to be a good presence on the team, so wish him well, except to the detriment of GW. 

I was disappointed that Noel choose to leave. I thought he was a good teammate. He displayed good body vibes on the bench, was one of the first to congradulate  a good play or player. Unlike others , I thought he had skills. He hustled, ran the court and gave maximum effort. Think of how many players GW has had that are 6’11 tall and 260 lbs. I can only think of two-Mike Brown and Alexander Koul. With Hunter Dean leaving the center position was his. I can only think that there must have been a coaching issue that lead Noel to leave. Mark Schmidt at St Bonnie is no fool. He saw something in Noel that the GW staff may have missed. I again am perplexed that a student who lives in Oakton would want to be in Olean N.Y. I wish Noel well. I believe he will blossom in a new environment.

I like Noel, bummer to see him go to another A-10 team.

Agree with Ralphie. Noel is 6’ 11 inches and 260#. How often does GW get a player at this size in addition to be a local? Noel hustled , enthusiastically was supportive of players on the floor and I am told was a positive locker room presence. CC made a mistake. Noel should have played more and would have helped the team this year.. Once Michigan had a football coach who did not play Tom Brady until his senior year.. Coaches make many decisions that are head scratchers. We can only hope for better .

CC seemed to acknowledge in today's post game press conference that he messed up with the roster construction and that he wants to surround Darren with some more skilled big men down low next season.  

At the beginning of the year, CC talked alot about how "versatile" his roster was with a bunch of 6'6"-6'7" wings like Max, Garrett, DBJ and Benny.  I think he's now realized that playing small can work in other conferences, including maybe the ACC, but in the A-10 you still need an offensively capable 4/5 to be one of the top 4 teams.

Just remembered that there was talk at the beginning of the year about Stretch possibly applying for another year of eligibility. Not sure if they’ve actually gone through with it. 

Curious if others think we should want him back vs having the scholarship open for the portal?

GW73 wrote:

It would be interesting to know why Dean and Brown didn't return for this season. Did CC believe he was going to recruit a better big man than Stretch? So were Dean and Brown essentially told their playing time would be reduced. It's not like they left to be starters.
 

Dean left because he wanted to play closer to home for his last year of eligibility. I don’t think his leaving had anything to do with CC.

You’re probably correct about Brown. But let’s be real. Absent two big scoring games against lower tier A10 teams he’s basically the same guy he was here. I think we can assume CC thought he could upgrade from that in the portal and struck out.