George Washington Basketball: Colonials prepare for improved 2020-21 season
A preview for George Washington Basketball as the 2020-21 season gets underway.
In his first year as head coach of George Washington Basketball, Jamion Christian brought an exciting brand of basketball to Foggy Bottom.
Look for the Colonials to continue to push the ball up and shoot the three-pointer.
In his second season, Christian hopes having more players who fit his style will help avoid the type of losing streak the Colonials finished their season with. Including their loss in the Atlantic 10 tournament, the Colonials lost their last six games. Out of the six losses, five were by double-digits.
Christian will have some firepower returning this season. Three out of the Colonials’ top four scorers returned led by Jamison Battle. In his freshman year, Battle was known for his three-point shooting (36.6%) but he’s more than a floor spacer. The faster the Colonials play, the more it is to Battle’s advantage. He can hit the three-pointer in transition. His 89 made three-pointers helped him make the Atlantic 10’s All-Rookie team.
Battle will also benefit from a position change. “Jamison Battle played the four for us last year, he’s going to play some two guard for us this year,” said Christian.
Battle isn’t the only Colonial who loves the three-point line. Senior Maceo Jack made 83 three-pointers last season. Jack had five games where he scored over 20 points including a 35 point outburst against Davidson. In the 107-104 OT win, Jack shot 12-19 from the floor including 7-13 from the three-point line.
LSU transfer James Bishop adds more depth to an already solid backcourt. Amir Harris and the explosive Jameer Nelson Jr. Harris is an all-around guard who can dish the ball and an above-average rebounder for his size and position.
Nelson Jr’s upside is high. Christian has allowed him to work through the learning process and this season could be the big payoff. Nelson Jr. has room to improve from the free throw line (60%) and the three-point line (25%). If he makes jumps in both categories, he can go from a 10 point per game scorer to a 15-16 point per game scorer.
Christian also added some help inside to replace Arnaldo Toro. The Colonials added graduate transfer, Matt Moyer.
Moyer started his college career at Syracuse before spending the last two seasons at Vanderbilt.
Sophomore Chase Paar had a solid freshman season. Paar is a good screen and roll big man which goes beyond his 5.3 points, 4.9 rebounds average. His minutes dipped in the last few games so there are things he needs to improve on including being able to play longer stretches at a fast pace.
Projection
George Washington was voted to finish 11th in the Atlantic 10. That’s understandable considering how tough the conference is this season. The Colonials can outperform that if they can be more explosive on offense.
If Nelson Jr., Jack, and Battle improve on their numbers and efficiency, the Colonials can avoid playing on the first day of the Atlantic 10 tournament.
On defense, it’s about getting enough stops. The style of play is never going to produce an all-time great defensive team but it doesn’t have to.
Next. Preseason A-10 power rankings for 2020-21. dark
In today’s college basketball landscape, playing pace and space can be enough to compete on a nightly basis.