One could argue that the GW Colonials men’s basketball team put off their rebuilding year for awhile, and now it’s caught up to them. Karl Hobbs’ team reached #6 in the AP poll and the second round of the NCAA tourney in the 2005-2006 on the backs of Danilo Pinnock, Pops Mensah-Bonsu, Mike Hall, and Omar Williams. When those four left after the season to graduation and the pros, the team was expected to finish in the middle of the Atlantic 10. However, they overperformed (a Hobbs favorite) and won the conference tourney. Their return to the big dance was the team’s third appearance in a row.

But this year, with do-it-all guard Carl Elliott graduating, the team has struggled, limping to a 5-6 record with losses to teams such as SUNY Binghamton and Maryland-Baltimore County. Presumptive point guard Travis King was lost to a season-ending injury very early on, and coach Karl Hobbs moved scorer Maureece Rice to point. Rice has struggled at the one, with his scoring average dropping from team-leading 15.8 last year to 9.9 and his shooting percentage falling from 45 to 35.

The team has also lacked a cohesive offense, which usually consists of multiple passes around the perimeter followed by a three or an ill-considered long shot. The Colonials have lost by an average of 19.5 points, including margins of 36 and 32 to Alabama and Virginia Tech respectively. Surprisingly, the team is outrebounding and outshooting their opponents, holding them to less than 40% from the floor and less than 30 from three, but the offense has been suspect.

Those numbers are thrown off some by the team’s most recent game against conference foe Saint Louis, led by coaching star Rick Majerus. After the Colonials were embarrassed by Alabama on December 29th, the team started over, with two practices a day and a renewed focus.