David Pellom granted release; Jonathan Davis to transfer

Then- junior forward David Pellom drives to the basket last season. Hatchet File Photo

Men’s basketball senior forward David Pellom has been granted a release from the team and sophomore forward Jonathan Davis intends to transfer from the Colonials, head coach Mike Lonergan said Tuesday.

Pellom’s release does not mean he will leave GW, Lonergan said, but that the forward is exploring his options. Pellom, a senior who has one year of eligibility left, could play right away as a graduate student transfer.

“We’re going to do whatever is best for him. Right after the season, we gave him his release and said, ‘hey, if you want to go look at other schools,’” Lonergan said. “We’d like to see him come back here and help us make the postseason and reach our goals, but he hasn’t played basketball in over a year and I’m not really sure what Dave’s thinking.”

Pellom did not take the court with the Colonials this season. Following a series of surgeries over the offseason, the athletics department announced that lingering issues in his left wrist would keep the forward sidelined for the remainder of 2012-13 competition. In his junior campaign, Pellom was GW’s leading rebounder, averaging 6.1 a game over 27 games played and set a single-season shooting record on 68.5 percent shooting.

“We’ve always done what’s best for him,” Lonergan said. “That’s something that will be decided in the next few weeks. I just wish he played this year. That was our goal, to get the freshmen some experience and by January have him join the team.”

Davis, a sophomore, has played 44 minutes over 23 games as a Colonial, averaging .4 points a game on 44.4 percent shooting and .3 rebounds per game. His decision to transfer, Lonergan said, is born of a desire to head to a program where he can have more of an impact – much like Isaiah Armwood’s thought process when transferring from Villanova to GW.

“Jonathan Davis, we met with a week ago. He’s a great guy,” Lonergan said. “With Jonathan, going into your third year, if you were ever going to go somewhere and play for them, you really had to make that move. We’re going to be sad to lose him as a friend and a teammate for our players.”

The news opens up at least one, and maybe two, roster slots for next year’s team. Nigel Johnson, who has verbally committed, and Nick Griffin, who signed a letter of intent, claimed two Colonial scholarships as 2013-14 recruits, while Skyler White has committed to the team as a walk-on forward.

 Not surprising about Davis. Does this open up a scholarship slot for an upcoming freshman? Best of luck to him in the future. Never stood much of a chance here

Too bad, but I wish them the best. 

Interesting regarding Pellom and that they are holding his slot for a couple of weeks.  So 3 schollies available for sure (Griffin, N Johnson, Severe maybe) and potentially 4.  Maybe Hearhily has a conditional offer depending on what Pellom does?

Do you think there is any chance that David Pellom ends up reuniting with Karl Hobbs at UCONN?? I know UCONN brought in a grad student transfer last season from a mid-major.

 I wish he would stay.

 It certainly sounds like they are being cordial with Pellom.  Not every player gets an offer to go explore other schools, and then come back and play for that school if they aren't liking what they see out there.  Perhaps Pellom doesn't want to come off the bench, and with Armwood and Larsen that would probably be the case.  But he would probably get a decent amount of playing time next year.  Maybe he just doesn't like ML personally, or his system.  But what are his options really?  Go play at a small school and probably not face good enough competition to get noticed, or go to a school equal to, or greater than GW, and probably spend more time on the bench than he wants to.  

My thinking would be both parties might think it best to move on.

no surprise. confirms speculation. if we get Severe that's 3 freshmen and 2 soph guards. i agree with those who say ML is willing to go small but someone loses out. we need a couple bigs.

 He is a very good power forward.

I'd say that ML is being very respectful of both players.  The case of Jonathan Davis is a no-brainer.  This could have happened under KH but the chances of it happening increased under a new coaching staff who believed there were better options to put on the floor.  It's a shame because JD was very excited about going to college in Washington, DC.  Seems like a good kid who just couldn't crack the lineup.

