On Nov. 9, George Washington athletics director Tanya Vogel announced that third-year head coach Caroline McCombs had signed a contract extension. The Revolutionaries have started this season 2-0 after being picked sixth in the Atlantic 10 preseason poll.
“[I’m] just excited, obviously, coming off of last season, and these are things that we had talked about and discussed,” McCombs told The Next. “So, obviously, having it finally come to fruition … [and] being able to know that I’m here and there’s a huge commitment to women’s basketball and the growth of our program, just really excited about that.”
Prior to the start of this season, McCombs told The Next that the team is continuing to build on its standard of excellence as it matures. She noted the importance of pouring into younger players and leadership by example. She tries not to look forward, instead focusing on the day-to-day, knowing the results will follow.
“Putting these things together, each and every day,” McCombs said. “I mean, obviously, there’s banners hanging in our gym and there’s nets to be cut down. [But] just as I preach to our team, not focusing on the outcome, just focusing on the process, I commit to that myself.”
In McCombs’ first season, she led the team to a 13-18 record (4-11 A-10) and two wins in the A-10 Tournament before falling to VCU in the quarterfinals. The team’s defense allowed a program-record 55.2 points per game, which ranked second in the A-10.
In her second season, the team earned the No. 7 seed in the A-10 Tournament, fell to Rhode Island in the quarterfinals and finished with an 18-13 record (9-7 A-10). The Revolutionaries led the A-10 in made 3-pointers per game that year.
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McCombs hopes that her first two seasons at GW are just the start of something special.
“It’s just one step at a time,” she said. “Just like we’ve been doing it, building it with the right people around me, that’s really important. From our coaches, to our players, [to] all of the support staff that we have, everybody matters. It takes a village, so just continuing to do it piece by piece and building it with the right people.”
