Welcome to the Atlantic 10 Women’s Basketball Tipoff for the 2018-19 Season. Today, we feature the George Washington Colonials.
George Washington (Predicted A-10 Finish: T-3rd)
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Coach Jennifer Rizzotti likes to say winning is contagious. Her Colonials have found a way to postseason play in her first two seasons as coach. Year three promises to bring more of the same.
“Winning make you hungry once you feel how great it is,” Rizzotti said. “Once you’ve tasted it, you want to know what you need to do to get back there.”
What’s true for player is also fitting for the coach, fresh off assisting Dawn Staley in the 2018 FIBA Women’s World Cup in Spain, where Team USA took gold.
Led by Kelsi Mahoney and Mei-Lyn Bautista and boosted by two impact transfers, these Colonials have loaded up on a schedule that could lead to an attractive RPI – Maryland, Georgia Tech, N.C. State, Villanova, Princeton and James Madison are on tap.
A look at the Colonials:
Coach: Jennifer Rizzotti, 3rd year at George Washington (39-24), and 20th season overall, (355-240)
Last year: 19-14, 10-6; Atlantic 10 Champions, defeating Saint Joseph’s 65-49 in the title game; as a 14 seed in the NCAA Tournament, lost to No. 3 Ohio State 87-45.
They’ll miss: Leading scorers Brianna Cummings (2018 A-10 Championship MOP), Kelli Prange (A-10 Sixth Woman of the Year)
Impact returners: 6-1 senior forward Kelsi Mahoney 8.5 ppg, 5-6 senior guard Mei-Lyn Bautista 8.1 ppg, 4.3 apg, 2.2 spg, ranked in the national top 20 for assist-to-turnover ratio.
Newbies of note: 6-1 redshirt sophomore Olivia Gumbs, who started 19 games at Lafayette as a freshman and was selected to the All-Rookie team after averaging 10.5 ppg and 7.2 rpg; 6-1 redshirt sophomore forward Sarah Overcash, who appeared in 25 games as a freshman for Illinois. Overcash starred locally at St. John’s College High School and was the top-ranked recruit from Washington, D.C.
Reasons to be optimistic: Rizzotti’s teams tend to finish strong – the Colonials were just 12-12 before catching fire in March. It marked the seventh time Rizzotti has led a team to the NCAA tournament.
Mahoney and Bautista are elite players in the league, and “We’ll go as they go,” Rizzotti said. Arguably the A-10’s top point guard, Bautista had 20 games last season where she had one turnover or less. Mahoney is solid from the 3-point line, nailing 71 last season.
Gumbs and Overcash look to be excellent additions and have the potential to make up for the graduation of scoring leaders Cummings and Prange. Sophomore forward Neila Lumashould also help, returning after a freshman season when she started 31 games and averaged 7.1 ppg and 6.6 rpg.
X-factor: Last year the Colonials labored to score points for some stretches. They need to be more efficient scorers, particularly in transition, to be competitive with the heavyweights on their slate.
Circle the date(s): GWU started 0-2 last season and Rizzotti recalls a particularly dreadful showing at Princeton. Opening at James Madison on Nov. 8 followed by a home date with Princeton on Nov. 11 will be key tests before the bigger one, Maryland visits the Smith Center on Nov. 14.
Bottom line: Given Rizzotti’s resume and the talent on hand, the ingredients are in place for the Colonials to mount a hearty defense of its A-10 crown. Anticipate some bumps on the way, but by conference championship time, the Colonials could be as dangerous as last season.