The David Pellom situation is far more delicate.  I'd put the odds of playing for GW next season at under 10%.  It is logical to conclude that DP could have played at some point this season, despite reports that he was not medically cleared to play, but that DP chose not to waste his last year of eligibility on a season where he'd have to miss  a certain number of games.  OTOH, there's ML and staff, really needing his services but not getting them.  And, this is coming off of a season where DP and the coaching staff did not see eye-to-eye on a number of issues.

ML did not speak publicly about this and has remained classy to this day.  I think that ML and staff do see worth to DP's game, but in all likelihood, not as much worth as DP believes he brings to the court.  The seemingly best solution would be for DP to move on.  However, ML may end up having an extra spot, and DP may end up needing a basketball home, so one never knows.

also, after a year of sitting out, you may have a lot of kinks to work through

 Neil, didnt you say that Pellom personally told you he was coming back?

 I don't understand.  Does a school have to grant a senior with remaining eligibility a release?  I thought they could just transfer on their own, with our without the team's blessing.  And, if that is the case, what jumps out at me is no mention of Kromah being given the same option as Pellom, namely to "explore other options"  while leaving the door open to return.    In any case, I would think that decisions/commitments by current players need to be made sooner rather than later, from both the player's standpoint and the team's standpoint.  The deeper we get into the off season means the fewer available options.   I would strongly suspect that David was given a "drop dead" date to decide whether he is to return to GW, after which the door will be closed.   Finally, as excited as the prospect of incoming freshmean always is, do we really want a 13 player roster to consist of 9 or 10 underclassmen?

LSF,

I think they need to be given a release. Think Todd O'Brien of St. Joes, right? Also I have no problem with 9 or 10 underclassmen on the team. All great things require lots of work in the beginning and usually when that is done correctly it pays off in huge dividends in the end. I don't feel like doing the work right now, but I'm sure Indiana had quite a few underclassmen 2-3 years ago and look at them now. 

I am also curious to see what happens to Nemanja. Is he playing a 4th year? I guess he is staying.  

According to the NCAA website a player needs written permission from the current institution in order to get an athletic scholarship from another school. 

 Which is nuts since scholarships are only for 1 year, and schools don't need the players' permission to not renew their scholarship.  Goose/gander/etc. 

The chances are 1% that Pellom comes back because you never say never. But he's as good as gone ... write it down. Too bad but it is what it is.

but he needs to enroll in a grad degree program somewhere, right?

Well, whether he somehow stays or goes elsewhere is a gamble that his final season will not be plagued by injuries. Hope for his sake that it isn't.

as has been written many times before -- assuming that pellom graduates, he needs a release from gw and then he gets another year of eligibility when he enrolls in a grad program that gw does not offer.  for example, he could not enroll in an english or poli sci program.  if he does not graduate, he can transfer to a div 2 school and play next year.

I would be very disappointed to see Pellom go. Aside from his great athleticism, Dave brings a lot of energy to the game and to the Smith Center. Dwayne Smith's rebounding and energy will definitely be missed next season and I don't see a Kopriva or a freshman being able to replace it. I think Pellom, Larsen and Armwood would make a dynamic front line that would be near the top of the A10 next season. 

My feeling is that he and ML don't really get along but I think he could be a very valuable piece on the team next year with the potential to get noticed for his athleticism and energy when the team goes deep into the A10 tournament next year and hopefully gets a game or two in the NCAA tourney. 

Smith averaged 2.6 rebounds/game last year.  I don't think that will be too hard to replace.  Kopriva has said he's going to work hard in the off-season on getting stronger and his low post moves.  Paris has obvious offensive tallents.  Hopefully he'll work on his defense and quickness.  ML will bring in a forward.  Pellom would certainly help and be better next year than anyone ML's bringing in but I think GW will have a very good front court regardless.

 Would love to see Pellom back (he WAS missed this season) but I am glad that GW is not being jerks about letting him move on if he wants to (so long as he is not being shown the door at the same time). 

