The dust has finally settled for the GW men’s basketball program.

Mike Jarvis has left the Colonials to coach St. John’s University. Tom Penders, who recently resigned from the University of Texas, was hired to replace him.

And now that the rumors have stopped flying and the dealing is over, it’s a good time to reflect on Jarvis’ reign and look ahead to Penders’ possible impact on the program.

Jarvis’ departure marks the end of an era at GW. Of all the men and women who have passed through this University, it is doubtful that too many others had more of an impact on the school than Jarvis.

Jarvis single-handedly took a basketball program that hadn’t been very good since the 1970s and made it into a consistent winner. He gave the GW community a tremendous gift – a good basketball team to rally around and adore. If nothing else, we can always take pride in our basketball program.

Jarvis also brought GW national prominence. For many people, I am sure, the first time they had heard of the George Washington University was when the basketball team started winning big games.

This is true for me. I remember in 1993 cursing brackets when this previously unheard of school won a couple of games in the NCAA Tournament and made it to the “Sweet 16.” It is conceivable that I might not be enrolled here if it weren’t for this visibility. If I had never heard of GW before my senior year, I might not have considered it as a possibility for my college education. So I guess I owe Coach Jarvis a thank you.

But enough of the love-fest for Jarvis – I now have said way too many nice things in consecutive columns. And speaking of last week’s column, I would like to thank the Caps for choking the Cup away for me – I was sweating for awhile. Getting swept was an added bonus.

Back to the matter at hand. I think Jarvis moving on is a positive thing for the men’s program. Certainly GW owes Jarvis a great debt, but it was time for a change for everyone involved. Jarvis and GW benefited greatly from the symbiotic relationship, but it seemed the two had sucked all the blood out of each other.

GW really needed a coaching change in order to take its play to the next level. Jarvis was the man to bring GW out of the doldrums, but I don’t know if he was the one to take us to the true promised land.

Penders could be that coach. He knows what it’s like to run a truly big-time college basketball program. He knows what it’s like to play consistently on national television.

He also knows what it takes to knock off top-notch programs. Without GW’s wins over number-one UMass in 1995 and 1996, its list of quality wins over ranked teams looks like a pretty shabby feather in our cap. In its last two games against annual top-10 schools, GW was embarrassed by the likes of the University of Kentucky last season and the University of Kansas the season before. It seems as if we’ve become shell-shocked when a truly good team stands in our way.

GW has the talent to make the move to the next level, but the team has to start believing again that it can beat these top-level teams. Penders can instill that belief. He has beaten the likes of the University of North Carolina in his career, and his experience should pay off for GW down the road.

Penders’ style will be a refreshing and a positive change for the Colonials, too. Penders promises to bring a high-intensity defense and a high-octane offense to the Colonials, who have the personnel to implement both. Shawnta Rogers’ quickness and defensive prowess fit right into Penders’ scheme. Mike King, J.J. Brade and Yegor Mescheriakov – all great athletes and slashers – should flourish under Penders. All GW needs is some tweaking and a little time to fit into Penders’ mold, which should allow the winning seasons to keep piling up.

So thanks for all the good times, Mike, and welcome to Foggy Bottom, Tom. Here’s to great memories and the new ones yet to come.