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Wednesday, April 3, 2013 5:27 p.m.

Lasan Kromah to transfer from GW

by Elizabeth Traynor

Junior guard Lasan Kromah heads to the rim against Dayton last season. | Hatchet File Photo

Senior guard Lasan Kromah will transfer from the Colonials next season, a press release announced today.

Because he will be a graduate student transfer, Kromah will be eligible to play right away at any program he chooses to join.

“We appreciate the contributions Lasan has made to our team and we wish him the best in all that lies ahead for him,” head coach Mike Lonergan said in a release.

Athletics communications said Lonergan would not be commenting further on Kromah’s decision. Student-athletes cannot speak to the media without the approval of the athletics communications department.

The news likely takes the head coach by surprise. He told The Hatchet last week that he envisioned Kromah as a starter next year, after the senior spent much of this season providing an off-the-bench spark for the Colonials.

“We decided to bring Lasan off the bench [this season],” Lonergan said. “I thought it was good for [freshman forward] Kethan [Savage], because if Kethan wasn’t playing great, we could always bring Lasan in. It’s hard to bring a freshman off the bench – if he’s not playing well, then you don’t have anybody else. I give Lasan credit – we talked a lot about that, and he was willing to accept that role for the team. And he was still playing starter minutes.”

It’s the latest in a series of player-related blows for GW. Sophomore forward Jonathan Davis will also depart from the program at the end of this year, and senior forward David Pellom has been granted a release. Additionally, standout recruit Nigel Johnson recently de-committed from the program.

Should Pellom depart, given the graduation of Dwayne Smith and Bryan Bynes, that would leave just junior forward Nemanja Mikic as the only player not recruited by Lonergan, who is in his second year at the helm of the team.

Taken altogether, the substitutions seriously deplete a lineup that already struggled heavily with shooting and establishing a potent offensive game.

Kromah was an explosive force for GW during his freshman campaign, averaging 11.8 points per game on 45.7 percent shooting. But he tore a lisfranc ligament in his left foot, sidelining him for his entire sophomore year. Kromah returned to the Colonials’ lineup as a junior, but struggled at times to regain his once-commanding presence on the hardwood before stepping into a leadership role as a senior this year.

Kromah departs GW averaging 11.0 points per game on 44.2 percent shooting with an average of 4.05 rebounds per game.

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Sunday, March 24, 2013 7:52 p.m.

Report: George Mason to join Atlantic 10

by Elizabeth Traynor

The Colonials are finally getting a crosstown conference rival: George Mason is coming to the Atlantic 10.

basketball

Former Colonial Joe Katuka attempts to get around two George Mason defenders at a game two years ago. Hatchet File Photo

Steven Goff, The Washington Post’s beat reporter for the Patriots, tweeted that the program will join the A-10 effective July 1. His tweet came on the heels of press releases released by both George Mason and the Atlantic 10 touting “major announcements” tomorrow.

The addition is the latest in a series of changes for the A-10 amid the shaky world of conference realignment. It started with the announced departures of Temple and Charlotte, who were then replaced by Butler and VCU. But the Big East break-up gave rise to the recent developments that will see the Bulldogs and Xavier depart the Atlantic 10 next season.

George Mason was a founding member of the Colonial Athletic Association, its current league, in 1985, and will rejoin VCU, another former C.A.A. member, in the A-10. Early exit fees from the C.A.A. total $1 million, the same as the A-10.

The Patriots’ men’s basketball team is currently competing in the College Basketball Invitational, and will host Houston in the quarterfinals Monday. The team has a 19-14 overall record this season. George Mason last made the NCAA tournament in the 2010-11 season. In 2006, it made the Final Four.

The Patriots also bring an added edge to competition with the Colonials: in addition to being a District-rival, former GW assistant head coach Roland Houston now coaches for George Mason. His departure from the Colonials, following the fire of former head coach Karl Hobbs, was one of a chain of cascading events that ultimately resulted in Erik Copes playing for the Patriots instead of GW. At the time, Copes was regarded as the best recruit Hobbs ever brought to Foggy Bottom.

In the end, the quick addition of George Mason to the A-10′s ranks is hardly surprising. Athletic director Patrick Nero previously told The Hatchet that the league was ready to answer decisively should programs depart. The searches for VCU and Butler, he said, created a short list of other potential additions, a list George Mason was long rumored to lead.

