Compiled by Paul Gotham
Counting down to tipoff and previewing the incoming freshmen of the Atlantic 10 with a look at the first-year players of the George Washington Colonials. The Colonials finished 24-9 (11-5 A-10) and fell to Memphis in the second round of the 2014 NCAA Tournament.
Mike Lonergan and his staff welcome five freshmen to campus: Darian Bryant, Matt Cimino, Paul Jorgensen, Anthony Swan and Yuta Watanabe.
Darian Bryant Fr. G 6-4, 200 Washington, DC/ St. John’s College H.S.
Bryant repeated on the All-Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) Second Team as a senior in 2013-14 after averaging 10.1 points for his St. John’s College High School team that won the WCAC regular season title, peaked at No. 11 in USA Today’s Super 25 rankings, and finished the season 28-6 overall. Bryant was one of four Cadets players to be recognized on the Washington Post’s 2013-14 Winter All-Met team, earning honorable mention accolades. He will join GW returners Joe McDonald, Kethan Savage and Nick Griffin as Colonials to earn All-Met accolades during their local scholastic careers, and is the sixth All-Met selection to sign with GW during Coach Mike Lonergan’s three-year tenure.
Bryant earned Second Team All-Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) honors as a junior in 2012-13, averaging 11.2 points on 47 percent shooting as he helped the Cadets reach the WCAC Championship game. It was Bryant’s half-court, buzzer-beating game winner that helped St. John’s edge DeMatha Catholic, 57-55, in the WCAC quarterfinals en route to the title game. The 6-foot-4 guard is not only noted for his shooting, but also his size, strength and ability to guard multiple positions.
What they’re saying about Darian Bryant – Jamie Shaw/ Phenom Hoop Report: “Bryant carries a strong frame with long arms. Skilled offensively, he pushes the break and attacks from the wing. He is a willing rebounder from his position.”
Steve Keller/ National Recruiting Report: “He’s the bull of the crowd. He’s physical, hard-nosed, plays tough and makes plays. He’s a winner.”
Allen Rubin/ Hoop Scoop: “He’s an athletic guard who gets to the rim, gets to the foul line with a good mid-range game, a real good defender.”
Marcus Helton/ DMV Elite: “He’s really multi-talented. He played on a team at St. John’s that sent all five of its starters to division one schools. He’s used to being around a talented group. He can contribute in a lot of ways. He’s only 6’4”, but he ends covering other teams post players because St. John’s was undersized, and he was one of the biggest kids on the team. He would end up covering power forwards, covering centers. He’s a really strong kid. He can step outside and hit the three. He’s quicker than you expect. He’s going to be able to make a nice contribution to GW right away.”
James Lee/ Mid Atlantic Select: “He’s a big-body forward. Has a lot of different skills. He can a lot of different things. He can post up a little bit; he doesn’t look agile and quick, but he has quickness to his game. He knows how to get to spots. Very smart player. Effective. He’ll be a solid A-10 player. He’ll be in the rotation as a freshman and sophomore. Toward the end of his junior year and his senior year he should be a starter at GW.”
Matt Cimino Fr. F 6-10, 200 Falmouth, ME/Worcester (MA) Academy
The 138th-best recruit in the Class of 2014 according to Rivals.com, Cimino (sim-inn-oh) averaged 13.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in his final season at Worcester Academy in 2013-14 to earn NEPSAC Class AA Third Team All-League honors. He is also rated as the top 2014 recruit from the state of Maine, 25th-best recruit at the center position, and 29th-best recruit in the East according to ESPN.com. Cimino played the last three seasons with the Hilltoppers after beginning his scholastic career with two seasons at Cheverus High School in his native Maine, helping the Stags to a Class A state title in 2010 and title game appearance in 2011. He is set to be the youngest of three siblings to compete in the NCAA basketball ranks – elder sister, Ashley, was part of four Final Four teams with Stanford women’s basketball from 2007-11, and older sister, Caitlin, recently completed her senior season at Connecticut College in 2013-14.
What they’re saying about Matt Cimino – Jamie Shaw/ Phenom Hoop Report: “Skilled post player, who has offensive ability both facing and with his back to the basket. As he adds strength, his low-post game will become more effective. Can put it on the floor and is a willing rebounder.”
Steve Keller/ National Recruiting Report: “He also adds toughness. He can shoot on the wing. He’s long and has good hands.”
James Lee/ Mid Atlantic Select: “He has a pretty decent skill set. He’s got to get stronger and tougher. His better basketball is ahead of him. He’ll get a chance to play as he becomes an upper classmen at GW.”
Paul Jorgensen Fr. G 6-2, 180 New City, NY/Don Bosco Prep (NJ)
Jorgensen enjoyed a standout senior season at Don Bosco Preparatory High School in Ramsey, N.J., leading the Ironmen to a 24-5 record and the finals of both the Bergen County Jamboree and North Jersey, Non-Public A state tournament, the latter run highlighted by a game-winning shot to send his team into the Non-Public A title game.
He averaged 17.8 points and eclipsed the 1,000 career points plateau while adding 5.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.
