George Washington University Athletics
GW Women's Basketball: 2014-15 Season Preview
11/14/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
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Nov. 14, 2014
As Year Three of the Jonathan Tsipis era is set to begin on Friday night, the George Washington women's basketball team faces higher expectations than it has in more than half a decade.
The 14 head coaches in the Atlantic 10 Conference selected GW second in the 2014-15 preseason poll - its highest preseason slotting since 2008 when the Colonials were coming off an appearance in the Sweet 16. In 2013-14, GW knocked off a pair of ranked opponents and advanced to the semifinals of the A-10 Championship and to the third round of the WNIT. The last Atlantic 10 team playing in March, the Colonials finished the season with a 23-11 overall record - a 12-win improvement in just two seasons - and posted an 11-5 mark in the A-10 to tie for second in the league standings.
"We're going to have to respond to different things this season as we do every year, but for the first time now we're going to have to respond to having a much higher level of expectations," Coach Tsipis said. "You can either run from it or you can embrace it and try to make sure you're doing stuff every single day, not waiting until you start playing games or get into conference play."
Coach Tsipis and his 15-player roster spent 10 days touring England and France this summer, giving his team an opportunity to bond on and off the court months ahead of the typical basketball calendar.
"The opportunity to see sights you may never get to see again in your lifetime and be able to do it with your teammates and be able to travel and use basketball as a vehicle, it's an unbelievable opportunity," said Coach Tsipis. "My biggest goal for the whole foreign tour was for us to get better - better as a group, better on the floor, but most importantly to allow our team chemistry to grow. It was great for us to have the opportunity to get an early start on the season."
GW went 4-0 on the trip and received contributions from each player. More importantly, the Colonials' five freshmen had a chance to get on the court with their new teammates without the pressure of the bright lights.
GW, which ranked second in the A-10 and 35th in the nation in scoring last year, returns a strong nucleus, anchored by junior Jonquel Jones, senior Chakecia Miller and sophomores Caira Washington and Hannah Schaible.
Jones and Washington comprise arguably the best frontcourt in the Atlantic 10. The duo combined to average 25.3 points and 20.1 rebounds per game last season. A Second Team All-Conference honoree, the 6-4 Jones was the only player in the league to average a double-double on the year, while Washington, the reigning A-10 Rookie of the Year, set a GW freshman record with 314 rebounds and led the A-10 with a .562 field goal percentage.
"Jonquel's skill set is so unique, not just to our team and our league, but the country - to be that size and be able to handle the ball and shoot the ball and lead the break and still be effective in post-up situations," Coach Tsipis said. "They have a certain chemistry playing with each other."
Six-foot-5 Kelli Prange, a Washington Post All-Met First Team selection from nearby Damascus, Maryland, is expected to contribute immediately for the Colonials. Junior Dalacy Anderson should also have a stronger presence in the post this season, and freshman Jada Matthews, a 2014 McDonald's All-America nominee, will also add depth to the frontcourt. Matthews and Prange, like Jones, can also step outside and knock down a three-pointer.
"Kelli Prange is very skilled and a very different type of post player than Jonquel or Caira, from her size and her ability to step out and shoot the ball from the arc - she's got such a good touch," said Coach Tsipis. "Jada may be one of our strongest players as a freshman."
Miller and classmate Lauren Chase will run the Colonials' offense from the point guard position following the graduation of Third-Team All-Conference selection Danni Jackson.
Miller was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Defensive Team last season, as she has been one of the top defensive players in the league since her arrival in Foggy Bottom. She enters her final campaign ranking among GW's all-time leaders in both steals and assists.
Chase will make her Buff and Blue debut this season after transferring to GW in December 2012 and missing all of last season with an injury. The 2012 America East Rookie of the Year while at UMBC, Chase led her league in assists as a freshman and should be able to step into the role vacated by Jackson.
"I think the one thing about Lauren Chase, even though she hasn't played since she transferred, she's absorbed a lot, and I think she has a very good basketball feel from the point," said Coach Tsipis, adding that the foreign trip was just as important for Chase as it was for the freshmen, as she was able to build chemistry with her teammates with the ball back in her hands.
Sophomore sharp-shooter Shannon Cranshaw saw limited action in her rookie campaign but is expected to make larger contributions in 2014-15, as her outside shooting abilities can stretch defenses in a different way than the other point guards. Freshman Camila Tapias, a native of Bogotá, Colombia, has experience on the Colombian youth national team and will add depth on point.
"One of the things that excites me about Cami is she's so creative about getting her own shot," said Coach Tsipis. "The adjustment for her is right now how fast and furious everything's coming at her. She has to go against two senior guards every single day."
With the loss of graduate student Megan Nipe, the Colonials' go-to shooter and inspirational leader last season, the team will look to sophomore Hannah Schaible to step up and lead a group that also includes juniors Alexis Chandler and Aaliyah Brown and freshmen Brianna Cummings and Mia Farmer.
Schaible did a little bit of everything during an impressive rookie campaign in which she averaged 7.2 points and 5.9 rebounds, led the Colonials in steals and even filled in in the post at times.
"Hannah had a really workman-like utility role last year," said Coach Tsipis. "She's worked really hard in the offseason. We need her to be able to score and be more of a threat, be ready to shoot, as well as be on the floor for loose balls and play in the post when we need her to."
Brown is another sharp-shooter who can be counted on to knock down a three, while Chandler is a good, athletic defender who uses her tremendous amount of energy to become a sparkplug off the bench.
Cummings, who hails from Atlanta, was named her county's player of the year, and Coach Tsipis expects the 5-foot-10 wing to contribute immediately.
"Bri Cummings is a different type of player than we've had our last couple years with her length - she's really long and athletic and brings a different dimension than some of the other wings," he said.
Farmer, a Philadelphia native, was also named the player of the year in her county. She sank three 3-pointers in the Colonials' exhibition win over Virginia Union last Sunday, and Coach Tsipis says as she gains experience she will be able to take some of the pressure off other players, especially on the low block.
The Atlantic 10 has traditionally been one of the strongest conferences in Division I and last season was no different, as seven teams advanced to postseason play, including three - Dayton, Fordham and Saint Joseph's - earning bids to the NCAA Championship and four more to the WNIT. To get ready for the rigors of A-10 play, Coach Tsipis has scheduled a strong non-conference slate that includes four NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago with the goal of joining them in the Big Dance in March.
"The 2013-14 team did great things, but now we're on to 2014-15," said Coach Tsipis. "We've got our own story to write."
