A Comprehensive History of George Washington University Basketball

The George Washington Revolutionaries men's basketball team, proudly representing George Washington University in the heart of Washington, D.C., has a rich and storied history. From humble beginnings to periods of national prominence, the program has provided fans with unforgettable moments and produced a cast of talented players and coaches. Their home court is the Charles E. Smith Center, a multi-purpose arena that also hosts other George Washington Revolutionaries athletic programs. Currently, the school's team is a competitor in the Atlantic 10 Conference.

Early Years and the Rise of Bill Reinhart

Basketball first graced the grounds of George Washington University in the early 1900s. As the Intercollegiate Basketball League established a rules committee at Columbia University to formalize the game at the college level, Columbian College student Donald Wilhelm spearheaded an initiative to create a university team. The team's inaugural season culminated in a game against Georgetown University for the Southern Championship. In the 1950s, under the guidance of coach Bill Reinhart, the team repeated that feat.

Reinhart's 1953-54 Colonials achieved a 23-3 regular season record, winning 11 consecutive games and making waves at the Southern Conference Tournament. The Colonials did not lose steam the following year, despite a short first run in the NCAA. Mr. Reinhart and All-American center Joe Holup, B.A. '56, led the way.

Tumult and Transition

The 1960-61 basketball season was full of surprises. The Colonials, with a regular-season record of just six wins in 22 games, entered the Southern Conference Tournament as the No. 7 seed. However, the Colonials advanced to the championship game after a string of outstanding performances and upsets. Then-captain Jon Feldman, B.A. '62, scored 45 points, a Southern Conference Tournament record. Following the 1960-61 Southern Conference Tournament victory, basketball at the university faced some tumult.

The Mike Jarvis Era: A New Level of Excellence

That all changed in 1990 with the arrival of head coach Mike Jarvis. Colonials Courtside, a GW basketball publication, described the former Boston University coach as leading the Colonials “to a new level of excellence.” The team achieved its first winning season in seven years and reached its first-ever A-10 championship game.

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The 1992-93 year, widely touted as one of the team’s best seasons, boasted the university’s first NCAA bid since 1961. Led by Nigerian-born freshman center Yinka Dare, the Colonials received an at-large bid to the 1993 NCAA tournament, the Colonials' first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1961. The team advanced to the Sweet 16 for the program’s furthest postseason run ever. Mr. Jarvis and the Colonials would also make NCAA Tournament appearances in 1994, 1996, and 1998.

Jarvis departed in 1998 to become the head coach at St. John's, and the school hired recently fired Texas head coach, Thomas Penders.

The Karl Hobbs Era: Back to the National Stage

On May 2, 2001, the university hired Karl Hobbs, who spent eight years as an assistant coach at Connecticut, as head coach. In 2004, Hobbs led GW back to the national stage, defeating ninth-ranked Michigan State and No. 12 Maryland in back-to-back games to win the 2004 BB&T Classic. The men's basketball team went on to win the Atlantic 10 West title and the Atlantic 10 tournament, earning an automatic bid to the 2005 NCAA tournament. The team received a No. 12 seed, losing to No. 5 New Mexico.

The team began the 2005-06 season ranked 21st in the Associated Press poll, reaching as high as sixth in the polls and closed out the year ranked 19th in the nation. With a 26-2 record going into the 2006 NCAA tournament, they received an at-large bid to the Tournament as a No. 8 seed where they came back from an 18-point second-half deficit to defeat No. 9 seed UNC-Wilmington. However, in the Second Round, they lost to Duke, the top overall seed. J. R. Pinnock was drafted in the 2006 NBA draft and two other Colonials from that team played in the NBA.

The 2006-07 basketball season was considered by many to be a rebuilding year for the Colonials after graduating their entire starting front court and losing Pinnock to the NBA. Coach Karl Hobbs and Senior guard Carl Elliott led the team to a 23-8 record, winning the 2007 Atlantic 10 tournament, once again earning an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. The Colonials received a No. 11 seed and lost to No. 6 Vanderbilt.

