Following George Washington basketball’s upset win at home over Dayton, head coach Chris Caputo seems to be building something special in the Nation’s Capital.
On Saturday the Revolutionaries welcomed Dayton to the Charles E. Smith Center in search of their first A-10 victory of the season. But when George Washington’s leading scorer, Darren Buchanan Jr., was not able to suit up, coach Caputo knew his team had to make some changes.
The 6-foot-7 forward is averaging 15.1 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, which is second most on the team. But, even with the two-way star for the Revolutionaries on the bench, they had no problem scoring the ball.
In the first half, the George Washington basketball jumped out to a 21-7 lead on the back of great three-point shooting. At half, they led by 16, but it was the Flyers who came out strong in the second half. Dayton cut the lead to the four with just under seven minutes to play, but George Washington basketball responded finishing the game on an 18-4 run, on their way to an 82-62 win.
“One, we made everything. But two, they’re chasing you around and you’re going to get some open stuff and we just made every shot,” said coach Caputo on the strong final six minutes of the contest.
Coach Caputo was right, the Revolutionaries made 15 three-point shots in the win on 31 attempts. They were led by Christian Jones who had a career-high 23 points and made five triples. But one of the real highlights for the Revolutionaries came from the bench with Trey Autry. The son of Syracuse basketball head coach Adrian Autry was perfect from the floor, going 6-6 while going 3-3 from behind the arc. This led to a season-high 17 points for the sophomore.
Through just 15 games this season, seven different players have stepped up and led the team in scoring. Coach Caputo believes that this has been and will continue to be one of the keys for George Washington basketball going forward.
“I haven’t coached a team where the separation is not that big, in my opinion, through anybody. We have a lot of good players, that are striving to become great players.” Caputo said. “That’s been the hard part, it’s less about strategy, it’s more about who should be in the game.”
The Revolutionaries’ ability to ride the hot hand and not rely on a singular rotation could be exactly what propels them to a great season. Looking specifically at the win over Dayton, GW had to switch things up without their leading scorer, but it felt as if there was no doubt that someone would step up, not in replacement but in the “next man up” mentality.
To this point in the season, the Revolutionaries are led by two players averaging double figures. Buchanan has been the star but Gerald Drumgoole Jr. could be the top player at quite a few schools in the A-10. The 6-foot-5 guard played at Pittsburgh, UAlbany, and Delaware, but while averaging 14.3 points for the Revolutionaries he seems like he finally found a true fit in his career.
Following the two leading scorers, George Washington basketball also sports five more players that average over eight points per game, two of which shoot better than 43% from behind the arc. With the strong rotation and a timely return from Buchanan, there is a possibility that the Revolutionaries find themselves in the conversation to make a run in the A-10, especially considering the conference tournament is in their backyard at Capital One Arena.
But in early January, George Washington basketball is 12-3. This is the second straight season in which the Revolutionaries started with that record, after the 14-3 start last season. However, GW fans remember the collapse that happened last season after the hot start. In the final 14 games of the 2023-2024 regular season, the Revolutionaries finished 1-13, including a 12-game losing streak. But what is different about this team?
Coach Caputo said it himself, this team has a consistent depth that is comparable to, if not better than, any other team in the conference. George Washington has also shown the ability to win by scoring on every level of the offensive end. In the win over Dayton, they knocked down 15 triples, as well as Buchanan who has proven to be a game-changer in the paint.
The Revolutionaries also have more steals per game than any other team in the A-10, at 9.2. They also have the second-best scoring offense in the league, but anyone who doubts this squad can draw from one important category, strength of schedule.
According to Kenpom, George Washington basketball has played the second easiest schedule in the country to this point in the season. Before their win over Dayton, the biggest game on their schedule was Kansas State in the U.S Virgin Islands, where they lost by 12. But while dominating the 54th-ranked team in the NCAA’s NET rankings, the Revolutionaries have shown the ability to compete with tournament-level talent. As conference play progresses, George Washington basketball will have the opportunity to play four more teams ranked inside the top 100 in the NET rankings. If they can take advantage of these opportunities, fans of the Revs may start to believe they can make some noise in the A-10.
Coach Caputo also holds an important relationship with one of college basketball’s legendary coaches. With the recent retirement of Jim Larrañaga, Chris Caputo’s name has been used as a possible replacement in Coral Gables. The 44-year-old worked on or around Larrañaga’s staff for 18 seasons, six came at George Mason, and 11 came at Miami. Early in his coaching career at George Mason, Caputo played a role in scouting opponents. In his first season on staff in Fairfax, the Patriots made the final four.
Following Saturday’s win over the Flyers, Caputo was asked about his future in The District.
“I was at George Mason for nine years, I was at Miami for 11 years. We were very successful at those places. And I can be a kind of likable guy, at times. So I had plenty of opportunities to leave,” coach Caputo said. “My view of what coaching is, has always been to build a program and to create an environment where you’re somewhere to make a real impact for a long time…I came to GW to do a job that is incomplete right now.”
With coach Caputo’s experience at a high-profile program like Miami, George Washington has a legitimate chance to be a contender in the A-10 that is likely to be wide open when the conference heads to Capital One Arena for the conference tournament.
Next up for George Washington (12-3, 1-1): vs. Rhode Island (12-2, 1-1) – Jan. 8 at 7 p.m. EST