April 5, 2005

Taking GW Hoops to the Next Level

Colonials Men’s and Women’s Basketball Perform on the National Stage in the NCAA Tournament

By Thomas Kohout

The George Washington University men’s and women’s basketball teams closed the door on the 2004–05 season with strong showings in the NCAA National Championship Tournament. The women’s team advanced to the second round of the tournament following a come-from-behind win over the University of Mississippi, while the men’s team stood toe-to-toe with Georgia Tech, last year’s National Champion runners-up.

The ninth-seeded Colonials women’s team advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament to set up a rematch of its 1997 game against the top-seeded University of North Carolina, by defeating eighth-seeded Old Miss in a thrilling 60–57 come-from-behind victory to start the tournament.

Down by 14 points in the second half, GW charged back into the contest with a 19–2 run, thanks in part to a clutch performance by senior Anna Montañana. Her steal, as well as a pair of free throws with nine seconds remaining, sealed the Lady Rebel’s fate. Montañana finished the game with 13 points to move past Elisa Aguilar into 13th on GW’s career scoring list with 1,328 points.

Against Old Miss, the Colonials faced a team that struggled over the final stages of the season, finishing just 5–5 in its past 10 games. By contrast, GW won nine games in a row before falling to Temple in the A-10 final.

“I expected it to be a good game, but I didn’t expect to be down by 14 points in the second half,” said Coach Joe McKeown following the first-round victory. “We never quit, it has been that way all year. We play hard and we are really a blue-collar team. We bring it every night, and it is not always pretty, but we find a way to compete, and we find a way to win, which is what happened tonight.”

In the rematch of the 1997 Sweet 16 game that propelled the Colonials to GW’s highest-ever NCAA Tournament finish, GW faced a much stronger opponent. The Tar Heels had notched 14 consecutive wins, a streak not matched by UNC since they faced GW in that 1997 third-round tournament game.

UNC dominated the contest to win 71–47. The Tar Heels forced 24 turnovers, had 15 steals, and got 10 blocks and stymied the Colonials top two scorers, Montañana and Jessica Simmonds. Coming into the match-up Montañana averaged 17 points per game, but finished with just four points on 1-for-9 shooting. Simmonds, who averaged close to 14 points per game finished with nine points on 2-for-17 shooting.

Following the contest, Coach McKeown congratulated UNC Coach Sylvia Hatchell and the Tar Heels for their successful game plan. “I thought the first 10 minutes was exactly what we needed to do — spread the floor, reverse the ball, and play real solid defensively.

“We had a great year — nobody expected us to,” said McKeown whose Colonials closed the season with a 23–9 record. “We lost four seniors last year. It was one of those years when you look back, you are going to say, ‘that is one of the most fun years I’ve ever had coaching,’ and I just want to thank our seniors for giving me the opportunity to coach them.”

Men’s Team
The 12th-seeded GW men’s basketball team held its own against the 2004 NCAA Tournament finalists Georgia Tech, but eventually lost to the fifth-seeded Yellow Jackets 80–68 in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

Junior Pops Mensah-Bonsu scored 15 to lead four players in double figures, but the Colonials couldn’t overcome 4-of-16 shooting at the line. Throughout the contest GW had opportunities to win the game. Up to the midway point of the second half the team stayed within five points of the Yellow Jackets. But with 9:36 remaining, Georgia Tech went on a 17–6 run to put the game out of reach.

“We put ourselves in great situations, and unfortunately, we just didn’t make key shots at times,” said Coach Karl Hobbs. “Hopefully we will just learn from this experience.”

Following the game Hobbs turned to the chalkboard to illustrate the team’s accomplishments on the season.

“I wrote on the board, A 10 regular season championship, and I wrote on the board, A-10 Tournament championship. I wanted them to know how proud I was of them and that they were champions.”

GW made its first NCAA Tournament appearance in six years by achieving a goal the team has never accomplished — winning the Atlantic 10 Tournament. The Colonials’ 29-year A-10 Tournament drought ended with a 76–67 victory over top-seeded Saint Joseph’s. The victory avenged a tough loss at home to the Hawks, which might have nixed GW’s chances of making the tournament had they not earned the conference’s automatic bid.

“I’m still amazed,” said senior T. J. Thompson following the win. “In my first two years here, we were at the bottom of the league, in last place. Last year we took a step forward in the NIT. But nothing compares with the feeling when you win the A-10.”

“We’re going to be more experienced [next season] and we know what it takes to repeat as A-10 regular-season and tournament champs,” said Mensah-Bonsu. “I think it’s going to pay off in our off-season workouts.”

The bid marked GW’s eighth appearance in the NCAA Tournament and Hobbs’ first as a head coach. The 2004 District 4 Coach of the Year, Hobbs is no stranger to the competition in the field of 64, however. He spent eight seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Connecticut, which included its 1998–99 national championship season.

By winning the conference title and advancing to the NCAA Tournament in his fourth season as head coach, Hobbs confirmed the University’s decision to extend his contract through 2011. Over the past two seasons, Hobbs’ teams have posted a 36–18 (.667) record and he has a 60–51 (.541) since replacing Tom Penders in 2001.

“Karl Hobbs has brought respectability and a renewed spirit to the GW men’s basketball program,” said Senior Vice President Robert Chernak. “The University is absolutely delighted that we will continue our partnership with Coach Hobbs for six more years.”

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