One year after capturing the conference championship and reaching their third straight NCAA Tournament, the GW Men’s is picked to finish seventh in the Atlantic 10 in the preseason poll of A-10 head coaches and media. Head Coach Karl Hobbs leads a relatively young squad that faces a difficult non-conference schedule and a strong A-10 Conference.

“Every year I have different goals and expectations of my teams,” Hobbs said. “The one thing that’s consistent, the one thing I know we will have, is great effort every time we step on the court. We may have a bad shooting day, we may have a bad passing day, but we’re never going to have a bad effort day.”

GW will be led by senior guard Maureece Rice, the team’s leading scorer last year and a preseason second-team all-conference selection. Juniors Rob Diggs, Cheyenne Moore, and Noel Wilmore, and sophomores Damian Hollis and Travis King, also will be relied on to contribute significant minutes.

The Colonials welcome five newcomers, including four freshmen – shooting guard Xavier Alexander, a preseason A-10 All-Rookie team selection; point guard Miles Beatty; power forward Jabari Edwards; and center Joseph Katuka. Also new to the program is junior forward Wynton Witherspoon, a Virginia Tech transfer.

“It’s a transition year where we are sort of regrouping because we have so many new guys,” Hobbs explained. “It’s a self-motivating team. . . we had a terrific preseason, guys were getting in the gym on their own, getting in shots, getting extra lifts in, and I’m really encouraged by that.”

Hobbs called this the most difficult non-league schedule the Colonials have played in his seven-year tenure. The schedule includes visits to UCLA, Virginia Tech, and Alabama, and a match-up against Auburn at the BB&T Classic.

It won’t get much easier as GW enters league play. The Colonials face Xavier, Rhode Island, and Saint Louis twice. Xavier and Rhode Island hold the top two spots in the Atlantic 10 preseason poll, and Saint Louis is picked to finish fifth.

Hobbs said the team hopes to help Rice create a bit of history at GW. “Our goal is to make [Maureece] the only player ever to play at this terrific school to have gone to the NCAA Tournament four straight years. That’s a daunting task when you look at the rest of the league, but we think we’ve got a chance to make that happen.”

The Colonials squeaked out a 74-71 overtime victory over visiting Div. II University of the District of Columbia in an exhibition game on Oct. 31.The men’s regular season opens on Saturday, Nov. 10, when GW hosts Mount St. Mary’s at the Charles E. Smith Athletic Center. The GW Alumni Association has tickets to men’s basketball games and is planning tailgate events prior to several road and home games. For more information or to register for these events, click here.

Season tickets can be purchased by contacting the GW Athletics Ticket Office at 202-994-6050 or gwcoltix@gwu.edu. Individual game tickets can be purchased at GW’s Marvin Center TicketMaster (located on the lower level), through TicketMaster outlets at 202-397-SEAT (7328), or by visiting TicketMaster.com.