 No knock on DP but I'm looking at 2015 & 16 and I'd much rather have a freshman take that schollie and begin his development in order to make an impact when our current Freshman are juniors and seniors.

 I would love to have the 2011-2012 version of David Pellom back on the team. However, our recent experience with injury red shirts their first year back has not been good, ala Travis King and then Kromah.     Maybe it is best for all if he moves on. 

With the news that Davis is transfering it really makes me think what a waste of a year the 2011-2012 season was.  The recruiting class was originally Copes/Davis/Davis.  All are no longer here, and the only member from that class Jonathan Kopriva was originally slated for an America East school. 

Contrast to the class from last season McDonald/Savage/Paris/Larsen/Garino.  Even though we are going to be moving into the third season of the "new" regime, it's like we are a year behind in reality due to the timing of KH's release.

Yes, NewFan, it turned out to be a waste.  But it could have been a pretty decent class.  Copes and Davis (The UMass version) seem like nice players.  But, something came up and we didn't get them, to our short term detriment but our long term gain.  The class that makes me crazy is the one before that, which consisted of Mikic, Fitzgerald and Guest.  That was just an out and out bad recruiting class.

 LSF,

When you look at those two classes you can see why this team has been a sub .500 team.  It required a major rebuilding which I hope we have lived through.  I think this team will make strides next season and the light at the end of the tunnel will shine a little brighter.

With Pellom maybe gone, is there a Forward coming in this year?

Btw, glad we got Larsen instead of Nnoko... look at his stat at Clemson:

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/players/116772

With Pellom maybe gone, is there a Forward coming in this year?

Btw, glad we got Larsen instead of Nnoko... look at his stat at Clemson:

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/players/116772

With Pellom maybe gone, is there a Forward coming in this year?

Btw, glad we got Larsen instead of Nnoko... look at his stat at Clemson:

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/players/116772

When you wait until the first week of May to get a coach, that is going to pretty much be a lost year in recruiting. Even if we made the switch a little sooner, most recruits are deep into their choices long before. Most good recruits (not under the radar late bloomers obviously) in fact sign in the Fall of their senior year after having been courted for a year + by the school that they sign with. Nero and the administration would have clearly understood that, and they were willing to pay that price to make a change

Because a school like GW generally has to be after a player for a long time, your second full year of recruiting and after should yield your best classes. That's why it's a little troubling that ML & CO aren't locked in on more recruits for this Fall yet. Obviously that can turn around still, but that would have to happen soon.

By everything that I heard heard, Nick Griffin is not likely to contribute much right away, so Nigel Johnson is our only expected immediate impact recruit so far. And we still have two scholarships to give (and maybe more depending on whether Lasan and Nemanja decide that they want to do a post graduate year elsewhere. After a tough year like last year, you also never know if some other player on the roster is unhappy and decides to leave too.)

So let's hope that ML has another rabbit up his sleeve and can get another top recruit or two.

Thinker, ML has already said that Lasan is set to be in the starting lineup next year.  I think that means he's coming back. No word on Mikic but we'll likely have heard about him leaving by now if that was the case.  He'd also have to request a release. 

 As reported several times (not by me) Mikic is set to graduate after three years. So he may do as he pleases. Start a career, in basketball or otherwise. 

Bobo,

I think it is likely that Lasan will stay, but there is still time for things to change. ML has also alluded to Nigel Johnson possibly starting - We already know that JoeMac hasn't shown yet that he can be a fulltime PG. In the unlikely event that Severe comes to GW, you can bet that he will be starting. So if somehow Severe comes, and Nigel is the best PG and he's starting as well, and JoeMac needs lots of minutes - Does Lasan still start or even stay? I don't know - just saying that there are still some things that have to play out before we can be sure about which guys are coming back.