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Thursday, Nov. 3, 2011 8:44 p.m.

Third recruit reportedly joins Colonials

by Elizabeth Traynor

Updated at 9:33 p.m.

Patricio Garino has committed to join GW next season, GWHoops.com reports, attributing the news to “a source within the administration.”

Garino seems to confirm the news on his Twitter account, retweeting messages congratulating him on his decision.

Garino is a six-foot-five, 200 pound forward that plays for Montverde Academy in Montverde, Fla., a school that also produced former GW big man Joseph Katuka. Colonials assistant coach Kevin Sutton previously worked as the head coach of Montverde, and Garino played for him until Sutton left Florida and joined first-year head coach Mike Lonergan’s staff in Foggy Bottom.

Garino, who hails from Buenos Aires, Argentina, competed for his native country’s National team in this summer’s U-19 World Championships, averaging 9.4 points and 4.2 rebounds on Argentina’s nine games. An ESPN.com scouting write-up describes him as a “long, versatile guard with a great basketball IQ,” highlighting his ability at making contributions essential on the court that don’t get reflected on the stat sheet.

Garino will join two other recruits on the court for Lonergan next season: recently committed forward Kyprianos Maragkos and guard Kethan Savage.

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Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2011 2:37 p.m.

GW Sports hypes coming basketball season

by Elizabeth Traynor

With just five days until the men’s basketball season kicks off, the GW Sports homepage released a video today that promotes the new year of Colonials basketball.

The video features standout plays from seasons past and a glimpse at the players that will take to the court for GW this season, set to a stirring soundtrack and boosted by special effects. Sophomore forward Nemanja Mikic can be seen in the video’s opening moments draining a three, followed by an imposing Lasan Kromah. The junior guard will make his return to the court for the Colonials this season. Senior guard Tony Taylor, junior forward David Pellom and graduate student forward Jabari Edwards are among the other members of the roster who appear in the video.

The 2011 to 2012 season begins Nov. 6 at 6 p.m., when the Colonials host Bowie State in an exhibition match.

 

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Monday, Oct. 31, 2011 6:41 p.m.

Weekend round-up

by Elizabeth Traynor

We didn’t have enough space on our page today for all of the Colonials sports action, so here’s a quick look at what the Colonials did over the weekend:

Andres Pumariega

Senior Andres Pumariega is tied for second at the Kiawah Classic with freshman teammate Jack Persons. | File Photo

Golf

The Colonials opened play at the the Kiawah Classic Sunday, paced by freshman Jack Persons and senior Andres Pumariega, who each shot a 2-under par score of 70 to tie for second place out of 105 golfers.

The tournament hosts 21 teams from 13 different NCAA conferences. Persons and Pumariega sit one stroke behind the reigning Big South men’s golfer of the week, Campbell’s Vaita Guillaume. As a team, the Colonials currently sit in fourth place with a combined score of 13-over 301.

GW returns to the course this morning at 9 a.m.

Swimming

Both the men’s and women’s swimming team fell at their second dual meet of the season to UMBC this weekend.

The women’s team was bested 137-103 despite earning the the top three finishes in three separate events. The Colonials earned the top three slots in the 200-yard breaststroke, including freshman Janica Lee coming in first with a time of 2:25.50. GW also took the top three in the 500-yard freestyle event, with sophomore Caroline Myers earning first place, and the 200-yard individual medley, where Lee again claimed top honors. Freshman Morgan Zebley won the 100-yard butterfly, and the 400-yard freestyle relay team also took first place for the Colonials.

The men’s team also dropped the meet to UMBC, 138-112, also despite sweeping three events. The Colonials took the top three spots of the 200-yard breaststroke, paced by freshman Garrett Cottingham, who won the event with a time of 2:10.81. GW also earned the top three places in the 500-yard freestyle, with junior Niklas Glenesk coming in first place in 4:49.91, and the 100-yard butterfly, where junior Alex Etz claimed first place with a time of 54.09 seconds. Cottingham also won the 100-yard breaststroke, and GW’s 400-yard freestyle relay team took first with a time of 3:13.25.

Both the men’s and women’s squad return to the pool Nov. 5 with a dual meet at Drexel.

 

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Monday, Oct. 31, 2011 4:02 p.m.

