George Washington University Athletics
'There's Nothing Like It'
10/7/2020 12:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball, My GW: Celebrating our Stories
Locally Grown alumni have history of success
Over four magical seasons, GW became home for Shawnta Rogers.
The 5-foot-4 point guard from Baltimore dazzled the Buff and Blue faithful with his electric play, earning three NCAA trips and an A-10 Player of the Year award during a Hall of Fame career. He later graduated with a psychology degree and a collection of teammates that became like brothers, and enjoyed a lengthy pro career overseas.
Looking back, Rogers is thankful those closest to him could be along for an unforgettable ride.
Every night out, the packed Smith Center crowds featured a slew of familiar faces who’d watched him grow up at Cecil Kirk Recreation Center and Lake Clifton High School, and when the going got tough, he knew the best way to clear his head was to make the 50-mile drive back to the Charm City.
“It made everything even better for me,” Rogers remembered. “Everybody got to see me. That support gives you confidence – I always had confidence.
"And I had an outlet, as well. It was ‘If things aren’t going right in the classroom or on the court, I can go home and relax. And then come back with a smile on my face after seeing them and be focused and ready to go.’”
Rogers is among the decorated Locally Grown alumni who have left their mark on the program through the years. They’ve filled the GW Athletic Hall of Fame and fueled memorable March Madness moments.
With nine Colonials hailing from the DMV, this year’s squad features as much local flavor as any in recent memory. They join a special fraternity who have reaped the benefits of sticking close to home to play high-level hoops while gaining a quality education in the World’s Most Powerful City.
For alums like Joe McDonald, that decision meant strong support throughout their time in Foggy Bottom and a continuing network of mentorship and care after graduation.
“Honestly, every home game felt a little more special,” said McDonald, a four-year starter from 2012-16 out of Lorton, Va. “Being comfortable is what anyone would want when they move to that next stage in life. It just made the transition so much easier.”
“I was still able to be away from home, but if I did need my mom for anything, it’s a quick phone call, quick 30-40 minute drive and I’m there. For me looking back at it, GW was probably the best decision I ever made.”
Hoops Hotbed
For more than a century now, the DMV has been home to excellent basketball. That history has helped produce a steady stream of talent filtering through the college ranks and on to the pro game.
As a teen in Northwest D.C. in the early 1970s, John Holloran relished fierce battles playing in the famed Washington Catholic Athletic Conference for GW Athletic Hall of Famer Joe Gallagher at St. John’s College High School.
He’d hit the local playgrounds looking for pick-up games or perhaps even find his way into one of the college gyms in town. He vividly recalls one such afternoon at GW’s legendary Tin Tabernacle on campus in which local products-turned-NBA talents Adrian Dantley and Archie Clark showed up to get in some quality run.
“Guys would come back from college and play in the summer leagues, and they’re guys that you watched on TV,” said Holloran, a point guard who would pile up 1,374 points and 421 assists for the Buff and Blue from 1973-77. “It was an awesome experience for me. You got used to the fact that you were playing against great players.”
In Baltimore, Rogers recalled a similar experience. He grew up watching big-time players, like the dynamic Muggsy Bogues, playing vs. national competition in packed gyms and then trying to emulate their moves at his local rec center.
He’s part of a Baltimore pipeline that includes greats like Kwame Evans and Mike King and now current Colonials James Bishop and Tyler Brelsford.
“It definitely shaped me,” Rogers said. “You’re looking at the guys that came before you and you’re trying to get to that level. You want to be in the spotlight as being one of the best, so you’ve got to play against the best. Just being in that environment, it drives you as a kid coming up.”
A Hyattsville, Md., product, Chris Monroe dueled contemporaries like Steve Francis, Keith Bogans and DerMarr Johnson, whether that was on the playground, in AAU action or on the local prep scene. His first two games at Smith Center came while at Good Counsel High School playing vs. WCAC heavyweight DeMatha in front of sell-out crowds.
“You’re not going to find that kind of talent pool anywhere else,” Monroe said. “In high school, you’re facing that talent back-to-back-to-back. You’re constantly in a position where you have to prove yourself. You’re always measuring yourself up.”
Fan Favorites
Coming out of Landon School in Bethesda, Md., McDonald considered high-major and Ivy League offers before opting to sign with GW. “It was the best of both worlds,” he said.
That also meant the chance to stay close to his mother, Gabriella. “Mama Mac” took to hosting regular Sunday dinners and holiday meals for Joe and his teammates, offering a much-appreciated reminder of home for international Colonials like Patricio Garino and Kevin Larsen.
Home games inevitably brought folks who’d supported him at Landon and with Team Takeover on the AAU circuit by the dozens. Afterward with everyone gathered on the arena concourse, it was special to see his past and present mix together.
