Not sure we are done yet with the exits although hope we are. Hope we can retain Aranguren, Jones, Hunger. and possibly Rougier-Roane.  Not really sure who else helps at this point. 

Sorry to see Garrett go but this was not that surprising. I think what GW needs and what Garrett can provide at this point are now two different things, most of which is not Garrett's fault due to his health. I wish him the best wherever he goes. Don't be completely surprised if Garrett ends up at George Mason. Just something that seems to be circulating.

Garrett missed the UNM game and had played no more than 14 minutes in five of his last 6 games.  He shot 11-36 in those games, 7-24 from 3.  It will always be understandable to assume that Garett's health was getting in the way of his productivity, yet it's also entirely possible that the coaching staff had lost confidence in him as well.  (It's not like he could make things up on the defensive end.)  I'll echo LSF's thoughts in that we all received a glimpse as to what Garrett could have been based on his play as a freshman, but it's hard to fault CC for wanting to move on if this was in fact the case (or if CC's envisioned role for him was less than what Garrett wanted).

Just a rumor I realize but given the way Tony Skinn wants his guys to defend, there would presumably be far greater fits for Garrett than Fairfax.  Of course, these voices could be the same ones who had Jun moving on to the Patriots a year ago.

Wishing Garrett a landing spot that suits him but above all else, impeccable health. 

This is a head scratcher without further explanation. One would think Garrett had a lot of loyalty
to us, given that we redeemed him in college basketball. And we waited a year for him to recover from ACL injury--presumably still paid. On the other hand, this year he did not play as much, particularly at the very end of the season. Though he had 8 points in 13 minutes against St. Louis.
   In limited action, he saved the first NIT win by smartly passing out of a trap, using his size. We avoided the worse results of the same meltdown that Duke had in another tournament because of Garrett. 
   So what does George Mason, a better team in the same league, see in Garrett that we don't here--or maybe the coaching staff doesn't?
  If you look at his scoring against A-10 teams, Garrett definitely is an A-10 player. He tended to take a couple too many shots when it wasn't working, on a team that specialized jocking them up, working or not.         
    Obviously, Johnson couldn't move as well as normal, laterally or otherwise. And that affected his defense. Still, he used his length and basketball sense to cut off a number of potential opposing drives to the basket. And developed a game of driving to the basket himself, though seemed to have the team's aversion to scoring a layup at times. An 84% FT shooter.
     We are left wondering what a healthy Garrett would have been. Tremendous potential, given size and freshman year shooting. Upside approaching another Jamison Battle if fully healthy. That is one of the things that hurts the most--and that has nothing to do with either him or us.
   The most immediate question is whether it was Garrett seeking more playing time or money--or as GWmayhem suggests as a possibility--or the end of the season conversation with the coaching staff prompted him to leave?
   Think all of us feel pain on this, for missed potential here (possibly changed next year or possibly not).
But most of all, as pointed out, the missed storyline. For once in our decade-long crap story of a poisoned program, we had something absolutely positive. A story of redemption we provided for a player with overwhelming personal courage and fortitude.
   The brilliance of CC's recruitment, which was a substantial gamble, was that Garrett had 4 years of eligibility. We got less than 2 years, given the injuries. That's basketball today, both on the team and the player's sides.
    However, Johnson averaged 11. 4 points and 3.4 rebounds in 22.6 minutes this year. If we saw an A-10 player with stats like that, we certainly would be interested in him.  Tre Dinkins had a little under 13 points at Duquesne and we probably paid a sizable amount for him. And thought we got a good deal when he signed with us.
    If the George Mason thing is correct, it reflects badly. Not necessarily on Garrett, who at leave gave a classy goodbye decision if it was totally his decision, nor CC, who may be able to get someone better or more likely healthier in the free market. 
   It's a system that is destroying college basketball loyalty, the already vague notion of student-athletes and any sense of the game being connected to growth.
    For players, coaches and teams, the grass always seems to be greener on the other side. So why not
jump.
    In the case of Garrett, and the college game overall, it's a system that has destroyed at least the final arc a once-feel good story.
   
   

Last edited by jf (4/03/2026 4:19 pm)

Don’t be surprised to see some eye popping NIL numbers this summer. Not saying this is Garrett, but kids and their agents are absolutely delusional and are basically trying to get double what they got this season.

Need a 1929 style crash in the NIL market asap.

Trump signs executive order - athletes must complete eligibility within five years with only one transfer without sitting. Schools that don’t comply will lose federal funding.

And away we go with the litigation on this.

A tactic to force Congress to legislate?

NCAA desperate for Congress to act to take the pressure off them.

Wonder if she coordinated with incoming Lieutenant…er I mean…Commissioner Dan.

Last edited by Poog (4/04/2026 5:02 pm)

Again half the team will be new. Caputo will have to be an especially good recruiter next season after a very disappointing season as a coach. Again GW lost more close games (7 points and fewer) than any other Div. 1 school in the country--many with the loss of big leads. Maybe remedial coaching lessons is the answer. 

Mike K wrote:

moneybox wrote:

Again half the team will be new. Caputo will have to be an especially good recruiter next season after a very disappointing season as a coach. Again GW lost more close games (7 points and fewer) than any other Div. 1 school in the country--many with the loss of big leads. Maybe remedial coaching lessons is the answer. 

Or a veteran assistant on the bench!

Adding an in-game assistant coach for Xs & Os, making in-game adjustments, etc. It's commonsense. The AD should help out.
Apparently this has been done before. I've read on these pages that an assistant was brought in twice during Karl Hobbs' tenure. One time it helped while the other time not so much. Opponents made adjustments at halftime while GW floundered helplessly. Caputo's performance review should show numerous examples of subpar in-game coaching beginning most notably with the Murray State game.
 

These days, the name on the back of the jersey is all that counts to the players. I really don't care who leaves.  As fans, all we can do is wish them luck and move on, unless you want to donate a shit-ton of NIL money that some player will happily take and then walk away at the end of the year with a fat wallet.