2017–18 George Washington Colonials men's basketball team

The 2017–18 George Washington Colonials men's basketball team represented George Washington University during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Colonials were led by second-year head coach Maurice Joseph. They played their home games at the Charles E. Smith Center in Washington, D.C. as members of the Atlantic 10 Conference. They finished the season 15–18, 7–11 in A-10 play to finish in a three-way tie for 10th place. They defeated Fordham in the first round of the A-10 tournament before losing to Saint Louis in the second round.

2017–18 George Washington Colonials men's basketball
Conference	Atlantic 10 Conference
Record	15–18 (7–11 A-10)
Head coach	Maurice Joseph (2nd season)
Assistant coaches	Hajj Turner Carmen Maciariello Chris Holm
Home arena	Charles E. Smith Center
Seasons ← 2016–17 2018–19 →

2017–18 Atlantic 10 men's basketball standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
Rhode Island	15	–	3		.833			26	–	8		.765
St. Bonaventure	14	–	4		.778			26	–	8		.765
Davidson †	13	–	5		.722			21	–	12		.636
Saint Joseph's	10	–	8		.556			16	–	16		.500
VCU	9	–	9		.500			18	–	15		.545
Saint Louis	9	–	9		.500			17	–	16		.515
George Mason	9	–	9		.500			16	–	17		.485
Richmond	9	–	9		.500			12	–	20		.375
Dayton	8	–	10		.444			14	–	17		.452
Duquesne	7	–	11		.389			16	–	16		.500
George Washington	7	–	11		.389			15	–	18		.455
La Salle	7	–	11		.389			13	–	19		.406
Massachusetts	5	–	13		.278			13	–	20		.394
Fordham	4	–	14		.222			9	–	22		.290
† 2018 A10 Tournament winner Rankings from AP poll

Previous season

The Colonials finished the 2016–17 season with a record of 20–15, 10–8 in A-10 play to finish in sixth place. They defeated Saint Louis in the second round of the A-10 tournament before losing in the quarterfinals to Richmond. They were invited to the College Basketball Invitational where they defeated Toledo in the first round before losing in the quarterfinals to UIC.

Head coach Mike Lonergan was fired on September 17, 2016, after the school concluded a two-month investigation into alleged emotional abuse against his players.^[1][2] Maurice Joseph was named interim head coach on September 27.^[3][4]

On March 27, 2017, the school removed the interim tag and named Joseph full-time head coach.^[5]

Offseason

Departures

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Notes
Jordan Roland	14	G	6'1"	171	Sophomore	Syracuse, NY	Transferred to Northeastern
Collin Smith	15	C	6'10"	240	Freshman	Jacksonville, FL	Transferred to Central Florida
Jaren Sina	23	G	6'2"	187	RS Junior	Lake Hopatcong, NJ	Declare for 2017 NBA draft
Matt Hart	30	G	6'1"	182	RS Senior	Orchard Park, NY	Walk-on; graduated
Collin Goss	33	F	6'11"	227	Sophomore	Manassas, VA	Transferred to Delaware
Tyler Cavanaugh	34	F	6'9"	243	RS Senior	Syracuse, NY	Graduated
Kevin Marfo	40	F	6'9"	245	Freshman	Bergenfield, NJ	Transferred to Quinnipiac

Incoming transfers

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Previous School
Armel Potter	2	G	6'1"	180	Junior	Marietta, GA	Transferred from Charleston Southern. Under NCAA transfer rules, Potter will have to sit out from the 2017–18 season. Will have two years of remaining eligibility.
D. J. Williams	13	G	6'7"	210	Junior	Chicago, IL	Transferred from Illinois. Under NCAA transfer rules, Williams will have to sit out from the 2017–18 season. Will have two years of remaining eligibility.
Luke Sasser	21	F	6'5"	240	RS Freshman	Raleigh, NC	Transferring from Charlotte. Under NCAA transfer rules, Sasser will have to sit out from the 2017–18 season. Will have three years of remaining eligibility. Will join the team as a walk-on.
Bo Zeigler	35	F	6'6"	207	RS Senior	Detroit, MI	Transferred from South Florida. Will be eligible to play immediately since Zeigler graduated from South Florida.

