The trio of freshman who make up head coach Jonathan Tsipis’ recruiting masterpiece tend to glide on the court like sprightly brushstrokes.
As perfect additions to GW’s canvas, Shannon Cranshaw, Hannah Schaible and Caira Washington assemble as the second-year coach’s inaugural class. They plan to outwork and outrun their opponents as the players transition up the court and the program looks to transition into a winning era.
“We want to be constantly running, because we want the other team to have to try to keep up with us and call timeouts because they’re tired, because we are wearing them out,” Schaible said. “We are going to surprise a lot of people.”
Their credentials are impressive, too. Schaible was a First-Team All State winner. Cranshaw was ranked the 27th best guard in the nation by Girls Basketball Report. Washington is a 6-foot-2 forward who averaged 15.1 rebounds per game in high school.
Both Schaible and Washington could find consistent playing time in the starting line-up, filling in the holes left by Tara Booker and Sara Mostafa. But Washington’s presence will give GW much-needed depth to the front court, while Cranshaw and Schaible can learn from graduate student guards Danni Jackson and Megan Nipe.
Cranshaw has a small stature, but sophisticated ball-handling skills and an ability to attack the basket. Schaible is her complement – a taller, guard-wing combination with a potent outside shot.
Cranshaw said the three freshmen shared an “instant bond” when they started practicing together this summer.
“We are his first recruiting class to help build towards his vision of winning championships and advancing to the NCAA tournament,” Cranshaw said. “We have to take it one step at a time: making the Sweet Sixteen, the Elite Eight, and then building to the Final Four. Our focus is on building the program back up to where it was.”
Once Tsipis courted them to GW, the recruits were immediately on board with his plan for the season, which included an intense focus on physical fitness and leadership on the court.
To enact Tsipis’ plan of attack for the season, the freshmen need to continue to develop their chemistry on the court with the veterans on the roster. All three players have sought out upperclassmen for guidance and assistance whenever they want to know more about a specific offensive play or defensive attack strategy.
“The older girls take us under their wing and show us the ropes,” Washington said. “They never get frustrated with us because they know we are new to this type of atmosphere and realize that it will take a couple of practices and games to get everything figured out.”
All three freshmen hope to rely on their experiences that have prepared them for college play. For Cranshaw, playing travel ball over the summer for the Amateur Athletic Union amplified her maturity and allowed her to compete with the “best-of-the-best teams and some of the greatest high school players in the nation” in a pressure-bound atmosphere similar to college ball, she said.
Washington said it will be her job to rebound and compete inside to support players like Cranshaw, who can “shoot the lights out” from the outside. With height working to her advantage, Schaible strives to become an impact player in any way possible, similar to Washington, who wants to be a standout in the paint.
With the season opener approaching, the trio is quickly adapting to the speed of the game, the elevated intensity and focus on precision and attention to detail.
“College is different than high school, because the focus is not necessarily on making all your shots or rebounding more,” said Cranshaw. “The focus is more on paying attention to detail, working hard, sprinting from place to place and doing all the things that you can control. I think that is what Tsipis really expects from us and when we do all those things, the basketball part just comes with it.”
