GW women’s basketball head coach Joe McKeown confirmed this week that sophomore Greeba Outen-Barlow has been granted her release from the team and will transfer to another school for next season. While Outen-Barlow declined to comment on her decision to leave or any possible destinations, several sources close to the team said she was unhappy with her role and wanted more playing time.
An athletic player who can penetrate the lane and hit mid-range jumpers, Outen-Barlow was second on the team with a .514 field goal percentage this season. But the 5-foot-10 guard from Columbia, Md. averaged only five points in 13.2 minutes off the bench, making her eighth on the team in minutes played.
McKeown declined to discuss any reasons behind Outen-Barlow’s departure, but said he accepted that things do not always work out.
“Anytime someone leaves your program, which doesn’t happen to us very often, it’s one of those things that you understand because not everybody’s going to be happy here all the time. It’s not Disneyland,” he said. “You wish her well and I think she’ll do well.”
Outen-Barlow’s departure and senior Lindsey Davidson’s graduation will leave next year’s team without an experienced shooting guard to back up junior Cathy Joens, who plays both the two-guard and small forward positions.
“Hopefully a freshman coming in can fill that void,” junior Ugo Oha said. “We still have C.J., but you can’t only depend on her, so we’ll need someone to step up.”
While GW will be joined by a recruiting class that is ranked 18th in the nation by Blue Star Basketball scouting service, it appears 5-foot-10 guard/forward Kenan Cole is the only member of the group that could potentially play shooting guard. Of the other incoming freshmen, Corrine Turner, Whitney Allen and Kristinia Gineitis are all listed as forwards and Amanda LoCascio is a point guard.
In addition to the loss of depth, Outen-Barlow’s exit will also take away a key source of energy, Oha said.
“We’ll be losing a person who sparked the team when she came off the bench,” she said. “She brought a lot of fire to the game.”
While Outen-Barlow did not see much action during the regular season, she became the Colonials’ first option off the bench in the postseason, garnering the most minutes of any non-starter.
She had a strong showing in the Atlantic 10 Tournament, scoring 12 points in 17 minutes during the Colonials’ first-round win over Duquesne, but then struggled in the NCAA Tournament with two sub-par performances against Oklahoma and Villanova.
In GW’s opening round win over the Sooners, she played 15 minutes and went 1-for-7 from the field to score just three points. In the second-round loss to Villanova, Outen-Barlow played 16 minutes and shot 1-for-4 to score only two points.
Without Outen-Barlow, the Colonials will now return nine scholarship players along with the five incoming freshmen.