“Being able to have those family members and friends to come in and watch, it’s just such a warm feeling,” McDonald said. “And it really strengthens the community of the team. Everyone gets to meet everybody. Everybody gets to know where you came from and how you grew up.”
Monroe can relate. Ultimately, the rugged guard chose GW because of the staff’s early interest and sustained commitment throughout the recruiting process. He still treasures a letter from then-head coach Tom Penders addressed to Chris ‘A Man Among Boys’ Monroe.
Yet, the draw of playing in his own backyard was undeniable. His best friend Ronnie, paralyzed following a car accident, could be courtside for every home game. In fact, Monroe himself could pick him up beforehand and drop him back off afterward.
Monroe – who teamed with Northern Virginia native SirValiant Brown to form a potent Locally Grown duo – felt like he was playing to be a role model for the kids in his neighborhood who didn’t have the same opportunities that he did. When they came by the busload to Smith Center, including nearly 200 on his Senior Night in 2003 as he chased the program’s all-time scoring record, there was no doubt that it added to his motivation.
“Just being on that court meant so much,” said Monroe, whose 2,249 points career points remain a program best. “Because so many good players from the DMV don’t get a chance to actually do that or they go away. For me to be able to look up in the stands and see those real supporters that have seen your progression, seen you grow, there's nothing like it.”
Lasting Legacy
Holloran’s first GW memories involve laundry. He’d sometimes ride his bike to Foggy Bottom to help his older brother Mike, a football star who also served as Resident Director at Mitchell Hall, with linen duty.
Eventually, Holloran picked to stay local at GW over far-flung offers from the likes of Xavier, Stetson and Niagara. When he was leading the Colonials on the hardwood under Carl Slone and Bob Tallent, it was an added bonus to be able to take his laundry home to have his mother handle it.
That choice continued to pay dividends after graduation. The Psychology major used a GW connection to land an entry-level job in a local law firm while he completed graduate school and coached hoops. He enjoyed the work enough to attend law school and eventually open his own firm.
Today, the Harrisonburg, Va.-based attorney brings a familiar fire into the courtroom, grateful for his alma mater’s assistance with finding this career path.
“As you get older, you don’t have the hops or the speed, but you can still compete personally,” he said with a smile.
For Rogers, a remarkable run in Foggy Bottom offered preparation for a pro career and beyond.
Playing in France, Italy and Belgium, Rogers leaned on his experiences with so many international teammates and classmates. When his decade-long run overseas finished, he returned home to use his sociology degree to make a difference for the next generation in his community as a counselor and coach.
“The academic side of it, it’s huge,” Rogers said. “Anybody that comes to GW, they’re going to get the best of the best.”
Life after basketball brought Monroe back to his alma mater.
While playing abroad, he leaned on a vast network of GW connections for guidance, whether it be financial, career-planning or life in general. He wanted to help pay it forward in the city that’s always been home, and he’s done it as a member of the athletic department since the fall of 2014, currently serving as Associate Director of Development.
“Everyone at GW cares about you as a person, more so than just what you can do on the court at that point in time,” Monroe said. “That’s the message that I think I learned from the alumni through the mentorship that they gave me. It was always, ‘Chris, you did great things on the basketball court, but you’ve got so much more to do outside of basketball.’”
The Next Generation
Holloran left the nation’s capital for the Shenandoah Valley nearly three decades ago, but he’s always excited to make the trip back, especially if it comes with a trip to Smith Center.
He’s watched his hometown transform into a bustling metropolis. Much has changed, but the hoops remains strong as ever, and DMV prospects are increasingly taking the same path that he did.
“That pumps me up,” said Holloran, who enjoys breaking down the past, present and future of the program as part of a text chain with a group of alums from his era.
There’s a bond that connects the Locally Grown alumni, whether they played together or not. All of them flourished facing top competition, represented the Colonials close to home and then reaped the benefits of being part of the Buff and Blue family.
“We all kind of grew up through the same pipeline,” said McDonald, who served on the program’s staff after graduation and remains in the area working in development at Landon School. “It makes sense for us to stay connected.”
Adding to the group is important to head coach Jamion Christian, who has a deep appreciation for DMV hoops and well-established recruiting ties here. All nine of the current Locally Grown products have joined the squad since the head coach’s arrival in March 2019.
For Christian, the continued efforts to recruit locally represent a mission that goes well beyond the court. He's passionate about giving youngsters opportunities through basketball to eventually make an impact in their local community.
It’s a story Monroe has lived and a formula for success that he believes in.
“Playing local is a beautiful thing,” Monroe said. “For me, I’m excited because I know where these guys are coming from, and I see some of the guys that are my age that have groomed these young guys that are coming in now. I think it’s going to mean special times for GW.”
