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Skyler White

Monday, May 13, 2013 2:59 p.m.

Men’s basketball reportedly nabs wing shooter for 2014-2015

by Nick Ong

Updated: May 17, 2013, 9:45 a.m.

Head coach Mike Lonergan has reportedly snagged his newest recruit of the offseason, as Virginia Episcopal School’s Anthony Swan has committed to GW, a source told CBS Sports.

Those reports were confirmed by ABC-13 WSET-TV on Thursday, stating that Swan, who is the cousin of head associate coach Hajj Turner, has committed to GW. Swan had narrowed down his choices to GW, Miami and Cincinnati, but ultimately decided that becoming a Colonial would be the best fit for him.

Mike Longergan

Men’s basketball head coach Mike Lonergan has now had his first recruit join for 2014-15, CBS Sports reported. | Hatchet File Photo

Swan, a 6-foot-7 small forward, is a high school junior, so he will not arrive to play on campus until 2014-15, making him the first recruit to declare for that season.

He joins the list of 2013 offseason recruits that includes Skyler White and Miguel Cartegena.

“He’s just a very reserved person, always very positive even through negative times – bad losses and things like that,” Curtis Staples, Swan’s head coach at Virginia Episcopal, said. “He’s always the guy that tells everybody it’s gonna get better, so he’s definitely one of those guys that you want to have in your locker room.”

Last season, Swan averaged 17 points, six rebounds, three assists and two blocks for his varsity VES team that went 21-4,5-1 in the extremely competitive Virginia Independent Conference.

Swan’s wing shooting skills will help fill the hole left by recent transfer Lasan Kromah, and could form to a strong combination with White, known for his three-point shot.

“Anthony’s biggest strength is his shooting. He’s a great shooter, so he’s able to stretch defenses and create a lot of problems for a lot of opposing teams because he’s so athletic,” Staples said.

This has been an up-and-down off season for Lonergan, with Kromah, Jonathan Davis and David Pellom leaving the program, and former recruit Nigel Johnson de-commiting from GW.

It is not known at the time whether Swan will receive one of the available scholarship slots upon his graduation next year.
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Thursday, April 18, 2013 2:44 p.m.

Miguel Cartagena, Skyler White commit to join Colonials

by Elizabeth Traynor

Clarification appended

The men’s basketball team picked up two new members for the 2013-14 season Thursday, with guard Migual Cartagena signing a National Letter of Intent and forward Skyler White committing to join GW.

The two players fill up slots left empty by recent departures from the program, including senior guard Lasan Kromah, sophomore forward Jonathan Davis and, potentially, senior forward David Pellom. They join guard Nick Griffin as new additions to GW’s roster. Nigel Johnson recently decommitted from the program, a move that allows the recruit to explore other programs while leaving the door open for a return to GW.

White previously verbally committed to the Colonials as a walk-on forward. Despite the recent moves, White remains a walk-on for GW, meaning that he does not take up a scholarship slot. The Colonials are left with two open scholarships, possibly three should Johnson decide to join another program.

“Miguel and Skyler boast two key attributes needed to help make our program successful – they can both really shoot it and come from a culture of winning,” head coach Mike Lonergan said in a release. “They’re both very solid perimeter shooters, and both played for national championship caliber teams this past season, in addition to their time playing in international competitions. Miguel and Skyler will join Nick in providing an added dimension to our group of five returning starters.”

Cartagena, a  6-foot-1 guard from Aibonito, Puerto Rico, currently competes for Montverde Academy in Orlando, Fla., the same school that freshman forward Patricio Garino attended. It’s also the high school where GW assistant coach Kevin Sutton served as the athletic director and boys’ basketball coach from 2004-2011.

Cartagena helped the Eagles to a 48-6 record over the past two seasons, including trips to the 2012 and 2013 ESPN National High School Invitational championship games. As a senior, Cartagena played a role in helping Montverde achieve a No. 1 final national ranking in all three major polls- ESPN, USA Today and Prep Nation - with a 25-2 season record.

“Miguel is a very good shooter who will give us another ball handler next season,”  Lonergan said. “His experience playing FIBA and for the top high school program in the nation will help him make the adjustment to the high level of play in the Atlantic 10.”

 White, best known as a three-point specialist, currently plays for Northfield Mount Hermon High School in Gill, Mass. This season, he aided  the Hoggers in compiling a 29-5 overall record and the 2013 National Prep Championship title. White was also nominated for McDonald’s All-America honors.
“Skyler gives us another good three-point shooter and provides depth at the forward position,” Lonergan said.

This post was updated April 18, 2013 to reflect the following:
The headline was altered to clarify that Skyler White has committed to join the Colonials but, as a walk-on recruit, has not signed a letter of intent.
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Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2013 9:59 a.m.

Skyler White commits to men’s basketball team

by Elizabeth Traynor

Six-foot-8 forward Skyler White committed to the men’s basketball team for the 2013-14 season late last night, becoming the third high school senior to verbally commit to the Colonials.

Head coach Mike Lonergan, clad in a Buff blazer for the occasion, calls to his team from the sidelines earlier this season. Hatchet File Photo by Samuel Klein | Contributing Photo Editor

White joins Nick Griffin, who signed his letter of intent to join GW in November, and Nigel Johnson, who has yet to sign a National Letter of Intent despite verbally committing in September.

The New England Basketball Recruiting Report wrote that White will join the Colonials as a recruited walk-on, meaning he will likely not take up a scholarship slot for GW. White currently plays for Northfield Mount Hermon High School in Gill, Mass., where NERR said he “has been playing some of his best basketball so far during his senior season.” He’s also competed on England’s U-18 junior national team.

White, who is best known as a three-point specialist, told NERR that the University’s overall academic and athletic profile was a key selling point.

“The academics were a big part of it,” White said, “and the basketball, the A10 is a great conference.  You don’t really find that mix of great academics and great basketball.  When I got on campus it just felt like the right place for me.”

He is unranked in his ESPN.com recruiting profile.

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