George Washington University Athletics
Women's Basketball Makes 2006-07 Debut in Exhibition Tonight
11/3/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 3, 2006
WASHINGTON, DC - The George Washington women's basketball team will tune-up for the fast-approaching 2006-07 season by hosting Lake Truck Lines in an exhibition contest tonight at Charles E. Smith Athletic Center at 7:00 pm. There will be a moment of silence in honor of the late Red Auerbach ('40) prior to Friday's tip-off.
The men's and women's teams are dedicating their respective seasons in memory of Auerbach, who played three seasons for the Colonials from 1938-40. The teams' will also wear a red patch on the shoulder of their uniforms throughout the season.
The Colonials' lone exhibition season opponent, Lake Truck Lines, boasts a roster comprised of former Division I and current WNBA players, including Nikki Blue (UCLA/Washington Mystics), Brittany Jackson (Tennessee) and Brandi Teamer (Virginia). Lake Truck has split its first four exhibition games, defeating Houston (78-66) and Duquesne (78-73) and falling to No. 3 Oklahoma (88-56) and No. 1 Maryland (80-64).
GW will officially open its season next Friday, Nov. 10, against Maryland-Baltimore County at the Smith Center at 3:00 pm.
Season Outlook
One of the telltale signs of an elite collegiate basketball program is longevity, the ability to consistently compete for conference championships and the national title. That is precisely what Joe McKeown has done in his 17 seasons as head coach at George Washington University. The Colonials have amassed 20-or-more victories in 15 of McKeown's 17 years on the bench and have made 13 NCAA Tournament appearances during his tenure. McKeown also has produced teams which have advanced as far as the Elite Eight and Sweet 16 in the NCAA postseason.
The 2006-07 season marks the 10-year anniversary of the GW women's basketball program's most successful season. The Colonials won a school-record 28 games during the 1996-97 season and advanced to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament. With an immense amount of talent and experience returning, GW could be primed to make a similar run through the postseason in 2006-07.
The enduring legacy of GW women's basketball appears to be in good hands for the 2006-07 season as McKeown welcomes back four starters and 11 letterwinners to a team fresh off a trip to the second round of the "Big Dance" and a No. 25 final ranking in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches' poll. The potential for success during the 2006-07 campaign is staggering, especially when considering the fact that the Colonials return more than three-quarters of their scoring, rebounds and assists from last season.
McKeown admits that the bar has been set very high for the upcoming season, his 18th in Foggy Bottom. "Anytime you return four starters from a team that played well in the NCAA Tournament you expect to be better the following year," he said. "We have a solid mix of speed and size, the ability to score points inside, which will open up the game for our guards."
McKeown and his staff added three newcomers to its proven corps of winners during the recruiting season, a pair of 6-foot-plus post players and a point guard, who add to one of the deepest rosters in program history.
The Frontcourt
The biggest change to the Colonials lineup will be in the frontcourt, where one junior, four sophomores and two freshmen will all vie for playing time. Gone is two-time All-Conference performer Jessica Simmonds, but a quartet of sophomores who gained a wealth of experience last winter return. The most likely candidates to fill Simmonds' vacated position are sophomore twin towers Jazmine and Jessica Adair.
Jazmine entered the starting lineup roughly midway through last season and made an immediate impact. She was second on the team in rebounding in league games (6.3 rpg) and chipped in more than four points per contest en route to being named to the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team. Despite battling through an injury-plagued season, twin sister Jessica still led all rookies in scoring (7.3 ppg), rebounding (5.0 rpg) and field goal percentage (54.5 percent).
The duo proved they both can compete on the national stage as witnessed by their sparkling performances in the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament last March. Jazmine recorded a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double in GW's first round victory at Old Dominion, while Jessica duplicated the feat with a 13-point, 11-rebound double-double two days later versus perennial national power Tennessee.
All told, the District natives combined to average 11.0 points and nearly 10 rebounds per game last season. The likelihood is that both players will see significantly more minutes, possibly at the same time, which will provide McKeown with a pair of big bodies in the paint that most opponents cannot match.
Sophomore Chantelle John also showed signs of brilliance as a freshman and should have ample opportunity to do so in her second season. John started the first eight games last season and put up solid rookie numbers against GW's brutal early schedule, including a career-high 10 points in the Colonials' upset victory against nationally-ranked Purdue at the Junkanoo Jam in the Bahamas.
Sophomore Jamila Bates saw limited action along the deep Colonials front line last season, but produced when her number was called. Bates dropped in a career-high eight points against an underrated Stony Brook squad last December and grabbed five boards in seven minutes of action in a rout of Saint Louis in February.
Junior pivot Lora Mitchell has improved her game significantly since joining the Colonials from Mountain View High School in Utah two years ago. The former honorable mention high school All-American established career-highs in minutes played and rebounds during her sophomore season and will be counted on to be the mentor of the young frontcourt.
Rounding out the frontcourt are newcomers Ivy Abiona and Robin Murphy. Abiona is a wiry 6-2 power forward who averaged a double-double the past two seasons at Cherry Hills East High School in New Jersey, while Murphy is a 6-0 small forward who garnered Parade and Nike All-America attention at Stephenson High School in Georgia. Both are touted as savvy and athletic players who are capable of playing a number of interior positions.
The Backcourt
All six of GW's key backcourt contributors return, giving the Colonials one of the most talented and experienced backcourts in the league, if not the nation, for the 2006-07 season.