Mikic, I don't know. Just because GW hasn't said anything yet doesn't mean that Mikic is set to return. He might still be considering his options. Maybe he is looking around to see if another team at a school that has a graduate program he is interested in wants him.  Who knows if he even wants to continue playing basketball. He also might have asked privately for his release and GW is trying to get him to change his mind. Who knows? I have found though that plenty goes on behind the scenes that don't get publically discussed.

With Nigel Johnson at PG, I think JoeMac gets the opportunity a player like Tony Taylor never got, which is to be a scoring guard first and a ball-handler/play-maker second. It's clear JoeMac lacks the ball-handling skills to consistently back-off defenders, but he does have a decently-rounded offensive game with drives, mid-range and even some long ball. He could be even more effective as it's VERY clear you can't leave Johnson open, thus drawing the defense to the ball. Hope it works out because it's a missing component and guys like JoeMac, Savage and Johnson all have shown they can put-up big points in high school....it just needs to somewhat translate to DI.

Another shoe about to drop - I've heard

So, if something happens, sometime in the future, you'll let us know that you told us so, right?

You won't have to wait long and it's something that I have posted about many times before in the past.

I hope its about Jon Loyd.

No doubt it's about players hating the FLEX, as you say Thinker.  Who's transferring? My guess is Savage.  

Players do hate the flex - potential recruits, former recruits and present players.

 Players probably do hate the flex, but I have to say that although the shotmaking was awful, the offense actually looked like the foundation of something good. We hung in there against teams that, quite frankly, we had no business doing so against, in a conference that was arguably the best we've played in since I attended GW at the end of the last century, and I'm not sure there was an offensive setup that would have done a better job. I'm sorry, but Lonergan created a system tailored to the players' combined strengths, and if they can't see that then they are completely blind. Any player regressions I saw this year (*cough*, Mikic, *cough*) did not appear to be the result of a drastic change in coaching. If winning cures all problems and gets scouts' attention, then I'm not sure where these guys are going to go where they're welcome and can get playing time that can cure their disease.

 Thinker knows what he's talking about.

 PS, mostly because my major pet peeve is irrational East Coast Sports Fan Talk Radio Anger (TM), the tone of that post should not come off as angry, but mostly incredulous. I feel old and crotchety now.

 Thinker just tell us.. Please

ML didn't create this system for these players' strengths - he came to GW intent on running this system even though it played against the strength of most of the players on the roster. In fairness, when you don't have many good shooters, most offensive systems don't look very efficient. But a team of TT (last year) Armwood, Lasan, Dwayne, Bynes, Pellom, McDonald, Savage, et al is better suited to play tight defense, rebound and run and try and get easy baskets in transition.

To me, two of the most exciting games of the year for GW were the last two where ML abandoned the FLEX entirely and let the athletes compete - and they did. Bynes, Smith, Lasan, McDonald were able to create scoring opportunities outside of the FLEX.

And whoever things that the kids hating a system doesn't matter - YOU ARE WRONG. The kind of athletes that we want to come to GW and the kind that dominate in the A-10 don't want to play in the FLEX.

Same for Michigan and Georgetown.  Those teams will never be able to compete nationally.

I'm just gonna come out and say it. Even though 1) your inside info might prove to be correct, and 2) personally, I'm extremely curious to hear what it is, you (Thinker) are being a bit of a prick by holding it over everyones heads, and using it as some kind of bait to lecture the board on the flex.

Bobo,

Georgetown's JTIII promised a recent top 25 recruit that he would alter the Princeton offence and put in more isolation plays if he came to Georgetown. He chose UNLV instead. Georgetown also has had very early departures from the NCAA after being beaten by very low seeds for 4-5 years in a row.

MANY people think that JTIII really hurts Georgetown's prospects by running the Princeton.

The FLEX, like the Princeton offense are best for lesser athletes with lesser skills. If you have better athletes then you are better off running plays that allows their superior athleticism to prevail.

