Isaiah Armwood talks George Washington pledge
After transferring from Villanova last week, Isaiah Armwood didn't waste any time in finding a new school. The Baltimore native and 2009 Montrose Christian grad committed to George Washington on Wednesday night.
“[George Washington] just kept sticking in my head more than any other schools,” Armwood said Thursday. “It just came down to a decision I had to make that was best for me. GW is what was best for me. … The campus, it was not too far from home. And GW is a great school. I came from a great school in Villanova as well. That always stuck in the back of my mind.”
Armwood, a 6-foot-9, 210-pound forward, also visited Maryland and was interested in Iowa, Texas Tech and Virginia. But GW presented Armwood with an opportunity to be part of a new era under former Vermont coach and Maryland assistant Mike Lonergan.
“Coach Lonergan, he doesn’t want to limit his players,” Armwood said. “[His players] can just express everything they can on the court. With this year off, it’s just an opportunity to expand my game even more.”
Armwood said he bonded with the entire Colonials staff. Pete Strickland, a former North Carolina State assistant, tried to recruit Armwood to Raleigh out of high school. Armwood was also familiar with GW assistant Kevin Sutton, who formerly led the Montverde (Fla.) Academy program and competed against Montrose Christian.
“They’re veteran,” Armwood said of the staff. “Most of [the coaches] are older guys and experienced coaches, except for Coach [Hajj] Turner. So they know what they’re doing. They know what they’re talking about. … I could tell that I was fairly important to them. Just when I talked to the assistant coaches, they were just constantly explaining how much better I would get there, and how they would work with me.”
In his sophomore season at Villanova, Armwood averaged 2.5 points, 3.6 rebounds and 17 minutes. After sitting out this year at George Washington, he’s hoping to make a much bigger impact for the Colonials than he did for the Wildcats.
“I wasn’t told that [I would start], but I plan on doing that next year,” Armwood said. “[I’m] just [looking forward to] getting there, getting to know my teammates and getting on the court with my teammates.”
Armwood is set to start classes at George Washington on Monday. The next step in his college basketball career can’t come soon enough.
“[I’ll] just [bring] flat-out effort every night,” Armwood said. “I’m there to play. I’m just looking forward to getting to know my teammates and be with a good group of guys.”
U.S. Presswire photo of Isaiah Armwood by Jim O’Connor / Jan. 20, 2010
Comments
Armwood said he transferred because Villanova didn't suit his style of play? Jay Wright agreed that it was best for him to transfer.
What does that tell you?
Does Armwood think Lonergan is going to tailor his choreographed offense so that he can freelance?
I doubt that Turgeon wasted more than three seconds deciding he didn't want to waste a scholarship on a bench player who averaged 3 points a game?
He will be playing against giants like William and Mary in a small gym while the Terps battle Carolina and Duke on ESPN.
Posted by: Anonymous | August 27, 2011 5:54 PM
Anonymous, you seem to be upset/jealous that Armwood didn't sign with Maryland. Mid-Majors have some of the best basketball players playing at their schools (sic, George Mason, VCU, Butler, Gonzaga, et al.). Although they may not have the TV exposure as some of the ACC schools, these teams actually play team ball instead of individual-based basketball. Also, as you may or may not recall, GW has beaten Maryland a number of times in basketball in the past so don't put these mid-major schools down as noncompetive. Be happy that the young man is getting an education, which is first and foremost.
Posted by: onejazzyman | August 29, 2011 3:12 PM
onejazzyman;
I like GW. Yes I was upset when Armwood went to Villanova a couple of years ago when he supposedly grew up a Terps fan. However I was happy Maryland didn't get him after he made disparaging remarks about Maryland on his way out of town.
I also know that for whatever reason he wasn't getting much playing time at Villanova. Either his game or attitude were not up to par?
Yes GW has had some success recently against Maryland as have many lesser programs. So what? At least we dont duck GW like Georgetown does?
So your right, I do have a little animosity towards Armwood and maybe Im wrong but that is my perogative not to like a kid who acts like he is gods gift to basketball.
The A10 is a good basketball conference but it's not the ACC!
Posted by: Flynn | August 29, 2011 4:11 PM
Armwood was not developed enough to perform at a Big East or ACC level. This way he plays against lesser competition and has a better chance to develop over an extended period. If he came to MD he would have been eaten alive by the bigs at Duke and Carolina. The knock I hear on Armwood from Villanova fans is he's tall but lacks motivation to properly train and add muscle and endurance strength. Sounds a bit too much like Travis Garrison to me. Once Clear signed and Len started hanging out in CP Armwood was irrelevant.
Posted by: johnny c | August 30, 2011 4:02 PM
Directly disparaging remarks toward Jay Wright in that article in saying that Coach L. doesnt limit what his players can do.
Best of luck to him, he does bring a ton of effort and heart to the court and is a nice kid. But he is convinced that he's a 3 man and that just wasnt realistic for him in the Big East with his lack of ball handling ability.
Hopefully he figures it out and excels in the A10.
Posted by: Random | August 31, 2011 11:27 AM
“Coach Lonergan, he doesn’t want to limit his players,”
He is in for a rude awakening. Lonergan is a very controlling coach, much more than most and certainly more controlling than Wright
Posted by: Anonymous | March 28, 2012 8:26 AM