2017 recruiting class

College recruiting information

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Justin Mazzulla #89 PG	Warwick, RI	Bishop Hendricken High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	N/A	Oct 26, 2016
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals: N/A   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 62
Maceo Jack SG	Buffalo, NY	St. Thomas More School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Jan 8, 2017
	Star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "George Washington 2017 Player Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 20, 2017. "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 20, 2017.

2018 recruiting class

College recruiting information (2018)
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Shandon Brown #73 PG	Chestnut Hill, MA	New Hampton School	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)	145 lb (66 kg)	Aug 19, 2017
	Star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 64
Chimezie Offurum SF	Washington, D.C.	Georgetown Prep	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	145 lb (66 kg)	Sep 11, 2017
	Star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "George Washington 2018 Player Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 20, 2017. "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 20, 2017.

Preseason

In a poll of the league's head coaches and select media members at the conference's media day, the Colonials were picked to finish in 11th place in the A-10.^[6] Yuta Watanabe was named to the conference's preseason second team.^[6]

Roster

2017–18 George Washington Colonials men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown G 0 Justin Mazzulla 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr Bishop Hendricken High School Warwick, Rhode Island G 1 Terry Nolan Jr. 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Fr Mount Carmel High School Essex, Maryland G 2 Armel Potter  6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Jr Sprayberry High School Charleston Southern Marietta, Georgia G 3 Jair Bolden 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) So Westtown School Brooklyn, New York G 4 Justin Williams 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 215 lb (98 kg) So Annapolis Area Christian School Severn, Maryland G 5 Adam Mitola 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 205 lb (93 kg) So Gill St. Bernard's School Florham Park, New Jersey G/F 10 Patrick Steeves 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 232 lb (105 kg) RS Sr The Hotchkiss School Harvard Montreal, Quebec, Canada F/C 11 Arnaldo Toro 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 245 lb (111 kg) So St. Benedict's Prep Hormigueros, Puerto Rico G 12 Yuta Watanabe 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 196 lb (89 kg) Sr St. Thomas More Miki, Kagawa, Japan G 13 D. J. Williams  6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Jr Simeon Academy Illinois Chicago, Illinois G 14 Maceo Jack 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr St. Thomas More Buffalo, New York F 21 Luke Sasser (W)  6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 220 lb (100 kg) RS Fr Carlisle School Charlotte Raleigh, North Carolina G 30 Jack Granger (W) 5 ft 7 in (1.7 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Sr Coginchaug Regional High School Middlefield, Connecticut F 32 Javier Langarica 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Bilbao National High School Bilbao, Spain F 35 Bo Zeigler 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 lb (91 kg) RS Sr Detroit Community School South Florida Detroit, Michigan	Head coach Maurice Joseph (Vermont) Assistant coach(es) Hajj Turner (Louisville) Carmen Maciariello (Siena) Chris Holm (Vermont) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt Roster