Headlining the returning cast is junior Kimberly Beck, who in just her third season has already developed into one of the top point guards in the country. The 2005 A-10 Rookie of the Year elevated her game in her second season, adding a more polished scoring touch to an already well-developed repertoire of ball-handling, passing and defense. Beck led the conference in assists (5.53 apg) for the second year in a row and finished second on the team in scoring (11.4 ppg), earning first team All-Atlantic 10 accolades. She also finished seventh in the league in steals (2.00 spg) to earn a spot on the A-10 All-Defensive Team. In just two seasons Beck is already 10th on the University's career three-point field goals made list (99), tied for 12th in career assists (341), and has amassed 150 steals.
McKeown predicted that Sarah-Jo Lawrence would have a breakout season in 2005-06, and she delivered. Lawrence blossomed into an offensive weapon for the Colonials last season, averaging a team-best 11.6 points per game to earn honorable mention All-Atlantic 10 status and the league's Sixth Player of the Year award.
A slashing two-guard, Lawrence stepped up in some of last year's biggest games. She pumped in 15 points in 18 minutes off the bench at Villanova, including a clutch three-pointer late in the game which put GW ahead for good. In a spot starting assignment at nationally-ranked Temple, Lawrence matched her career-high with 21 points to lead the Colonials to a memorable overtime victory. Her on-court presence was felt the most in GW's first round NCAA Tournament game at Old Dominion. With GW clinging to a one-point lead with 12:51 remaining in the opening period, Lawrence checked in and scored 12 points to spark a 28-7 run as the Colonials jumped to a 17-point first-half cushion. The onus has been placed on the rising junior once again as McKeown expects Lawrence to "consistently put the ball in the basket for us this season."
Kenan Cole, the lone true senior on this year's roster, carried her marked improvement from freshman to sophomore season into her junior year, boosting her scoring average to 8.2 points per game, while contributing 4.2 rebounds and 1.5 assists per contest. Her veteran leadership and intelligent play will be a key component to GW's success in the upcoming season.
While listed among the backcourt returnees, athletic forward Whitney Allen possesses the versatility to fill the wing and post positions. Allen, who enters this season with two years of eligibility remaining, showcased her all-around talent last season, finishing second on the team in rebounds, steals and blocks, while scoring 6.9 points per game on 51.3 percent shooting. She is also the team's go-to defensive stopper, consistently rising to the challenge of defending the opposition's top player.
Junior shooting guard Lisa Steele made a triumphant return to the Colonials lineup after missing much of her rookie season due to injury. Steele, who averaged 2.1 points in just over eight minutes per game in 2005-06, can score in bunches and stretch opposing defenses with her strong perimeter game.
When healthy, sophomore off guard Faith Peters is capable of putting points on the scoreboard. She appeared in only 13 contests as a freshman, but showed that she can both drive to the basket and score from deep. Peters averaged better than seven points in the three games in which she scored last season on a mix of dead-eye three-point shooting and penetration.
According to McKeown, last season's `biggest Achilles heel' was the lack of a back-up at the point. That need was addressed with the signing of 5-7 point guard Stefani Munro. Beck averaged a team-high 37.7 minutes per game and played a full 40 minutes 13 times last season. Munro, who averaged 16.7 points and 8.0 assists per game as a senior at Mount Clemens High School in Michigan last year, is expected to spell Beck at the point.
The Schedule
The 2006-07 non-conference schedule rivals the difficult slate the Colonials played last season, continuing McKeown's philosophy of the best playing the best. "I would rather go out and play the best teams in the country to see how we compare than play an easier schedule and have more wins," said McKeown. "I think it gives our team a better determinant of where it is and where it needs to be."
The Colonials will play nine of their 13 non-conference games in the immediate Washington, DC, area. GW opens with a pair of home meetings against Baltimore-based schools UMBC on November 10 and two-time defending MEAC champs Coppin State on November 12. The Colonials then make the short journey to College Park, MD, to participate in the BTI Classic hosted by defending national champion Maryland from November 17-19. Arizona and TCU are the other schools slated to compete in the three-day round-robin style shootout.
GW returns to the Charles E. Smith Athletic Center to entertain James Madison on November 25 before hosting Villanova for the second time in three years on November 29. The Colonials make their first venture away from the Capital District in early December to complete a home-and-home series with Stony Brook on December 2. Five days later the team will travel to Knoxville, TN, to tangle with Tennessee's Lady Vols for the sixth time in the last seven seasons.
GW closes its home non-conference agenda with 10-time defending Big South champion Liberty on December 10 and Auburn of the rugged Southeastern Conference on December 16. The New Year's holiday offers a trip to California and a match-up with another SEC titan, Georgia, at the Surf `N Slam Tournament hosted by San Diego State. GW will open with the Bulldogs on December 28 before facing either the host Aztecs or Brown two days later.
The Atlantic 10 Conference will experiment with a 14-game schedule for the first time since the 1992-93 season. Rather than play home-and-home series with three teams, GW will play only Richmond in two regular-season games and all other A-10 opponents once. The Colonials will battle Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Duquesne, St. Bonaventure and defending A-10 Tournament champion Temple at the Smith Center, while facing Fordham, Xavier, Dayton, La Salle, Charlotte and Saint Louis on the road. Xavier's Cintas Center is the site of this year's Atlantic 10 Women's Basketball Championship, to be held March 2-5.
