2015–16 George Washington Colonials men's basketball team explained

Mode:Basketball
Year:2015–16
Team:George Washington Colonials
Conference:Atlantic 10 Conference
Short Conf:A-10
Record:28–10
Conf Record:11–7
Hc Year:5th
Asst Coach1:Hajj Turner
Asst Coach3:Carmen Maciariello
Champion:NIT Champions

The 2015–16 George Washington Colonials men's basketball team represented George Washington University during the 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Colonials, led by fifth year head coach Mike Lonergan, played their home games at the Charles E. Smith Center and were members of the Atlantic 10 Conference. They finished the season 28–10, 11–7 in A-10 play to finish in fifth place. They defeated Saint Louis in the second round of the A-10 tournament to advance to the quarterfinals where they lost to Saint Joseph's. They received an invitation to the National Invitation Tournament. As a #4 seed, they defeated Hofstra, Monmouth, and Florida to advance to the semifinals at Madison Square Garden. At MSG, they defeated San Diego State and Valparaiso to become the 2016 NIT champions.

On September 17, 2016, following an investigation into allegations of verbal abuse of his players, head coach Mike Lonergan was fired.[1] He finished at George Washington with a five-year record of 97–70.

Previous season

The Colonials finished the 2014–15 season 22–13, 10–8 in A-10 play to finish in a three way tie for sixth place. They advanced to the quarterfinals of the A-10 tournament where they lost to Rhode Island. They were invited to the National Invitation Tournament where they defeated Pittsburgh in the first round before losing in the second round to Temple.

Departures

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Nick Griffin 5 G 6'3" 173 Sophomore Transferred to Saint Peter's
11 G 6'3" 200 Junior Transferred to Butler
Darian Bryant 15 G 6'4" 200 Freshman Transferred to Delaware State
Ryan McCoy 20 F 6'9" 207 RS Junior Walk-on; graduated
John Kopriva 34 F 6'8" 214 Senior Graduated

Incoming transfers

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous School
Alex Mitola 1 G 5'11" 170 Senior Transferred from Dartmouth. Will be eligible to play immediately since Mitola graduated from Dartmouth.
23 G 6'2" 185 Junior Transferred from Seton Hall. Under NCAA transfer rules, Sina will have to sit out from the 2015–16 season. Will have two years of remaining eligibility.

Rankings

See main article: 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings.

Accolades

Honors and awards

All-Atlantic 10 (2nd team) [2]

Academic Academic All-Conference [2]

All-Atlantic 10 (2nd team) [2]

All-Atlantic 10 Defensive team [2]

Academic Academic All-Conference [2]

Team Argentina 2016 Summer Olympics[3]

Academic Academic All-Conference [2]

Records

Winningest team in program history (28-10) [4]

First postseason championship in program history (2016 NIT Champions) [4]

Schedule

|-!colspan=9 style="background:#00285C; color:#EECFA1;"| Exhibition|-!colspan=9 style="background:#00285C; color:#EECFA1;"| Non-conference regular season|-!colspan=9 style="background:#00285C; color:#EECFA1;"| Atlantic 10 regular season|-!colspan=9 style="background:#00285C; color:#EECFA1;"| Atlantic 10 tournament|-!colspan=9 style="background:#00285C; color:#EECFA1;"| NIT

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: Mike Lonergan is out as GW basketball coach after investigation into verbal abuse . The Washington Post . 2016-09-17 . 2022-06-08.
  2. Web site: Hawks' Bembry Named Atlantic 10 Player of the Year, Schmidt Voted as Coach of the Year . . March 8, 2016 . April 4, 2016.
  3. Web site: Garino becomes a factor for Argentina . https://web.archive.org/web/20220119180936/https://www.fiba.basketball/olympics/2016/news/garino-becomes-a-factor-for-argentina . live . January 19, 2022 . . November 27, 2015 . April 4, 2016.
  4. News: Colonials win NIT Championship, send seniors out on top . March 31, 2016 . April 4, 2016 . Princiotti, Nora . The GW Hatchet.