The era of watching program staples Megan Nipe, Danni Jackson and Brooke Wilson, arguably the faces of the women’s basketball team for the last five to six seasons, is over.
While that may be a tough pill to swallow as fans and opposition alike watched the trio for the past five years (six in the case of Wilson), a new crop of Colonials, ushered in by head coach Jonathan Tsipis, appear ready to move the program forward in the coming years.
Aware that Jackson, Nipe and Wilson were nearing the end of their GW careers, head coach Jonathan Tsipis hit the recruiting trail hard in search of players to not only fill the holes left by the three, but in every position on the floor.
Tsipis looked for what he called the “intangible” qualities in all of his recruits. He wanted proven winners, players who had not just performed well statistically but were accustomed to high-pressure situations. But even though he was seeking records of success, he was most interested in finding players who, above all, didn’t like to lose.
“We tried to focus on kids who had been in winning programs and had played for one championship,” Tsipis said. “I wanted that type of mentality of understanding that any type of losing hurt much more than the greater enjoyment of any win.”
Tsipis, whose inaugural class included guards Shannon Cranshaw and Hannah Schaible as well as forward Caira Washington, landed five newcomers this season. They are talented individually, with each excelling at a different aspect of the game at the high school level, and together make up one of the best recruiting classes in the conference.
Tsipis said with the addition of the five freshmen, he now boasts the deepest team that he has had since joining the program in 2012.
“I think the biggest part so far is, even in the practices for the foreign trip, is that it’s the most depth we’ve had,” Tsipis said. “Now I’m into my third year and the competition level has been the highest.”
Jada Matthews
A 6-foot forward out of Sicklerville, N.J., Matthews committed to GW early in her high school career, which Tsipis said allowed her to improve during her junior and senior seasons.
Matthews was an All-South Jersey First Team selection and became the all-time leading scorer at Winslow Township High School, where she amassed 1,562 career points. Tsipis said Matthews has the ability to work an inside-out game, and can both face up and post up on the low block.
Mia Farmer
Farmer joins the Colonials after a prominent high school career at Cardinal O’Hara in Philadelphia. The 5-foot-8 guard was a league MVP and was named to the AP Pennsylvania All-State First Team. Both Schaible and Tsipis called Farmer a solid shooter with a strong work ethic when she’s on the court.
“That girl’s got a shot, and she is a hard worker,” Schaible said. “When I watch film from practice, I can see how hard she is working, just sprinting up and down the court.”
Camila Tapias
Growing up in Bogotá, Colombia with basketball in her blood, Tapias developed her skills as a crafty point guard. Tapias’ mother and father were standouts on their respective Colombian national teams, and both continue coaching today: Tapias’ father as the coach of the Piratas Bogota and her mother as the coach of the national team.
Schaible said Tapias will need a little more work adjusting to the physicality of college ball, but that she can learn from seniors like Chakecia Miller and Lauren Chase.
Kelli Prange
A local out of Damascus, Md., Prange, who stands at 6-foot-5, joins the team after competing as one of the top high school players in the D.C. area. Described as a ballhawk of sorts, teammates said Prange is a strong presence on the offensive glass with a quick reaction time who excels at getting putbacks.
Prange averaged 21.4 points and 11.9 rebounds per game in her senior year at Damascus High School.
Schaible said Prange has a nice shot for an outside post and is effective outside the paint as well. Prange will get to play behind one of the best frontcourts in the conference in Washington and junior Jonquel Jones, and Tsipis said Prange adds a different style of play and creates another option for him at the forward position.
Brianna Cummings
Cummings, a lengthy guard from Lawrenceville, Ga., could be the top impact freshman in the class. Cummings was ranked 25th in the nation by ESPN HoopGurlz and averaged 23 points per game and 11 rebounds during her senior season at Greater Atlanta Christian.
During the team’s European tour this summer, Cummings received a start in one of the team’s games and responded by scoring a double-double, 10 points and 13 rebounds.
Cummings has also earned praise for her defensive ability, with Schaible saying Cummings is strong in rebounding.
“We don’t have somebody else like her from that spot,” Tsipis said. “I think she is really trying to establish that role from a defensive standpoint.”
Tsipis said it was too early to comment on which freshmen would see time in a starting role this season, but he added that the group will have the opportunity to make an impact quickly.
Overall, Tsipis described the group as both “motivated and accountable,” an active bunch that has the potential and upside to begin a new chapter in the program’s history.
“I think the girls are close, bring out the best in each other and are very coachable,” Tsipis said. “In teaching moments in practice, they make eye contact, they ask questions, they confirm that they understand what I am saying, and they are willing to fix the things we have corrected them on without having to tell them, they come to it themselves.”
