Correction appended

The GW men’s basketball team has received two verbal commitments for the 2008-09 season. Garland Christian Academy’s (Texas) Matt Allbritton and Bishop Montgomery’s (Calif.) Aaron Ware are both slated to join the Colonials.

Allbritton, a 6-foot-4 guard who lives in Garland, Texas, averaged 21.4 points and 6.0 rebounds this season with the Swordsmen. GCA head coach Jeremy Bjornstad, who confirmed Allbritton’s decision to The Hatchet, said his guard is “not a blue-chipper by any means,” but if put in the correct system, he would be fine.

“He’s a wing who plays facing the basket and is a great three-point shooter,” Bjornstad said. “Outside shooting is probably his best skill.”

Ware, a 6-foot-5 small forward from Torrance, Calif., averaged 20.5 points and 9.7 rebounds this season. Head coach Doug Mitchell said Ware could be a successful player at GW.

“He’s very versatile and he can guard multiple spots,” Mitchell said. “In his career, he played literally every position from one to five for us.”

Mitchell called Ware, the sectional and regional player of the year, a very good slasher.

“I think his biggest strength is that he plays so hard. He’s a good athlete and he’s a really competitive kid,” Mitchell said.

Mitchell also called Ware one of the better players that has been through Bishop Montgomery’s program. The Knights have sent players to the University of Southern California, Stanford University and the University of California.

Including letter-of-intent signee Tony Taylor, GW seems to have 14 players lined up to play men’s basketball next year. In addition, the recruiting Web site Scout.com shows that GW has offered a scholarship to White Plains, N.Y., native Sean Kilpatrick. The team has long been expected to be pursuing Wesley Witherspoon, brother of current player Wynton Witherspoon. NCAA regulations dictate that a team can have only 13 athletic scholarship players on a roster.

GW Sports Information Director Brad Bower said he could not comment on verbal commitments nor comment on the prospect of any players leaving the team. Neither Director of Athletics Jack Kvancz nor men’s basketball coach Karl Hobbs returned phone calls for comment.

This article has been changed to reflect the following correction: (April 30, 2007)

The Hatchet misspelled Matt Allbritton’s last name as Albritton.