Review a Chat With Coach Tom Penders

Jay Podorowsky asks Your mentioning of Pat Ngongba would seem to indicate he is on track to return next year. Is there little doubt about him coming back?
I'm not sure yet whether he is coming back because I believe he can graduate, but if wants to play next year and is on track to come back, we certainly would love to have him back. He's a wonderful young man and a guy that can help us be a better team.
Cap Anson asks Were you surprised at how well SirValiant Brown played in his first season?
I had no reason or right to expect him to be an All-American his freshmen year. It's something no coach in his right mind would expect from a player unless he's a McDonald's first team All-American. Before the season started, I felt that he was the best freshmen I had ever recruited and he proved that. Chris Monroe was not far behind. To have two great freshmen gives us a good feeling about our future. I didn't expect Chris to achieve all that he did either. Because of Val's achievements, Chris often gets overlooked, but he's not overlooked by me or my staff. We're very lucky to have him at George Washington.
Sean Lahman asks Your first season at GW was awfully succesful. How hard is it to do that in your first year with a program, and how important is that in setting the tone for future seasons?
To win the first championship in the school's history in the A-10 was a tremendous achievement, but we had a lot of fortune, a lot of bounces go our way to achieve that. We lost two great players from that team. This year was an exciting year but we were very inconsistent and very young. We had some great moments, but it was a rebuilding year. I guess I should be pleased that we didn't fall on our faces cause that could have easily happened. It's always a challenge, because in basketball, unlike college football, there are at least 150 schools that consider them major D1 players and they all have aspirations to be in the top 25. It's very competitive, so sometimes it's just a sprained ankle away from disaster. Each season takes on it's own meaning and you never know what's going to happen. I like our chances for success in the future because of our young talent that we're bringing into the program. We hope that everybody stays healthy and that we continue to do the things we're doing right now. The future is very bright, but we all know it's about recruiting. When you come into a program you try to do the best with what you've got and then strengthen your weaknesses. It's very difficult on the players when a new coach comes in. It's one of the challenges a coach faces when he takes on a new program. our first year was a lot of fun, a great reward for all of the kids who were a part of it. We hope this year's experience will make us a better team next year.
Scott Smith asks Do you think you will ever live up to the standards of excellence that Mike Jarvis had here?
It's my hope to do as well as we can. I think Mike Jarvis did an excellent job and hopefully I'll be fortunate and have the same kind of success he had here. Our hope is to do even more and someday have Coach Jarvis back here and honor him cause he's the one who started this. I believe you should respect whomever you replace as a coach. Mike left by his own choice and I've been hired to bring the program to an even higher level and we hope to do that. It won't be easy, but that's why I have a six year contract. Hopefully, we'll have the same type of success here. We all have our individual goals and hopes; I'm not in competition with Coach Jarvis but he is a man that I have tremendous respect for.
Ryan Foley asks With the loss of Virginia Tech, the A-10 is going to a one division type format. Have you recieved any info as to how the schedule will be handled? Will teams still play 16 games, and if so how will it be decided you plays whom twice?
If the league does not add a team, the scheduling is tentatively set and I don't have a copy of it. It changes every year, much like the Big East and the Big Ten. Some teams will play twice, some will play once. I believe it's on a rotating basis, but that's only if no teams are added to the conference and that I'm not privy to, I don't have that information. I'm sorry I don't have an extra schedule sitting in front of me.
Justin Pearson asks How many recruits do you expect to sign in preparation for the 2000-2001 season and who can we expect to see on the non-conference schedule?
We signed two players - Cosby and Davis - and we expect to sign and we hope to sign two more in the spring signing period. Our schedule for next year is not completed, as we speak, but I can tell you we play St. Johns in the BB&T classic which should be a lot of fun. Michigan and Maryland are also in that field. We'll have our usual tough non-conference schedule. We've been invited to a couple of tournaments and we haven't decided which ones we'll go to at this point.
Cynthia Mills (Larry's mother) asks What was required to be included in the NIT tournament this year,and why was GW not part of THIS tournament? Good luck next year. I will always follow GW basketball. Will GW be playing any games in the Chicago area next year? Tnanks C. Mills
I'm not sure what the criteria is to get into the NIT. Often it's about the same criteria as the NCAA. I felt we were an on the fringe, bubble candidate this year. Because of injuries and not having Patrick Ngongba and we didn't have enough wins apparently to get in. I have no complaints. It would have been nice, but I think the NIT field is very, very strong and we could have competed in it. I'm not sure how we competed against the NIT field. We split two games with XAvier and UMass so obviously we are competitive with the teams that are in it.
