Eyes of the Enemy Part 2: Q&A with Hail to the Buff
We had the opportunity to do a second Eyes of the Enemy piece with David Earl of the Hail to the Buff podcast that covers George Washington basketball. A big thanks to David.
Longwood hasn’t matched up with GW since 2009 when the Lancers knocked off the Colonials 80–78 in Willett Hall (sorry to bring that up), Karl Hobbs was the coach at that time and now you have Mike Gillian doppelganger Mike Lonergan at the helm. What has changed the most since Lonergan has taken over.
Woof, thanks for that reminder. That game was absolutely brutal, and one of a number of low points experienced by a program that went from 3 straight NCAA Tournaments to a run of failing to quality for the Atlantic 10 Tournament. I’ll give you a few things that have changed. Off the court, I’d say that a much greater emphasis has been placed on local guys. Of our starters, Joe McDonald, Kethan Savage and Kevin Larsen all played high school ball in the DC metro area. It has had a big role in getting more local attention on the program. On the court, where Coach Hobbs tried very hard to recruit the athletes who could run you ragged, Coach Lonergan is much more about systems. The flex offense creates opportunities, and while you’ll still see an ISO once in awhile, there’s a lot more nuance to our game plans on both sides of the ball.
Can you talk a little bit about Patrico Garino and what he brings to the table. He’s one of my favorite players to watch in college hoops and I’m not looking forward to matching up with him.
Pato is probably one of the sneakiest guys in college basketball. His quickness and savvy on both sides of the ball is unlike anything I’ve seen in a GW basketball player. Understanding Pato is a lot like understanding his signature play. He’s got an incredible knack for stepping up into a perimeter passing lane and turning it into a breakaway dunk. He’s an incredible off-the-ball defender and can outrun most opponents. He’s fast enough to guard in the backcourt, tall enough to shoot over most opponents.
Longwood has really struggled against the zone early this season. Do you think GW will utilize that or just try to play their own style?
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Though they’ve shown looks of a more conventional 2–3 a little bit this season, GW really defaults to man defense for at least 3/4 of a game. When Coach Lonergan thinks he’s got a team on their heels, he’ll try to push the knife in a little deeper with a hyper-aggressive 1–3–1 which has a knack for creating nightmarish traps in the corners of the halfcourt. UVa did a great job of exposing its weak spot on the baseline, giving Justin Anderson a highlight reel reverse alley-oop. If I had to bet, I think GW will break out the 1–3–1, but you’d probably not see it much more than 10 total minutes.
Freshman Yuta Watanabe is making quite the impact early. Can you talk a little about his game and what he’s brought to the Colonials?
I think we were all excited about what Yuta could bring, but few could have anticipated that Yuta would be a major contributor so soon in his career. Yuta’s only the third D-1 player from Japan, and he’s got a pretty substantial following from hoopsheads in Japan following every move he makes with the Colonials. He’s 6'8" and, like Garino, very fast and very smart. His nose for the ball enables him to score a lot of garbage points, and he’s willing to stretch defenses by knocking down 3-pointers. He’s also very, very skinny, and while many fans expect he’ll be starting in the near future, he’d have to step into the four where he will get pushed around relentlessly.
I made a road trip with some buddies to the Longwood-GW game in 2006. We went to the Foggy Bottom Pub pregame. Is that still around and what’s the best spot around the Smith Center?
The Frog is still in the area, but it’s since moved to K Street between 20th and 21st Streets. It’s a lot more upscale now, but there’s decent outdoor seating. The closest spot near the Smith Center these days is probably Tonic. if you’re going to head there, get the wings and/or the tater tots. Upstairs is fine too, but unless they’ve upgraded since I moved a year ago, they only have bottles upstairs (no taps). Lindy’s Red Lion has great burgers on I Street between 20th and 21st, and then there’s some fancypants stuff across the street from the metro.
What’s your prediction for Wednesday’s game?
I’m hopeful that GW is in the mood to reassert themselves after a tremendously disappointing second half against UVa. Losing a halftime lead the way GW did was a real disappointment to a lot of people. Kevin Larsen, our real big man stalwart, is going to get a LOT of touches after only taking three shots and being constantly double teamed against Virginia. I also think that the Virginia game highlighted a desperate need for GW to find a trusted 7th and 8th man (after Yuta), so expect shooter Nick Griffin and power guard Darian Bryant to get a decent amount of burn.
I don’t want to admit that I’m jacking up my score prediction because I remember that ’09 loss so clearly, but I’m going to say GW takes this 83–61. We’re going to have to take some frustration out on you guys. It’s not you, it’s us. We’re sorry.