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank#	Opponent#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
Nov 4, 2017* 2:00 pm		Fairmont State	W 86–63		21 – Tied	11 – Tied	3 – Toro	Charles E. Smith Center (2,287) Washington, D.C.
Non-conference regular season
Nov 10, 2017* 7:30 pm		Howard	W 84–75	1–0	19 – Watanabe	11 – Watanabe	6 – Nolan, Jr.	Charles E. Smith Center (3,831) Washington, D.C.
Nov 14, 2017* 7:00 pm, RSN/NBCSWA+		at Florida State	L 67–87	1–1	18 – Tied	8 – Watanabe	3 – Bolden	Donald L. Tucker Center (7,455) Tallahassee, FL
Nov 18, 2017* 2:00 pm		Hampton Las Vegas Invitational campus game	W 65–57	2–1	14 – Steeves	7 – Toro	5 – Bolden	Charles E. Smith Center (2,636) Washington, D.C.
Nov 20, 2017* 7:00 pm		Rider Las Vegas Invitational campus game	L 65–67	2–2	19 – Steeves	13 – Watanabe	6 – Bolden	Charles E. Smith Center (2,118) Washington, D.C.
Nov 23, 2017* 5:00 pm, FS1		vs. No. 15 Xavier Las Vegas Invitational semifinals	L 64–83	2–3	18 – Nolan	7 – Toro	3 – Bolden	Orleans Arena  Paradise, NV
Nov 24, 2017* 8:00 pm, FS1		vs. Kansas State Las Vegas Invitational	L 59–67	2–4	21 – Toro	9 – Toro	4 – Bolden	Orleans Arena  Las Vegas, NV
Nov 29, 2017* 7:00 pm		Morgan State	W 73–66	3–4	26 – Watanabe	7 – Tied	4 – 3 tied	Charles E. Smith Center (2,018) Washington, D.C.
Dec 3, 2017* 2:30 pm, MASN		vs. Temple BB&T Classic	W 71–67	4–4	17 – Tied	7 – Steeves	4 – Bolden	Capital One Arena (4,338) Washington, D.C.
Dec 6, 2017* 7:00 pm		Princeton	W 71–60	5–4	25 – Bolden	7 – Steeves	3 – Steeves	Charles E. Smith Center (2,004) Washington, D.C.
Dec 9, 2017* 4:00 pm, BTN		at Penn State	L 54–74	5–5	18 – Watanabe	6 – Tied	2 – Steeves	Bryce Jordan Center (6,652) University Park, PA
Dec 16, 2017* 12:00 pm, CBSSN		No. 6 Miami (FL)	L 50–59	5–6	13 – Bolden	13 – Toro	3 – Bolden	Charles E. Smith Center (3,862) Washington, D.C.
Dec 20, 2017* 7:00 pm		New Hampshire	W 68–64	6–6	23 – Steeves	11 – Watanabe	5 – Tied	Charles E. Smith Center (2,009) Washington, D.C.
Dec 23, 2017* 12:00 pm, Stadium		Harvard	W 58–48	7–6	19 – Steeves	9 – Steeves	4 – Steeves	Charles E. Smith Center (2,421) Washington, D.C.
Atlantic 10 regular season
Dec 30, 2017 4:00 pm		Saint Joseph's	W 70–64	8–6 (1–0)	18 – Watanabe	12 – Toro	3 – 3 tied	Charles E. Smith Center (2,225) Washington, D.C.
Jan 3, 2018 7:00 pm		at Duquesne	L 52–69	8–7 (1–1)	15 – Watanabe	8 – Watanabe	2 – Tied	Palumbo Center (1,347) Pittsburgh, PA
Jan 6, 2018 4:00 pm		Rhode Island	L 60–81	8–8 (1–2)	22 – Terrell	10 – Langevine	9 – Dowtin	Charles E. Smith Center (2,249) Washington, D.C.
Jan 10, 2018 7:00 pm		at Davidson	L 45–72	8–9 (1–3)	12 – Watanabe	5 – Watanabe	2 – 5 tied	John M. Belk Arena (3,310) Davidson, NC
Jan 13, 2018 4:30 pm, NBCSN		at Richmond	L 68–78	8–10 (1–4)	23 – Steeves	9 – Zeigler	4 – Tied	Robins Center (6,727) Richmond, VA
Jan 17, 2018 7:00 pm		George Mason Revolutionary Rivalry	W 80–68	9–10 (2–4)	19 – Watanabe	5 – Tied	6 – Nolan Jr.	Charles E. Smith Center (2,215) Washington, D.C.