Hobbs was fired after the 2010-2011 season.

The Mike Lonergan Era

The 2011-12 basketball season, Lonergan's first with the Colonials, resulted in a 10-21 record (5-11 in Atlantic 10). By the 2013-14 season, Lonergan had rebuilt the program and finished third in the Atlantic 10 with a 24-8 record (11-5 in Atlantic 10). Holding a 21-7 record, the 2013-14 George Washington University men’s basketball team has awed the entire GW community with its consistently solid performances on the court. Tonight, the team will celebrate Senior Night and the final home game of the season. The event will honor the dedication of Mr. Creek, Mr. Armwood and Mr. Mikic, who have all made their time at the university invaluable. The team received an at-large bid to the 2014 NCAA Tournament, its first NCAA Tournament since 2007. They received a No. 9 seed and lost to No. 8 Memphis.

The Colonials regressed the following year, finishing 22-12. In 2016, the Colonials again missed the NCAA Tournament and again received a bid to the NIT. This time the Colonials would defeat Hofstra, Monmouth, and Florida to reach the NIT final four at Madison Square Garden. In the NIT semifinal, they defeated San Diego State to advance to the championship game.

Lonergan was fired in September 2016.

The Maurice Joseph and Jamion Christian Eras

The school named assistant coach Maurice Joseph interim coach for the 2016-17 season. GW NAMES MAURICE JOSEPH INTERIM HEAD COACH OF MEN'S BASKETBALL. Joseph was fired after the 2018-19 season.

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On March 21, 2019, former Siena head coach Jamion Christian was hired as the new head coach. Christian accumulated a 29-50 record in three seasons and was let go.

NCAA Tournament Appearances

The Revolutionaries have appeared in the NCAA tournament 11 times. Their record is 4-11.

1961: lost to No. 7 UAB
1993: lost to No. 13 Southern
1994: lost to No. 6 Temple
1996: lost to No. 7 UAB
1998: lost to No. 2 Kentucky
2005: lost to No. 5 New Mexico
2006: lost to No. 1 Duke
2007: lost to No. 6 Vanderbilt
2014: lost to No. 8 Memphis

NIT and CBI Appearances

The Revolutionaries have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) six times. Their combined record is 6-5. The Revolutionaries have appeared in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) two times. The Revolutionaries have appeared in the College Basketball Crown (CBC) once.

Memorable Games and Moments

The George Washington Revolutionaries men's basketball team has had many memorable games and moments throughout its history. Here are a few notable examples:

