George Washington Basketball: Balance key to a successful 2024-25 season

Year three is usually deemed necessary for a college coach. That's because the coach's vision via recruiting would be crystal clear by year three. In today's transfer portal world, that's only sometimes the case.

Chris Caputo is in year three of his tenure at George Washington, and his vision is starting to become clear with James Bishop's departure.

Caputo inherited Bishop and his style of play. Give Caputo credit. Instead of running off or asking Bishop to change his style completely, Caputo worked around Bishop's strengths. At times, Bishop had explosive nights where he would score in every imaginable way. Then there were the other nights when Revolutionaries didn't have enough, even with Bishop.

George Washington fans should expect more balance.

Last season, Darren Buchanan Jr. looked like anything but a freshman. Buchanan Jr. damaged his opponents at the front of the rim, whether off the dribble or throwing the ball inside. Per Hoop-Math, 70.3% of Buchanan Jr's shots came at the room with a finishing rate of 61.2%. 34.9% of his finishes at the rim were assisted.

Buchanan Jr. starts the season by being named to the Preseason All-Conference Second Team.

Trey Autry and Jacoi Hutchinson are returning guards who gained valuable experience as freshmen.

Autry is a floor-spacing catch-and-shoot guard who shot 34.2% from the three-point line, with 80.9% of his shots coming from long distance. On the flip side, he shot 77.3% at the rim. Autry's ability to make threes off penetration and in transition is valuable to the offense.

Hutchinson is more of a primary ballhandling guard who can get the team into its offense on time. When Hutchinson did shoot, he had a True Shooting Percentage (TS%) of 54.6%, shooting 39.6% from three, but he struggled with his two-point jumper (12.4%).

In a perfect world, Hutchinson's two-point percentage would rise. With George Washington spreading the floor, penetration is a must, which lends to pull-up jumpers for players who don't get to the rim at a high rate. Hutchinson falls into that category.

The Revolutionaries brought in four transfers, each bringing something a little different.

Rafael Castro (Providence) gives George Washington a much-needed rim protector who will be a hard-roll guy, especially in Zoom action. In limited action, Castro attempted 93.2% of his shots at the rim, with 21.1% of his made shots coming on putbacks.

Sean Hansen (Cornell) is a 6'9" body that is more of a floor-stretcher than a back-to-the-basket player. Hansen shot 37% from three-point range last season.

Trey Moss (William & Mary) and Gerald Drumgoole (Delaware) provide depth in the backcourt. Moss was second on the Tribe in assists, while Drumgoole shot 37.3% from three last season.

Expect more diversity and contributors in the offense.

Of course, this means nothing if George Washington doesn't improve on defense. Last season, the Revolutionaries were near the bottom in every Atlantic 10 defensive category.

Opponents capitalized on turnovers, particularly steals. Off of steals, teams shot 50% on two-point jumpers and three-pointers in secondary transition (11-30 seconds). The numbers illustrate how teams could be offensively efficient even if they didn't get a layup off a steal.

A more balanced roster with definitive roles and strengths could lead to a more successful year for the Revolutionaries in Caputo's third year.