The problem, as I see it, with GW basketball lays in something I read on our often radical message board GWHoops.com. I’ll admit, I do read GWHoops every so often. Sometimes the posters give me a kick while at the same time they make me think (usually not in that order). In the past, I’ve read about how poorly GW schedules, which prompted me to talk to the GW AD Jack Kvancz. I’ve mentioned the board, which he said he does not read, and pose questions that posters ask. In the realm of scheduling, I ask why we can’t get the big teams (etc, etc.) The answers are in this column. Recently, I came across a post about success in the NBA translating to recruiting and program success. Something that I feel is forgotten is the goal of a college student: success in professional life. As I aspire to be a successful journalist, friends in the business school want a crack at a hedge fund. Pops Mensah-Bonsu wants to play in the NBA. Sure, while at GW he would want to make the Final Four and win an NCAA championship. But I can assure you, if he were going to be a first rounder last season, he would be gone quicker than Phil Martelli in a beauty pageant. Mentiznger, a poster whose stuff is usually thoughtful, linked to this story and said “Is (this article’s result) the goal? If so, me no like.” Come on Mentz, smarten up. To say that UConn’s success should not be the benchmark in college basketball is silly and I can assure you, Mr. Hobbs would disagree. To have six players as potential first round choices is awesome, even if they are undergraduates. Four-year basketball players are a thing of the past, I’m afraid. In the immediate, for a school such as GW, losing players is frightening. If Rob Diggs, Maureece Rice and Damien Hollis all left after this season and were stars in the NBA, it would be tough to fill the void but it would make GW a better program. There’s absolutely no question about that. Success in the NBA is usually an indicator of the success of a program, no matter how backward it is. But conversely, failure or underperformance, does not negate collegiate success. Duke is the perfect example. In short, GW should strive to have people want to make the jump early. We are not a Duke. We cannot recruit 4.0 GPA blue-chip talents, unfortunately. America is a nation of quick fixes (Knicks ditching L. Brown after one season, people wanting a retraction of troops from Iraq etc.) and when many hoops players see the money, they run.
In short, sure we should strive to recruit players who actually have the skills to head to the pros after a few years.
