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The Atlantic 10 released the full men’s basketball conference schedule a few minutes ago. Dates for GW match-ups are below.

• Jan. 10     Richmond at GW
• Jan 14      GW at Duquesne
• Jan. 17     GW at Saint Louis
• Jan. 20     Dayton at GW
• Jan. 24     Rhode Island at GW
• Jan. 28     GW at La Salle
• Feb. 4       GW at Saint Joseph’s
• Feb. 7       Fordham at GW
• Feb. 11     La Salle at GW
• Feb. 14     GW at Charlotte
• Feb. 19     St. Bonaventure at GW
• Feb. 22     GW at Xavier
• Feb. 25     Charlotte at GW
• Feb. 28     GW at Richmond
• Mar. 4        GW at Massachusetts
• Mar. 7        Temple at GW

Men’s basketball recruit Dwayne Smith will not be on the Colonials’ roster this season, Director of Athletics Jack Kvancz told Hatchet Sports Editor Andrew Alberg today.

Kvancz alluded to Smith being ruled ineligible by the NCAA, as was first reported by the Saint Paul Pioneer Press last week. In that article, Smith’s AAU coach Ro Russell said Smith was ruled ineligible because he took two core classes in his fifth year of high school. NCAA rules stipulate that fifth-year high schools seniors may take only one core class in order to retain their eligibility.

Kvancz said he did not know the details of the situation, but said he thinks the men’s basketball team is trying to recruit another player for this season.

Smith signed a National Letter of Intent with the Colonials in April.

Just a quick note: The men’s basketball team will host Maryland, Baltimore County Nov. 26 and will visit Longwood Jan. 3, according to the schools’ athletic Web sites.

Should have a larger schedule update later this week.

A few things that slipped through the cracks in recent days:

• The Colonials have themselves a new strength and conditioning coach. Ben Kenyon, who served as a graduate assistant to former coach Mark Bearden during the 2006-07 school year has been tabbed to lead GW after spending last year as an assitant strength coach at the University of Florida. Kenyon had been listed on the staff directory at GWsports.com for a few days, but the official announcement came out today.
• Former GW women’s basketball players Elisa Aguilar and Anna Montaňana have been representing Spain in the Beijing Olympics for a few days now. Aguilar is averaging 6.3 points over three games for the Spanish squad, while Montaňana is tearing it up, leading the team with 17 points and 6.3 rebounds per contest. Spain’s next test will be against the United States on Friday.
• The wait is over. After three grueling months without any Colonials action, GW fans can get excited for the women’s soccer team’s match against Loyola (Md) today. The Loyola Web site has the game listed as an exhibition, but the GWsports.com makes no such distinction — but we’ll be sure to keep you posted nonetheless.

College Chalktalk today released it’s first installment in a multi-part series highlighting its Top 25 Atlantic 10 returnees. Junior Damian Hollis ranked No. 20. Here’s what CCT had to say about him:

“The maturation of Damian Hollis took another step forward last season as the long and athletic 6′8″ forward saw his scoring and rebounding totals increase.  Hollis averaged 9.1 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, pairing down low with the extremely talented Rob Diggs to frustrate defenses around the league.  As Hollis continues to grow and fill out his frame, he should handle contact better and finish with more consistency.  Look for Hollis to continue demonstrating his versatility scoring the ball and, with an improved defensive focus, become one of the more complete players in the league.”

Comments on returnees 25 through 15 were released today — the remaining 15 will be released in August, the article says.

A couple of tidbits pertaining to GW basketball on a pair of Web sites today:

First, as per CSTV, the women’s squad will head out to Rice University for a Jan. 5 match-up.

UPDATE: Dates for the previously reported Texas A&M and Tennessee games will be at the Aggies Jan. 3, and hosting the Vols Dec. 2. 

Also, as per inrich.com, Richmond big man Dan Geriot will likely miss the 2008-09 season with an offseason knee injury sustained in a summer league game in Philadelphia. Geriot only had nine points in GW’s victory over the Spiders last year, but he was the team’s top scorer and rebounder on the season. This likely gives the Colonials a leg up in their two games against the Spiders this year.

There has been some confusion in recent weeks on men’s basketball recruit Dwayne Smith’s status with the team. Smith told The Hatchet in late April that he had signed a Letter of Intent with the Colonials, but a College Chalk Talk interview with assistant coach Roland Houston in early July referenced only three incoming freshmen, leaving Smith out.

It now appears that Houston didn’t mention Smith because his admission status with the University is still pending. Director of Sports Information Brad Bower said in an e-mail that the athletic department is not sure when Smith’s status will change.

However, when the athletic department announced GW’s in-conference opponents July 9, the press release referenced “four newcomers.” The four players alluded to are freshmen Tony Taylor, Matt Allbritton, Aaron Ware and former team manager Jeff Alston, Bower said.

Alston will be a senior this year, and will not receive a scholarship, Bower said. A 2006 Hatchet article discusses his freshman year as team manager for the 27-3 Colonials squad. Repeated attempts to contact Smith earlier this month were not returned.

The Department of Athletics released the men’s basketball conference schedule today.

GW’s will host: Charlotte, Dayton, Fordham, La Salle, Rhode Island, Richmond, St. Bonaventure, Temple.

GW will visit: Charlotte, Duquesne, La Salle, Massachusetts, Richmond, Saint Joseph’s, Saint Louis, Xavier. The Saint Joseph’s game will be played at the Palestra.

Earlier this year, Director of Athletics Jack Kvancz said that while the Colonials finished in the bottom tier of the conference, Atlantic 10 scheduling rules prohibited them from falling two levels in one season.

In addition, there had been some speculation on whether or not Dwayne Smith would be joining the 2008-09 Colonials, as an interview with assistant coach Roland Houston only mentions three new players. However, today’s release references “four newcomers.”

Basketball Strength and Conditioning coach Mark Bearden has resigned from his position, Assistant Director of Sports Information Jesse Hooker said Tuesday. Hooker said Bearden resigned for personal reasons, and the athletic department is currently working to hire a replacement.

In addition, women’s soccer coach Neel Bhattacharjee has been promoted from assistant coach to associate head coach, the department announced Monday. Other than the enhanced title, it is not clear what, if any effect the promotion will have on his role with the team. He will remain the squad’s recruiting coordinator.

Former women’s assistant coach Ali Jaques has officially been named an assistant coach at Northwestern University under former women’s head coach Joe McKeown. The departure of McKewon, Jaques, former assitant Tajama Ngongba and Director of Basketball Operations Liz Dancause leaves only new head caoch Mike Bozeman as a continuing member of the Colonials’ coaching staff.

Bozeman has not yet announced who might join him on the bench this winter.