Beline at Michigan runs a motion offense that frustrates the players sometimes and looks bad (as it did at Richmond and WVU) when it's not working well.  He needed to get his players into the system. As did JTIII.  Same of Gary Williams at UMD.  Gonzaga runs a motion offense as well ussually.

GW's not getting NBA type player no matter what system they run.  Those programs can and do get NBA type players despite the controled screen/cut/pass types of offenses they run.  We need to give Lonergan the time to find the players that fit his system.  Not NBA type athleticism type of playes but good all around players who want to win first and worry about their individual stats second.  I believe they are still out there.

 Thinker,

Not saying it doesn't matter, it does. And yes, the FLEX wasn't in full force all year, and those were generally moments where the team did well, offensively. I will say this was the most fun year I've had as a GW sports fan in some time. 7 out of 8 home games were a complete joy to watch (not Fordham, that was awful), and absolutely worth the price of admission. We had no business being that close to beating Butler, or Temple for that matter, and I am skeptical an alternative offensive strategy would have turned those games around. This is a team that would get destroyed in a free-flowing game against any team interested in playing at that tempo, because even though they may want to play that offense, when it sputters they couldn't deal with the tempo on defense. It would have been like a whole year of getting VCU'ed. To me the game that epitomized the late Hobbs era was the UCLA road game, where a hot streak masked being overmatched on the court and sidelines. Hobbs' teams were super susceptible to getting killed in runs, because when shots weren't dropping those kids had no real system to fall back on.

As for the other comment, that's why I'm saying I'm incredulous and not angry. Look, these are kids, I get it, everyone should get it. But as a teacher the greatest moments are when you see kids who get more enjoyment from being part of something successful or creating something they didn't know they could than in being the center of attention (though the two aren't mutually exclusive). If I've been on a losing team the last 4 years, on teams that had no chance against good teams, the first thing I think of after this year is about how many times GW was SOOOO close to winning, and how another year could make a drastic difference. Of course, YMMV...

 This is "thinkers" game. Act like he has some top secret info. Drop hints so everybody here knows and "respects" him, then if something happens claims he knew all along, if nothing happens knows well all just forget about it. 

I was more optimistic a month ago about the possibilities. At this point we need to see who is going to be on the team next year to assess how the rebuild is going.

Thinker said: "The kind of athletes that we want to come to GW and the kind that dominate in the A-10 don't want to play in the FLEX."

Maybe, but I wouldn't describe either Butler or St Louis as being overly athletic. VCU yes but Beline and Michigan destroyed them with a controled/motion type offense.  GW needs to learn to cut down the turnovers. 

And guys like Garnio are actually good athletes. Any forward that can pick a guards pocket, race the ball down the court and slam over them is an athlete, especially since he can also chase down an opposing player on the break and block his layup attempt from behind.

Guards with some size, a handle and ability to shoot is what's needed.

 If its one of the 4 freshman that the dept has been touting, then GW has a problem on its hands. Will wait and see....

Bobo,

That's all fine and good about what you think "should" be the case. Let's see who will be on the team next year. Let's see who comes and who else departs. The next few weeks are when all the transfers are announced and the final recruits commit. As coaches get fired and hired, lots of recruits come back on the market. That's what I need to see to be able to project what arc GW will have going forward.

 Since when does anybody care about your projections? 

I think there's an argument to be made that we tried to build a system around recruiting great athletes and it proved unsustainable.   Now we are trying a system built to win without the best athletes. 

Players transferring is a fact of life - we've had lots do it going all the back to Kinte Smith and Andry Sola, and the numbers increased over the last decade.  There are going to be guys who don't like the school, don't like the coach, don't like the system (or blame the sytem when they don't dominate from day 1), or think they can play in a Final 4 like Luke Hancock. 

You hate to see it, especailly now when things appear to be headed in the right direction, but the longterm goal is to change the culture of the program and build something sustainable so while short term setbacks might frustrate us, perhaps it's just going to take a few years to get the formula right? 