Abaie earns national, A-10 awards

by Elizabeth Traynor
Zach Abaie, men's soccer

Junior Zach Abaie dribbles the ball down the field during a home game against Bryant earlier in the season. File photo

Junior Zach Abaie, the biggest offensive catalyst in GW’s two weekend victories, is part of the College Soccer News National Team of the Week and shares this week’s Atlantic 10 Player of the Week award.

Abaie is the first Colonial to earn National Team of the Week recognition since two-time All-Region standout Andy Stadler was named to the team September 2008. He shares this week’s A-10 honor with Duquesne’s Joshua Patterson.

He assisted four of the GW’s five goals to help the Colonials earn their first two A-10 road wins of the season, at Massachusetts, 3-0, and Rhode Island, 2-1, sending GW into a tie for second place in the A-10 standings heading into the final weekend of the regular season.

GW (7-6-2, 5-2-0 A-10) hosts two matches at Mount Vernon Field this coming weekend, Nov. 4 versus St. Bonaventure and Nov. 6 Duquesne at 1 p.m.

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Saturday, Oct. 29, 2011 2:59 p.m.

Notes from basketball’s open practices

by Elizabeth Traynor

Both the men’s and women’s team opened the end of their practices to the media Friday. Here are some notes from both:

Danni Jackson

Junior guard Danni Jackson executes a play on Friday at open practices. Francis Rivera | Assistant Photo Editor

Women’s Basketball

  • Missing from action was sophomore center Erica Chandler. Head coach Mike Bozeman said Chandler was “indefinitely suspended for a violation of team rules.” He declined to comment further. Chandler played 47 minutes in nine games last season, averaging  0.9 points on 2-of-4 shooting and 0.9 rebounds.
  • After seeing a depleted roster due to injury for two straight seasons, Bozeman said his team was relatively healthy this year, the only exceptions being junior guard Shi-Heria Shipp and freshman guard Bria Bourgeois. Shipp is practicing with the team, but is still working to come back from her knee injury. Bourgeois has yet to practice with the team, but will return within a week from taking time to strengthen her knee through conditioning.
  • Junior guard Danni Jackson was the most visible player on the court, showing growth offensively but also clearly functioning as a vocal leader for her teammates.

Men’s Basketball

Jabari Edwards

Graduate student Jabari Edwards prepares for a scrimmage during Friday's open practice. Michelle Rattinger | Senior Photo Editor

  • The practice was mainly run by head coach Mike Lonergan, with help from associate head coach Hajj Turner.
  • Assistant coaches  Pete Strickland and Kevin Sutton were on the sidelines, taking notes and speaking to players as they stepped off the court.
  • Senior guard Tony Taylor showcased fast, athletic play, dodging defenders and drilling shots from all areas of the key.
  • Taylor was a vocal leader on the court, running offensive drills and plays from half court.
  • The team ran through inbounding, pass and screen drills, focusing on getting the ball to freshman forward John Kopriva and sophomore forward Nemanja Mikic in the paint.
  • Despite arecent illness, Mikic moved around the court quickly, draining characteristic treys with ease.
  • Kopriva was visible throughout practice, exhibiting commanding reach in the paint and dodging defenders in his drives to the net.
  • Lonergan emphasized facing a press defense, running drills with Taylor and junior guard Lasan Kromah inbounding from the sidelines.
  • Kromah looked athletic and quick on the court, drilling shots and unafraid to step up the physical nature of play.
  • When the team moved into a scrimmage, Taylor stole the ball and took it down the court, finding Kromah in the front court for an easy layup.
  • Kopriva took charges well, at one point making a basket with sophomore guard Dan Guest actually draped over his back.
  • The team was unafraid to challenge each other physically, with one collision ending with graduate student forward Jabari Edwards and freshman forward Jonathan Davis crashing to the court.
The men’s season begins Nov. 6, when they host Bowie State in an exhibition match. The women take to the court a few days later, hosting an exhibition match against UDC.
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Thursday, Oct. 27, 2011 3:45 p.m.

Leading offensive rebounder sidelined with injury

by Elizabeth Traynor
Dwayne Smith, temple, men's basketball

Then-sophomore forward Dwayne Smith drives to the basket against Temple last season, a game where he was one of only two Colonials to score in double figures. | File Photo

Junior forward Dwayne Smith is sidelined with concussion symptoms.

