Being outsized by opponents is something the Colonials will not have to worry about next season. Four high school recruits, including the highly-touted forward Omar Williams, are at least 6-foot-6 and comprise the 22nd strongest class in the country, according to RivalsHoops.com.
Head coach Karl Hobbs, making good on his reputation as a great recruiter, is directly attacking a weakness that has plagued GW this season: size.
In the Colonials’ eight losses this season, they have been out rebounded by just under 10 rebounds per game, proving their inefficiency in dominating the low post.
In addition to their size, all four recruits are athletic and can play multiple positions, a trait Hobbs said will be consistent with his recruiting classes in the future.
“They’re going to bring us size, they’re going to bring us athleticism and they’re going to bring us offensive skills,” Hobbs said. “That’s going to be the staple of our program – to get players that can play different positions; that can guard different size people.”
Williams, a skinny 6-foot-9 swing-man from Celestial Prep in Philadelphia, resembles in stature graduating senior Jaason Smith, but plays nothing like him. Considered the 20th best small forward in the country by ESPN.com, Williams brings a perimeter game that Smith lacks. Over the past month, Williams has averaged 22 points and nine rebounds a game for The Crusaders.
“He is really athletically gifted for a 6-foot-9 guy,” Hobbs said. “He has incredible ball handling skills, terrific court vision. I envision him playing one to two or three different positions for us, allowing us to be very multi-dimensional.”
Mike Hall, at 6-foot-6 and 180 pounds, is another recruit who will add dimension in the front- and back-court. He currently averages 14 points and 12 rebounds a game for Alan B. Shepard High School in Palos Heights, Ill., the 14th-ranked high school team in the Chicago area, according to the Chicago Tribune. Hall, who might be applying to the GW medical program, was also recruited by Princeton University.
“He’s a kid that could potentially be an Academic All-American. He’s such an outstanding student and is very goal oriented,” Hobbs said. “I envision him being in the same mold as Shane Battier.”
NaNa Mensah-Bonsu, or “Pops” as he is called, is a 6-foot-7, 220-pound forward likely to join Tamal Forchion and Darrio Scott as a presence inside. Mensah-Bonsu is recovering from a knee injury and is expected to rejoin his high school team at St. Augustine High School in Richland, N.J. sometime this month.
Alexander Kireev, a 6-foot-11, 240 pound power forward from Shreveport, La., was a pre-season All-America selection by Street & Smith’s Magazine. Kireev, originally from Nikolaev, Ukraine, led his team to the championship game of the Bossier Federal Credit Union Basketball Invitational in Shreveport earlier this month, scoring 22 points, grabbing 22 rebounds and blocking seven shots in the quarterfinals.
Hobbs’s first full recruiting class represents a change in the landscape of GW classes. Former coaches Mike Jarvis and Tom Penders actively sought overseas talent to mirror the international face of GW.
Hobbs disputed the notion that GW has seen the end of international recruiting.
“We’re not going to narrow or limit ourselves,” he said.
One scholarship remains for next season that could be used during the spring recruiting period in April. Under NCAA regulations, Hobbs could not comment on any specifics regarding who might get the final scholarship, but he said he is not even sure if the team would use the scholarship this season.