GW 97, No. 5 West Virginia 94 (OT): After falling to the Mountaineers earlier in the season, an announced crowd of 6,400 watched the Colonials host Jerry West and the nation's fifth-ranked basketball team.
GW 111, No. 4 Syracuse 104 (OT): George Washington stuns Syracuse 111-104 in OT.
GW 78, No. 1 UMass 75: President Bill Clinton joined the Colonials at Charles E. Smith Center when John Calipari and the top-ranked Massachusetts Minutemen came to Washington. Colonials knock off UMass.
GW 78, No. 18 Xavier 68 (OT): The Colonials hosted James Posey and the 18th ranked Musketeers at the Charles E. Smith Center. After trailing most of the game, Xavier took control of the game midway through the second half. GW forward Yegor Mescheriakov sprained his right ankle jumping for a rebound and limped off the court with 16:32 remaining. Without its leading scorer, and with Koul on the bench with four fouls, GW sagged. With GW's offense sputtering, Mike King entered the game and rescued the Colonials. King scored eight straight points and tied the game at 63-63. The clock then showed all zeros and the GW men's basketball team trailed 18th-ranked Xavier 68-66. King, a freshman playing his third collegiate game after achieving academic eligibility, calmly made two free throws - sending the game into overtime and the Smith Center into a frenzy.
GW vs. Xavier (Atlantic 10 West Division Title): With the Atlantic 10 West Division Title on the line in the final game of the regular season, the Colonials hosted the Xavier Musketeers. Seniors Shawnta Rogers and Yegor Mescheriakov were playing their final home games. Despite missing a game-winning three with five seconds left Rogers received a pass following a Mike King rebound and broke the 74-74 tie as time expired to win the game and the division.
2004 BB&T Championship: In the 2004 BB&T Championship, the Colonials upset ranked teams on two consecutive days, winning each by at least 9 points. Karl Hobbs guided his team to wins over the Michigan State Spartans and Maryland Terrapins. Pops Mensah-Bonsu scored 23 points in the first game and T.J. Thompson poured in 27 against the Terrapins for the Colonials.
2005 Atlantic 10 Tournament: The Colonials clinched their first-ever Atlantic 10 Tournament title in 2005 behind 20 points from Omar Williams.
2006 Atlantic 10 Regular Season: The sixth-ranked Colonials secured a perfect Atlantic 10 record and Charles E. Smith Center record.
2006 NCAA Tournament First Round: After drawing a surprising 8-seed following its 26-1 regular season campaign and reaching as high as 6th in the nation, the Colonials were sent to take on UNC-Wilmington in nearby Greensboro, North Carolina. The Colonials controlled the entire second half in winning their second Atlantic 10 Tournament championship in school history (and second in three years), giving the Colonials their third consecutive NCAA Tournament bid and first time in school history with three consecutive 20-win seasons.
GW 49, Saint Louis 20: The Colonials held the Saint Louis Billikens to just 20 points for the entire game, which set the record for the lowest point total since the inception of the shot clock in Division I College Basketball. Saint Louis was held to 14.6% shooting for the game, and made only one of nineteen three-point attempts. Colonials Roll All Over St. Louis, 49-20.
GW vs. Memphis (2007 NCAA Tournament): The Colonials drew the Memphis Tigers in the East Regional of the NCAA Tournament. The game was held in Raleigh, NC.
GW 73, No. 6 Virginia 68: Hosting UVA a year after losing 59-42 in Charlottesville, the Colonials held a lead for most of the game and knocked off Virginia for their first win over a top 10 team since defeating UMass 20 years prior. It was the third straight year GW had beaten a ranked team, and a sold-out crowd at the Smith Center stormed the court as GW pulled off the upset.
2016 NIT Championship: The Colonials made their way through the NIT tournament as a 4 seed by beating 3 higher seeds than them. They won their first National Invitation Tournament and first postseason title starting 3 foreign players and player of the tournament Tyler Cavanaugh.

Notable Players and Alumni

Over the years, the George Washington Revolutionaries basketball program has produced a number of talented players who have gone on to have successful careers in the NBA, overseas, and in other fields. Here are a few notable examples:

Red Auerbach - Legendary coach and executive with the Boston Celtics.
Mike Brey - Former head men's basketball coach at University of Notre Dame. Currently an assistant coach for the Atlanta Hawks.
Mike Hall, professional basketball player with Maccabi Ashdod B.C.
Mike King - A 6'4" guard who had a great freshman year en route to Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team honors, in spite of becoming eligible mid season. King was part of the 1999 regular season champions.
J. R. Pinnock - Played in the NBA.
Shawnta Rogers - A 5' 4" guard who led the nation in steals his senior season and won Atlantic 10 Player of the Year.
Walter Szczerbiak (not to be confused with his son Wally) - Three-time European Champions Cup winner with Real Madrid.
Yuta Watanabe - NBA player.
Tyler Cavanaugh - Professional basketball player.
Patricio Garino - Professional basketball player.
Yinka Dare - NBA player.
Mike Brown - NBA coach.
Joe Holup - Former basketball player.
Corky Devlin - Former basketball player.

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