Among his many honors received, Jorgensen was named the North Jersey Player of the Year and Second Team All-State by the Newark Star-Ledger as well as to the Bergen County All-Jamboree Team. He was also a Second Team All-Metro pick by MSG Varsity, the MVP of the NJSCA Senior North-South All-Star Game, and a First Team All-Big North United Division selection after leading the Ironmen to the divisional crown. Jorgensen was selected to participate in the prestigious Jordan Brand Classic Regional All-Star Game at Barclays Center in April 2014.
Nicknamed the ‘Prince Harry of Harlem’ for his performance during the Tri-State Classic’s High School Showcase in summer 2013, the 6-foot-2 guard averaged 17.6 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals for Don Bosco Prep as a junior in 2012-13, earning Third Team All-Bergen County honors from the Newark Star-Ledger and All-Suburban honors from the Ridgewood News. He posted 10 games of 20-or-more points for the Ironmen in 2012-13, including a season high of 31.
Jorgensen shined during summer 2013, helping his New Heights NYC AAU team to a title at the Adidas Super 64 championship in Las Vegas and earning MVP honors of the Books and Ball Classic in New York in October.
What they’re saying about Paul Jorgensen – Steve Keller/ National Recruiting Report: “He’s a hard-nosed, tough, heady type of guard. There’s nothing flashy. He’s physical. He’s got good size, and he can power around the court. He’s got a decent jumper. In order to become a star in the league, he’s going to have to improve on the jumper, especially off the bounce.”
Jay Gomes/ NJHoops.com: “He’s a point guard with good size, a true team leader. He had a real good summer with a good AAU team up in New Heights. Runs the show, competes, can make shots when needed – he’s the kind of kid who you put the ball in his hands. He is really a coach on the floor, can run the floor and do what a coach wants him to do.”
Allen Rubin/ Hoop Scoop: “He’s kind of a combo guard – more of a two than a one. Good outside shooter, a real gym rat. He finds a way to get it done. He’s crafty, plays good defense.”
Anthony Swan Fr. G/F 6-8, 190 Los Angeles, CA/Virginia Episcopal School
Swan was limited to just 14 minutes per game during his senior season in 2013-14 due to injury yet still managed to average 8.9 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.1 blocks for his Virginia Episcopal School (VES) team that finished 18-5 overall, won the Virginia Independent Conference (VIC) tournament and reached the VISAA Division II state semifinals. Once healthy, Swan turned in some standout performances late in the season, including 19 points and eight rebounds in a VIC Tournament semifinal victory, then 22 points and five 3-pointers, all in the first quarter, to help VES rout Highland Academy, 100-43, in the VISAA Division II quarterfinals. The versatile 6-foot-8 wing averaged 17 points, six rebounds, three assists and two blocks to earn First Team All-State honors and help VES to a 21-4 overall record and an appearance in the VISAA Division II state title game as a junior in 2012-13. He was also a Second Team All-State pick as a sophomore as the Bishops’ reached the VISAA D-II title game in 2011-12.
What they’re saying about Anthony Swan – Steve Keller/ National Recruiting Report: “He definitely has a good-looking catch-and-shoot three from the corner. He can put it on the floor. He’s thin. He’ll probably be bumped off the ball some in the league, so he’s got to add a little strength and physicality. He’s a finesse-type kid. He is as skilled as anyone coming into the league at that position.”
Yuta Watanabe Fr. F 6-8, 200 Kagawa, Japan/St. Thomas More School (CT)
Labeled “the Chosen One” by The Japan Times, Watanabe (you-tuh wah-tuh-nah-bay) is set to become the third Japanese-born student-athlete in NCAA Division I men’s basketball history (K.J. Matsui – Columbia, Taishi Ito – Portland) when he takes the court in 2014-15.. In his lone scholastic season in the United States in 2013-14, Watanabe averaged 13 points and six rebounds in helping St. Thomas More School (Conn.) to a 26-8 overall record and an appearance in the National Prep Championship game, during which he scored a team-high 25 points. His ever-improving play throughout the season helped him earn NEPSAC Class AAA First Team All-League accolades and he was also named to the National Prep School Invitational All-Tournament Team.
Before coming to the U.S., Watanabe led Jinsei Gakuen High School to second place in the 2010 and 2011 All-Japan Tournaments. He has already competed for the Japanese National Team – as an 18-year-old, he helped Japan to third place at the 2013 East Asian Basketball Association Championship for Men and ninth in the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship – and joins Patricio Garino and Kevin Larsen as foreign-born Colonials with experience in international competition. Like GW classmate Matt Cimino, Watanabe comes from a basketball family – both of his parents played in Japan’s top leagues, his mother, Kumi, also played for the Japanese Women’s National Team, and his sister, Yuki, currently plays for Aishin AW of the Women’s Japan Basketball League.
What they’re saying about Yuta Watanabe – Steve Keller/ National Recruiting Report: “This kid has got real talent. He can really handle it and pass, and he sees things. He’s not a physical type kid at all, but he’s got skills. One thing he can do is shoot off the dribble.”
Biographical information courtesy of George Washington athletics.
Leave a Reply