GW's Pinnock Staying In Draft
This entry was written by DCist contributor Andrew Wiseman
Bad news for GW basketball fans - leading scorer Danilo Pinnock's GW days are over, as he will soon sign with an agent. Pinnock, a junior, had entered his name into the NBA draft but was expected to return until now. The Colonials already lost senior forwards Pops Mensah-Bonsu, Mike Hall, and Omar Williams to graduation, so another top ten ranking in Foggy Bottom doesn't appear likely. The team was ranked as high as 6th last season and finished 19th after losing to Duke in the NCAA second round.
Pinnock doesn't seem ready for the NBA and most draft websites have him as probably going undrafted. He does, however, have one child and another along the way, and the Post quoted him as saying, "I have some responsibilities that I need to live up to." Pinnock also said he could play in Europe, joining former Colonials like Shawnta Rogers and Chris Monroe.
The departure of Pinnock, a crowd favorite for his explosive dunks, means GW will be without 4 of their top 6 scorers from last season. The cupboard is not completely bare, as sophomore scorer Maureece Rice and junior point guard Carl Elliott remain. However, the frontcourt will be almost entirely new. GW will be getting in a few transfers and recruits as well as the return of big man Dokun Akingbade, who redshirted last season. Akingbade, a former walk-on who didn't play much his first three years, looks to get a lot more playing time in the upcoming season. And while most of the newcomers are not highly touted, most of coach Karl Hobbs' recruits so far haven't been.
The Colonials' schedule, much maligned last season for being overly easy, will also be upgraded slightly, with games against USC, Virginia Tech, Boston U., and two against either Air Force, Santa Clara, or Colgate.
And there could be more bad news for GW - junior starter Carl Elliott is also "testing the waters" of the NBA draft and hasn't yet withdrawn his name. He is expected to do so soon before the June 18 deadline, but then again, so was Pinnock.
Photo by Kyle Gustafson