Much easier to also be a fan of the women's team (even if the coaching staff don their leftover Irish garb on national TV). Tsipis turned the program around using the same basic players and is bringing in a great recruiting haul of freshmen and 2nd semester eligible transfers next year. I'm in no hurry to find out what additional misfortune is being alluded to concerning the men's team. But I'm already impatient for next season to start for the women.

Silly me.  I saw that this thread was updated and thought there would be some actual new. just internet bloviating...

First time visiting gwhoops.com, Orel M?

 Thinker either shit or get off the pot. Say what you know or nobody cares. 

A few days ago, a poster named LA Hoops tells us not to be surprised if our returning player count is reduced from 9 to 8 by the end of this week.  Nobody questions him let alone calls him a prick for not indicating what he knows.  Thinker indicates a similar revelation  and is thoroughly disrespected for it.

What's wrong with this picture?

The only unresolved recent rumor is Mikic leaving.  I suppose that is what Thinker is referring to.

Mikic leaving fits the bill but IMO should not be seen as an area of concern for those envisioning an unraveling in FB. Nemanja is apparently going to graduate in May so a 4th graduate year in a revised program that has not been well-suited for his game hardly suggests trouble in River City

"foregoing" a 4th graduate year

Lasan to transfer per GW Hatchet.

Lasan is the player I heard about. We will still have to see if Mikic wants to stay - it certainly wouldn't be a surprise if he left. And one of this year's freshman was unhappy most of the year.

As I said, we'll have to see who comes and goes before being able to assess where GW is headed.

Blog post on Pellom from the Wilmington, NC paper. -- acc.blogs.starnewsonline.com/36282/36282/

Mind you, I'm not sold on its validity, but interesting nugget nonetheless:

"Although he declined to name which teams have showed an interest in him, Georgia Tech and Villanova are two that are rumored to be on the still-growing list."

 you do the math: but add UConn to Pellom's list.

Uconn must be falling on hard times these days.  A couple of years ago they were playing in a top conference with a National Championship winning head coach and wouldn't have ever sniffed at a player at Pellom's level.  They just had better options. 

They've lost players to transfer, the judicial system, and the departure of JC, Bobo. And I think the current coach is in a hurry to reload. He's well-liked, but the fans are not a patient bunch. They think they can buy a team, like Kentucky does. They even redesigned the Husky dog mascot to give him a more impatiently aggressive look.

 You do realize there's going to be a heavy  market for experienced, accomplished Atlantic 10 players who don't have to sit a year right. He was #3 or 4 in the country in FG % last year and can c ompete with any forward in the country athletically. HIs game has its flaws sure but him looking at high level school is not surprising in the slightest.

YOu also do realize that you can root for Lonergan and his new players without completely denigrating everybody who came before him? 

DEA...love the last paragraph...speaks volumes

Good for David.  He's a tremendous talent and he improved as much during last season than any player I can remember, once he started embracing his strenghts.  I also think his defensive potential is underrated and if he played for a team that didn't need him inside as much, he could wreak havoc with his speed and long arms (though he needs a coach who can keep him focused). 

I will defend Bobo, though, saying that a national championship team would not have taken a player at Pellom's level in the past is not denigrating him.  It's complenting UCONN's past roster full of NBA-level talent (at least that's how I read Bobo's comment).

 That national championship team was Kemba Walker, JEremy Lamb and a bunch of guys not much better than David. 

Yes, FQ.  I do like Pellom and think he was one of the better A10 fowards 2 years ago.  But that's just not what UCONN was bringing in 3-4 years ago.  They had a regular train of McDonalds All Americans and a steady stream of NBA fowards comming to Stores.  They now have a young new coach.  They are in a fledgling conference devoid of consistent powers.  They may be looking for stop gap measures to fill roles on a team with much less tallent than they were traditionally used to.  I'd welcome Pellom back with open arms but, again, no way UCONN is looking at him as a senior transfer under Calhoon.

+1, what bobo said.