George Washington University Athletics
Men's Basketball Opens Season with Maryland-Eastern Shore
11/10/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
| George Washington (0-0) vs. Maryland-Eastern Shore (0-0) | |
| Date, Time | Friday, November 11 | 7:00 p.m. ET |
| Location | Charles E. Smith Center | Washington, DC |
| Coverage | RaiseHigh Live | AM 1050, TuneIn |
| Additional Information | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Notes | Tickets |
TIPPING OFF: The GW men's basketball team tips off the 103rd season in school history when Maryland-Eastern Shore visits the Charles E. Smith Center Friday at 7 p.m. The Colonials have won all five previous meetings between the schools.
LAST TIME OUT: In GW's lone exhibition, graduate student Tyler Cavanaugh led the Colonials with 18 points and a game-high 13 rebounds, while junior Yuta Watanabe had a team-high 19 points -- all coming in the second half -- and eight boards. Freshman center Collin Smith chipped in 16 points and eight rebounds while swatting two shots in his first taste of game action at GW.
Graduate student Patrick Steeves also scored in double-figures for GW with 12 points on an efficient 4-6 shooting from the floor.
GW dominated the glass to the tune of a 50-32 rebounding edge, and shut-out Bowie in second chance points with a 10-0 edge after limiting the Bulldogs to just one offensive rebound.
SERIES HISTORY: The series dates back to 1983, when GW opened the season with a 110-75 win over the Hawks. A three-game series from 2005-07 saw the Colonials win 98-72, 79-56 and 78-39. The most recent meeting was in 2011 -- another season opener -- with GW winning 64-48.
BANNER UNVEILING: Prior to the game, GW will unveil the banner for its 2016 Postseason NIT Championship, and members of the team will be presented with their championship rings. Fans are asked to be in their seats by 6:55 p.m. to see the presentation.
PROMOTION: Friday marks GW's annual Veteran's Day Game, with a number of special tributes planned before and during the game. Veterans receive free admission with a valid ID.
ABOUT UMES: The Hawks are coming off a 10-22 campaign in 2015-16 and in their lone exhibition last Saturday, fell 90-72 at William & Mary. Though Eastern Shore lost its top two scorers from a year ago, it returns its next six leading scorers, led by senior forward Bakari Copeland (10.5 points per game). Seven newcomers fill out the roster for the Hawks.
CAVANAUGH ON WATCH LIST: Cavanaugh is one of 50 players on the preseason watch list for the Lute Olson Award, which is presented annually to the nation's top Division I player who has played at least two seasons. Past recipients include Denzel Valentine of Michigan State, Doug McDermott of Creighton, Shane Larkin of Miami and Kemba Walker of Connecticut.
POTY CANDIDATE: In Cavanaugh, GW has an Atlantic 10 Player of the Year candidate who is coming off a dominant close to the 2015-16 season. The graduate student led the Colonials to the Postseason NIT Championship by averaging 19.4 points and 9.0 rebounds while shooting .500 from 3-point range (11-22) in five games to earn the tournament's Most Outstanding Player award. For the season, he averaged 16.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, shot .417 from long distance, and recorded 11 double-doubles.
SCORING LOST: The Colonials have to replace 60 percent of their scoring from last season with Garino (14.1 ppg), Larsen (12.3 ppg), McDonald (8.8 ppg) and Alex Mitola (5.3 ppg) representing the majority of scoring lost. Garino was also the team's top 3-point shooter (.430), Larsen the top rebounder (8.3 rpg) and McDonald the leader in assists (110). Those three combined to start 383 games in their careers.
NEW EXPERIENCE: Though GW loses the aforementioned experience, it gains two key players in junior guard Jaren Sina, who is eligible after sitting out last season following his transfer from Seton Hall, and Steeves, who can play right away after graduating and transferring from Harvard. Sina was a Big East All-Rookie Team selection and started 42 games for Seton Hall, while Steeves averaged 9.1 points off the bench for Harvard last season, shooting .458 from 3-point range. Steeves has two years of eligibility at GW after being limited to one playing year at Harvard due to injuries.
JUNIOR JUMP: Watanabe will look to have a breakout junior season after being a full-time starter as a sophomore, when he averaged 8.4 points and 4.0 rebounds while leading the team with 40 blocks. The native of Kagawa, Japan, starred for the Colonials in their foreign tour of his home country in August, as GW went 4-0 with three wins over the Japanese National Team and one over the Ryukyu Golden Kings of the country's pro basketball league. Watanabe averaged 14.5 points and 7.5 rebounds, while shooting .513 from the floor and .462 from 3-point range.
ALSO RETURNING: Beyond Cavanaugh and Watanabe, the Colonials return three more letterwinners in redshirt senior guard Matt Hart and the sophomore tandem of guard Jordan Roland and forward Collin Goss. Of the three, Hart saw the most playing time last year with 8.8 minutes per game, and the long-range specialist connected on .421 of his 3-point attempts to go along with a .885 clip at the free throw line.
NEW FACES: Eight players are set to appear in their first game as Colonials. In addition to transfers Steeves and Sina, six prep players join the program in guards Jair Bolden (Brooklyn, NY/Westtown School (PA)), Adam Mitola (Florham Park, NJ/Gill St. Bernard's) and Justin Williams (Glen Burnie, MD/Annapolis Area Christian); forwards Kevin Marfo (Bergenfield, NJ/Worcester Academy (MA)) and Arnaldo Toro (Hormigueros, Puerto Rico/St. Benedict's Prep); and center Collin Smith (Jacksonville, FL/The Bolles School). Bolden, Smith and Toro all helped lead their teams to state championships as seniors. Additionally, Toro's St. Benedict's Prep squad finished with a 35-2 record, an appearance in the Dick's High School Nationals quarterfinals and a No. 12 final ranking in the USA Today Sports Super 25.
