The story ahead of GW’s road contest against Fordham is who will start in place of the injured Pops Mensah-Bonsu. From my view there are three legitimate candidates for the job.

Alex Kireev-
The 6’11 Ukrainian is the most likely candidate for the job, having started the three games during which Mensah-Bonsu was serving his NCAA suspension. Kireev has some low-post moves on offense, but often tries to do too much when he gets the ball. His defense is suspect at best, and he often gets burned even by the most mediocre of moves down low. Because Rams sophomore standout Bryant Dunston is so big, Kireev might see the most time trying to contain him.

Regis Koundjia-
Regis had a breakout game agsint La Salle in which he scored 13 points to accompany his five assists and five rebounds. Although Koundjia has often looked lost on the court and is better known for his uncontrolled charges than any other aspect of the game, he appears to be improving every game. When placed in the frontcourt, Koundjia does play with better poise then when he is bringing the ball up the court. Hobbs has always been high on him so it wouldn’t be such a shock if he got the start.

Marueece Rice-
It is possible that sixth-man extraordinaire could move into the starting lineup. Based on his performance, Rice certainly deserves it. However, Hobbs always likes to have an anchor for his second unit and with Montrell McDonald still suspended, Hobbs might try to keep some continuity on the bench. While possible, this scenario is the least likely.