Justin Gannon asks With the additions of Davis and Cosby, what do you feel will be the weakest part of the team next year?
If everybody does their work in the off-season and we can stay healthy, we may be very solid both up front and in the back court, but we hope to recruit another forward and another point guard this spring and when recruiting is completed, I'll have a better answer. I thought we could have used another guard and someone to go to inside beside Chris Monroe. Hopefully the players we have returning will work hard and develop in their strength and abilities and the new players have a small period of adjustment to either a new program, like Atilla Cosby who was a starter for two years at Pittsburgh and one of the best players and Shaun Davis who will be a freshman... the potential is there to have a very balanced team next year.
Joel Michiaels asks Coach, who do you think will win the national championship? Who are your final four teams?
My final four picks are changing by the hour but I'll stay with my pre-season pick of Stanford as the favorite. They're the healthiest and deepest team with the number 1 seed. My heart is with Temple and that's who I'm actively cheering for. John Chaney is one of the giants in my profession and he deserves to win a national championship. If there's any justice out there, the Owls will win it all.
Cliff Johnson asks Can you make George Washington a winner? What will it take?
We haven't had a losing season here since 1990 so the program is a winner. What we're going to try to do is win more championships. We won our first league championship in 1999 in the A-10. We'd like to add a few more of those and jump into the top 25 in a consistent basis and continue to recruit players like Val Brown and Chris Monroe. It's about recruiting top talent and Val Brown was one of only four freshmen in the country named to the All-American team. It's about recruiting and if we can continue to recruit players like that, it will make our program one of the top in the country. I feel playing the Atlantic-10 gives us a vehicle to achieve that goal, provided we continue to recruit players like Cosby, Monroe, Brown, Davis. Those are the players who make it happen - not the coaches. At Texas, there was no record of success, no TV appearances and only 8 times had the school gone to NCAA tournaments in the previous 80 years. We went to 8 in 10 years including the elite eight and sweet sixteen and we can do that here. Mike Jarvis created a winning program and attitude and now we must build on that. I think we're well on our way.
Sam Leon asks How is recruiting going? Do you have an advantage with recruiting international players because of the school?
Recruiting is going really well. We had a great recruiting class last year with Val Brown and Chris Monroe. We've added Cosby, Davis and expect to sign one or two more in a spring signing period. Recruiting is what this is all about. I feel that we're doing extremely well. I'm extremely excited about the kids coming in and the interest that is out there for GW. We're now able to attract the top players in the country. We'll always be considered high on the list of international players because our school has a high number of international students. D.C. is one of the hottest cities in the country right now. I think it's attractive with kids from the U.S. and abroad. I know how hard it is to get into a school like GW cause I've had many people call and ask if I can get their sons and daughters in there. For those who want help - please call admissions cause I can't do anything right now ( ha ha). It's a great city and a great place to be.
Ryan Armbrustmacher asks Where did SirValiant Brown get his name?
He was named that at birth. That's his real first name. His mother and father decided on it.
Will Soloman asks What is your most memorable coaching achievement?
It's hard to single them out, but I guess getting my 500th win was something I never dreamed of. That happened early this season. Many coaches don't get the chance to coach 500 games so I consider myself lucky. The games, the wins, the championships are all special, but this achievement was something I never really thought I'd have the opportunity to enjoy. I've been largely in rebuilding situations my entire career. I've had to build basketball programs where there was none - no success, no history. It's been a different challenge at every school. It's very satisfying to know that you can succeed at every school.
Wayne McPeters asks Coach, After being at Rhode Island, then Texas and now at George Washington, is it more difficult to sell the kids on the smaller univesities as opposed to a major school like Texas?
