George Washington Colonials
From Hoopedia
The George Washington University (GW), is a private, coeducational university located in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of Washington, D.C. The school was founded in 1821 as The Columbian College in the District of Columbia by Baptist ministers using funds bequeathed by George Washington. It has since developed into a non-sectarian research institution known especially for its social sciences, international affairs, and law programs.
Men's Basketball
Mike Jarvis coached GW in the 1990s, and led the team to the NCAA Sweet 16 in 1993, where they were beaten by the Fab Five Michigan team. Jarvis also coached current Colonials Head Coach Karl Hobbs in high school. NBA flop Yinka Dare also played at George Washington for two years before being drafted in the first round by the New Jersey Nets.
GW's Basketball team returned to the National Stage in 2004 after defeating No. 9 Michigan State and No. 12 Maryland in back to back games to win the 2004 BB&T Classic. That year the Men's Basketball team went on to win the Atlantic 10 West Title and the Atlantic 10 Tournament Title (earning an automatic bid to the 2005 NCAA Tournament). The #12 seeded Colonials tournament was short, ending with a first round loss to #5 Seed Georgia Tech.
The team began the 2005 season ranked 21st in the Associated Press poll and after some tournament success they closed out the year ranked 19th nationwide. They had a record of 26-2 (16-0 in the A-10) going into the 2006 NCAA Tournament. The 2005-2006 season had been the team's best ever, surpassing the start of the 1953-1954 season and receiving an #8 seed in the NCAA Tournament. In the tournament, they came back from a 18 point second-half deficit to defeat #9 seed UNC-Wilmington, but lost to Duke University, the top overall seed in the Second Round.
While only one Colonial from the 2005-2006 team was drafted in the 2006 NBA Draft, Danilo Pinnock, there are currently three Colonials from that team in the NBA. Pops Mensah-Bonsu plays for the Dallas Mavericks and Mike Hall, who recently signed a contract with the Washington Wizards.
The 2006-2007 basketball season was considered by many to be a rebuilding year for the colonials after graduating their entire starting front court and losing junior leader Danilo Pinnock to the NBA. But coach Karl Hobbs and Senior guard Carl Elliott managed to lead the team to a 23-8 record, winning the 2007 Atlantic 10 Tournament in Atlantic City, NJ (once again earning an auto-bid to the NCAA Tournament). The Colonials were placed as a #11 seed losing against #6 seed Vanderbilt University in Sacramento, CA 77-44.
Karl Hobbs, a former player and coach under Jim Calhoun at the University of Connecticut is in his sixth year as head coach. Hobbs is a fan favorite -- often receiving as much applause during his entrance to games as the athletes. Known for his outward shows of emotion during games that include stomping his foot and slamming his clipboard, Hobbs is considered one of the up-and-coming coaches in the NCAA.
