Atlantic 10 Conference report

SportsLine.com Report
March 14, 2000

A glance at 2001

With most of its players back, the future looks bright for George Washington. Having the effervescent Tom Penders as coach certainly doesn't hurt.

At the rate George Washington improved this season, it isn't likely to take the Colonials long to reach elite status in the A-10. A breakthrough could come as early as next season.

And that would be well ahead of Penders' schedule.

The coach

Penders, who has rebuilt programs at Fordham, Columbia, Rhode Island and Texas, is striving to do the same at George Washington, which not long ago was thriving under current St. John's coach Mike Jarvis.

Penders completed his second season at George Washington and did a masterful job of leading the Colonials to a .500 record (15-15). His two-year record with the school is 35-24.

Penders has won 20 or more games 12 times during a 29-year career. His overall record is 513-344.

Who'll be back

Eleven players, led by SirValiant Brown and Chris Monroe, return for George Washington next season.

The others are guards Bernard Barrow, Dorien Brown, Valery Khamenia and Mike King; forwards Antxon Iturbe, Patrick Ngongba, Jason Smith and Arthur Andrews; and 7-foot center Albert Roma.

Ngongba missed most of the 1999-2000 season with a broken finger.

Who's gone

Three reserve players are all that's missing when you look at next season's roster. Guard Mark Lund and forwards Sam Anyan and Francisco de Miranda were the only seniors on this year's team.

Key newcomers

Center Attila Cosby, a two-year starter at Pitt, will become available after the first semester next season. Cosby left Pitt and transferred to New Mexico after former Pitt coach Ralph Willard resigned under pressure after the 1998-99 season. But Cosby had a change of heart after he arrived at New Mexico and returned to his native Washington, D.C., where Penders welcomed the 6-foot-9 junior with open arms.