I've already coached at Tufts University for three years, Columbia for four years, Fordham for 8 years before I went to Rhode Island and Texas, so I have 15 years of experience prior to coming to GW, recruiting at smaller institutions, private institutions and I had success at those schools. In many ways, it can be a plus in recruiting. For instance, in college basketball, the major state univ. do not dominate the scene. Schools like St. Johns, Georgetown, DePaul, Gonzaga, Duke, just to name a few are all private schools where basketball is their major sport, so in many ways it's easier to recruit. I'd add Temple to that list, which many consider to be a favorite, and Duke, St. Johns... College basketball has always had great private universities at the top in the college basketball arena. I feel the players that we're recruiting at GW are as good as any of the players that I've recruited at any other school. It's all about recruiting and a lot of players, particularly innner city, prefer to go to city schools where they're comfortable in a city environment. The sport has always been dominated by players from the inner city. A school like GW can attract some of the inner city players. Texas was a great environment to recruit in, as well as Rhode Island. They all have their pluses. Pat Kennedy, for instance did a very good job at Florida State and he's well on his way to great success at DePaul and I don't see any difference in the challenges in a smaller school. In some way it's easier. Less of a beauracracy, more of a personal approach to the process. Our student athletes get tremendous individual attention, where sometimes they get lost in the shuffle of the bigger universities. It's less likely to happen at a smaller university.
Matt Tinson asks Do you think North Carolina should have been in the Tournament? Do you think teams like North Carolina are at an advantage because of their history?
I think North Carolina deserved to be in this year's field of 64 because they played an extremely tough schedule and have some quality wins. If they didn't have a strong schedule and had the same record, I probably would't have voted for them. But if I had a vote, I'd put them in. I don't think anyone wants to play UNC. They have tremendous tradition and great basketball players. I think they are deserving of a bid this year.
Kyle Westmoreland asks Coach, what do you think of the job Rick Barnes has done at Texas?
I think Rick has done a very solid job at Texas and I'm happy for him and the players like Chris Mihm and Gabe Muoneke, William Clay, and Ivan Wagner are all doing well. I think Rick Barnes is a fine coach and will do a fine job and has done a fine job at Texas and will continue to do so.
Slew Mays asks Why did you come to George Washington?
I came to George Washington because I feel that it's a great opportunity and great place to live for my family and to continue to build a program, working with people I've known for a long time, the AD Jack Kvanz, approached me. I didn't apply for the job, I've known him for 44 years. We were born in the same hospital. I played basketball and baseball with him. he's a guy that I have tremendous respect for. He's a close and trusted friend. All of those things combined make this a tremendous opportunity and challenge - to bring GW to a higher level. Mike Jarvis left a good foundation for us to build on. We hope to be able to continue to build it and improve it over the next few years.
Chris Peters asks Have you ever thought of coaching in the NBA?
I did at a much younger age. I considered coaching in the NBA and did have a couple of opportunities to do so, but I decided to stay in college and at this point in my career, I feel that college coaching is where I want to spend the rest of my career.
Sam Jones asks Besides SirValiant Brown, who else do you see as major contributors next season at GW?
Chris Monroe was a major contributor this year and probably had just as much impact as Val Brown in a positive sense. Val, because he played the entire season at full strength, he was named Freshman of the Year and honorable mention All-American. We expect Chris Monroe, as a sophomore to continue his development. And Mike King to have a good senior year and an injury free senior year. He's obviously an important player for us. Players who are willing to work and dedicate themselves in the off-season. It's unfair of me to say who will do the most work, cause I don't know. You hope that all the players do the same amount in the off-season. Like Jason Smith, who showed great improvement, with the continued work ethic he has shown, he might turn in to an outstanding player. He needs to be more consistent. He missed almost his entire first year because of a hernia operation.
Jeff Gumbinner asks How do you see next year's rotation looking? Obviously, the expectation is that Atilla Cosby will get most of the minutes in the middle when he becomes eligible, but how do Shaun Davis, Pat Ngongba, Jason Smith and Antxon Iturbe fit in together? Does this frontcourt depth mean we'll see fewer three guard sets (let alone four guard sets)?
Well, it's too early to tell who's going to play. We really do base our playing time on how they compete in practice. We do a lot of competitive things in practice to determine who should play. Cosby will not be eligible until the first sememster is over, just before Christmas. Shaun Davis, who will be a freshman, we have high expectations from him. He's a big strong phyisical player from a good program. We expect him to play, but he'll have to compete with Jason Smith, Antxon. Patrick would have added five or six wins for us if he was able to play. He's the type of player we need. Unfortunately for him, he had a season-ending injury in Dec. He was a starter the year before on our championship team. That is all the time we have, but thank you for all of your great questions today. Moderator: Thanks Coach Penders.

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