Smith, GW’s returning leading offensive rebounder, is off the court and unable to practice with the Colonials.

His recovery is “day-to-day,” head men’s basketball coach Mike Lonergan said today.

A team spokesperson said Smith is suffering from post-concussion symptoms and has yet to set an expected return date. For Smith to return to the court after suffering a concussion, he would have to be evaluated as symptom-free.

“There is no timetable for his return,” the spokesperson said.

Smith led the Colonials in offensive rebounds last season, grabbing 81 off the boards. His injury removes a dual threat from GW’s roster, sidelining a player that made solid contributions at both ends of the court last season.

He was second on the team overall in rebounding, averaging 5.1 per game. Smith earned a reputation for doing the “dirty work” for GW, finishing fourth on the team in steals, with 26, and posting 23 blocks. He netted a .400 field goal percentage on the season, grabbing 153 total rebounds and contributing 29 assists.

Lonergan said being unable to see the forward in play is frustrating, reducing the effectiveness of his ability to mold the team in practice. As Lonergan prepares to take the court with the Colonials for the first time, he’s depending on their practices as a way to assess his squad- an evaluation incomplete without the chance to see Smith, one of its top players, in action.

“Right now there’s only one guy out. Dwayne’s out,” Lonergan said, adding that the forward wasn’t out for the season “as of right now, no.”

Lonergan added that sophomore guard Nemanja Mikic has been out sick, and junior forward David Pellom was briefly sidelined while recovering from a shoulder injury, but both have returned to the court with the Colonials.

“I haven’t seen the whole team yet, which is frustrating. Injuries are part of the game, but it was a little bad luck that we had,” Lonergan said. “Nemanja just was sick, but he missed a lot of valuable time. And David had some trouble with a nagging injury, he had to rest his shoulder, but he’s pretty much back now.”

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Thursday, Oct. 27, 2011 12:20 p.m.

Maragkos committs to GW

by Elizabeth Traynor

Kyprianos Maragkos, a 2012 power forward, has committed to GW, The Recruit Scoop reported.

Maragkos is ranked by Eurohopes.com as the ninth-best overall prospect in Europe for players born in 1994.

The 6-foot-9, 220 pound big man averaged 9.7 points and 4.3 rebounds this July for his U-18 Greece team that competed in the European championships. The Greece native currently attends the Blue Ridge School in Charlottesville, Va., and his high school coach, Bill Ramsey, told The News Virginian that Maragkos “can play both the 4 and 5 and is a very good 3-point shooter.”

“He’s as equally comfortable playing with his back to the basket as he is stepping out and shooting. He’s physical. He’s not like a finesse European player,” Ramsey told The News Virginian. “He likes to mix it up.”

Maragkos only arrived stateside Sept. 2 but quickly garnered much attention from collegiate programs. Other schools rumored to be in the mix for the forward included Maryland, UAB, UNC Charlotte, Gonzaga and American.

Maragkos is the second Colonials recruit commitment under first-year head coach Mike Lonergan, joining Alexandria guard Kethan Savage.

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Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2011 6:34 p.m.

Persons sweeps A-10 awards

by Elizabeth Traynor
Jack Persons, golf

Photo courtesy of GW Athletics Communications.

Freshman Jack Persons swept the Atlantic 10 men’s golf weekly awards, nabbing both Golfer of the Week and Rookie of the Week honors.

Both accolades are the first of Persons’ collegiate career. He set a new GW golf record at the Old Dominion/Outerbanks Collegiate tournament, firing a 54-hole total of 9-under par score of 207 to finish fourth of 90 golfers.

Persons shot under par over all three days of competition, appearing in just his third collegiate tournament. Persons surpassed 2006 alumnus Brian Carroll’s previous 36- and 54-hole marks of 139 and 210, both set in 2005, with a two-round total of 138 and Tuesday’s three-round total of 207.

As a team, the Colonials finished fifth of 18 teams, shooting a three-round total of 11-over 875 and finishing ahead of Atlantic 10 rivals Richmond and Saint Joseph’s.

GW next heads to the three-day Kiawah Island Intercollegiate at the Turtle Point Golf Club in Kiawah Island, S.C., starting Oct. 30.

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