– Penders keeps saying he’s got the best point guard in the country, and finally, Shawnta Rogers, who finished last year as merely second-team all-Atlantic 10, is starting to get some national attention. USA Today named him a member of their mid-season second-team Jan. 27. As guards go, that put him in the company of fellow second-teamers Jason Terry of the University of Arizona and Steve Francis of the University of Maryland. Incidentally, forward Wally Szczerbiak (the University of Miami of Ohio) made the first team. He’s the son of former Colonial Walt Szczerbiak, who graduated in 1971 and was inducted into the GW Athletic Hall of Fame in 1985.
– This past week may have been “Rivalry Week” on ESPN, but GW was certainly not in on the party. The win over Duquesne was not only the Dukes’ 11th straight loss this season, but the 10th straight in the series with GW. The Colonials have beaten the Dukes by an average of 21.6 points in that run. And guess when was the last time 13 Colonials scored in a game, as they did Thursday night? Well, try Jan. 7, 1998 – the last time the hapless Dukes came to Foggy Bottom.
– Colonials’ fans who were upset about a lack of television exposure have a little less to complain about now. GW will be on ESPN this season, after all. The final regular season game against west division-leading Xavier Feb. 27 has been moved to a noon tip-off to accommodate a national ESPN audience. This will give GW a chance to impress the NCAA Selection Committee, and also means Seco Camara, Yegor Mescheriakov and Shawnta Rogers’ last home game will be on national television. Sorry, no Dick Vitale, though.
– Speaking of Camara, is Souleymane Camara, forward for the University of Kentucky, any relation?”No, we’re from the same area,” Seco said.
– Val Brown (Lee High School, Springfield, Va.), one of Penders’ two highly touted recruits, is set to return to action for Lee this Friday after being academically ineligible last semester. Washingtonian features Brown and other D.C. prep stars in its February issue.
-David Holt
