McCombs brings championship pedigree to Colonials
WASHINGTON, D.C. (BVM) — When George Washington University fired coach Jen Rizzotti in March, eyebrows were immediately raised amongst fans.
Rizzotti, a 2013 inductee to the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, is one of the most respected names in women’s basketball.
It took only one month for Rizzotti to find a new high-profile job, which speaks to the respect that is held for her in the basketball community. In April, Rizzotti joined the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun as team President.
Through five seasons at George Washington, Rizzotti’s Colonial went 72-72, winning the Atlantic-10 Tournament in 2017-2018, and finishing as regular season co-champions of the division in 2016-2017.
Within three weeks of firing Rizzotti, the Colonials had announced their new coach, Caroline McCombs.
Rizzotti left massive shoes to fill, but if anyone has the reputation to take her place as head coach of the Colonials, it’s McCombs.
The 2020-2021 season was an outstanding year for McCombs, who led Stony Brook University to its first ever NCAA Tournament appearance. Stony Brook would fall to eventual tournament runner-up Arizona in the first round.
Through seven seasons at Stony Brook, McCombs coached the Seawolves to a 130-76 record, making her the second winningest coach in team history.
Her performance with Stony Brook has garnered national attention, leading to the team receiving its first ever votes in national polls during her time as coach.
In 2020, McCombs was named America East Coach of the Year, and in 2021 was awarded the Maggie Dixon Coach of the Year award by the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association.
Under McCombs, the Seawolves became an elite defensive team, holding opponents to just 52.0 points per game, the fourth lowest average in the nation.
The Seawolves defense has been consistently outstanding during her time as coach, leading the America East Division in opponent points per game each season since 2018-2019.
Additionally, McCombs’ teams excelled on the boards, ranking in the top two in the division in rebounds per game each of the past three seasons.
The tough rebounding mindset is a welcome one for the Colonials, who finished 11th out of 14 in the Atlantic-10 conference with just 35.3 rebounds per game in the 2020-2021 season.
The coaching change could be exactly what George Washington needs, especially with incoming talent like 6-foot-3 forward Sophie Haydon joining as a freshman after averaging 7.2 rebounds per game across five seasons playing varsity ball for Minnetonka High School, Minnesota.
McCombs’ style of coaching fits perfectly with Haydon’s track record and with the talents of players up and down the roster.
In her introduction in April, McCombs made her goals as coach clear, saying, “I look forward to helping restore this program as contenders in the Atlantic 10 and across the country.”
With her success in the America East conference last season, McCombs has the reputation and talent to fulfill her promise and return the Colonials to winning basketball.
