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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.”

New women’s basketball coach Mike Bozeman has hired Kristeena Alexander (from St. Francis), Katie Rokus (from UMBC) and Richard Moore (former head post-graduate men’s basketball coach at Massanutten Military Academy), a press release said.

The Hatchet had previous reported the hirings of Alexander, a former GW player, and Rokus.

The University has raised $1 millon for the renovation of the Smith Center in the last six weeks, Director of Athletics Jack Kvancz said.

Kvancz said he was pleased with the figure so far, but admitted that the rate of donation may drop after the first donors.

The University must raise $10 million in order to receive the promised matching donation of $10 million from the Smith and Kogod families. The remaining $23 million needed for the project will come from the University.

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.

GW women’s basketball coach Mike Bozeman told me Kristeena Alexander, a former GW player who graduated in 2000, will join his staff. Alexander played one season in the WNBA, spent three seasons at George Mason as an assistant coach and last season at St. Francis in the same position (thanks Bob).

At St. Francis, Alexander worked mostly with the team’s guards, her bio on the school’s website says.

Alexander joins Katie Rokus, formerly of UMBC, on Bozeman’s staff, which he said he will fill out in the coming weeks.

I sat down with new women’s basketball coach Mike Bozeman today in his office. I’ll have a full article sometime soon, but one hard news bit that he told me is that Katie Rokus, a former assistant coach at UMBC, will move south to work with Bozeman.

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.

Mike Bozeman was named the next head coach of the GW women’s basketball team today at a press conference in Smith Center. Bozeman appeared enthusiastic about his new opportunity, telling reporters and community members that he would “reward” those who had given him this new position.

Bozeman’s coaching staff has some holes currently, and it will have one more to fill if current assistant Ali Jaques leaves GW to follow former coach Joe McKeown to Northwestern. There has been no word yet on who may fill those positions.

Just received an advisory from Assistant Director of Sports Information Jesse Hooker stating that the next head coach of the women’s basketball team will be announced via press conference tomorrow at 1 p.m. Those unable to attend may view the announcement online at GWSports.com.

Reports say that the announced coach will be current GW assistant Mike Bozeman.

The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Mel Greenberg is reporting on his women’s basketball blog that current women’s assistant coach Mike Bozeman will be named the Colonials’ next head coach as early as tomorrow.

The head coaching position opened up two weeks ago when former head coach Joe McKeown left Washington to take the same position at Northwestern University in Illinois. Bozeman, former Colonial Lisa Cermingnano and current University of Connecticut assistant Jamelle Elliott were the main three coaches rumored to be in the running for the position.