Jan 20, 2018 12:30 pm, NBCSN		at VCU	L 63–87	9–11 (2–5)	19 – Watanabe	6 – Steeves	4 – Steeves	Siegel Center (7,637) Richmond, VA
Jan 28, 2018 12:00 pm, NBCSN		at St. Bonaventure	L 52–70	9–12 (2–6)	13 – Watanabe	7 – Steeves	2 – Tied	Reilly Center (4,976) Olean, NY
Jan 31, 2018 7:00 pm		Duquesne	L 73–75	9–13 (2–7)	23 – Steeves	6 – Steeves	8 – Bolden	Charles E. Smith Center (2,412) Washington, D.C.
Feb 3, 2018 4:00 pm, NBCSWA		Davidson	L 58–87	9–14 (2–8)	20 – Watanabe	5 – Nolan Jr.	5 – Mazzulla	Charles E. Smith Center (4,018) Washington, D.C.
Feb 7, 2018 7:00 pm		La Salle	W 80–69	10–14 (3–8)	29 – Watanabe	10 – Nolan Jr.	4 – Tied	Charles E. Smith Center (2,017) Washington, D.C.
Feb 10, 2018 4:00 pm, Stadium		at George Mason Revolutionary Rivalry	L 65–72	10–15 (3–9)	19 – Watanabe	12 – Watanabe	5 – Bolden	EagleBank Arena (7,032) Fairfax, VA
Feb 14, 2018 7:00 pm, NESN+		at Massachusetts	W 83–72	11–15 (4–9)	16 – Steeves	12 – Steeves	6 – Nolan Jr.	Mullins Center (2,641) Amherst, MA
Feb 17, 2018 4:00 pm, Stadium		VCU	W 80–56	12–15 (5–9)	23 – Watanabe	9 – Watanabe	4 – Watanabe	Charles E. Smith Center (3,979) Washington, D.C.
Feb 21, 2018 7:00 pm, Stadium		Richmond	W 103–77	13–15 (6–9)	23 – Watanabe	10 – Toro	10 – Mazzulla	Charles E. Smith Center (2,542) Washington, D.C.
Feb 24, 2018 8:00 pm, FSMW		at Saint Louis	L 53–62	13–16 (6–10)	15 – Watanabe	16 – Toro	4 – Bolden	Chaifetz Arena (6,238) St. Louis, MO
Feb 28, 2018 7:00 pm		Fordham	W 72–56	14–16 (7–10)	31 – Watanabe	9 – Nolan Jr.	6 – Nolan Jr.	Charles E. Smith Center (2,463) Washington, D.C.
Mar 3, 2018 12:30 pm, NBCSN		at Dayton	L 78–88	14–17 (7–11)	21 – Watanabe	10 – Toro	4 – Bolden	UD Arena (13,350) Dayton, OH
Atlantic 10 tournament
Mar 7, 2018 8:30 pm, Stadium	(11)	vs. (14) Fordham First round	W 78–72	15–17	22 – Bolden	15 – Toro	7 – Mazzulla	Capital One Arena (5,333) Washington, D.C.
Mar 8, 2018 8:30 pm, NBCSN	(11)	vs. (6) Saint Louis Second round	L 63–70	15–18	16 – Bolden	9 – toro	4 – Bolden	Capital One Arena (6,514) Washington, D.C.
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time.

See also

• 2017–18 George Washington Colonials women's basketball team

References

1. "Mike Lonergan is out as GW basketball coach after investigation into verbal abuse". Washington Post. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
2. "George Washington fires Lonergan amid inquiry". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
3. "GW basketball promotes Maurice Joseph to interim coach to replace Mike Lonergan". Washington Post. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
4. "George Washington names Maurice Joseph interim coach in wake of Lonergan firing". USA Today. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
5. "GW names Maurice Joseph full-time men's basketball coach". Washington Post. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
6. "Rhode Island Picked to Win A-10 Men's Basketball". Atlantic 10 Conference. Atlantic10.com. October 17, 2017. Retrieved October 17, 2017.