(Photo courtesy of GW_MBB Twitter)
FOGGY BOTTOM β Chris Caputo was officially introduced as George Washington Menβs Basketball Head Coach at his introductory press conference on Monday afternoon at the Smith Center.Β
Caputo was formerly the Associate Head Coach at Miami. He spent the last 11 years there working under Jim Larranaga. Caputo helped lead Miami to five NCAA Tournament berths, one ACC title, and this past season, a program best Elite Eight appearance.Β
Before Miami, Caputo was a key assistant on Larranagaβs staff at George Mason. Caputo was instrumental in Masonβs iconic 2006 final four appearance.Β
Interim President Mark Wrighton and Athletic Director Tanya Vogel opened the press conference by sharing how excited they were to work with Caputo to help rebuild GWβs Menβs Basketball program.Β
Vogel also laid out what made Caputo stand out from the rest of the coaches they considered. She mainly focused on his deep connection to the Washington, Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) area, his experience working under Larranaga, and his ability to navigate the transfer portal.Β
Vogel said, βChris is known throughout the country, but most specifically in the DMV, as a guy who builds incredible relationships.β
Speaking to GW for the first time, Caputo spoke about how excited he was to finally come back to what he describes as his βsecond home.βΒ
Caputo said, βItβs great to be back in the DMV after an 11 year spring break in Miami.βΒ
One of Caputoβs main talking points was why he chose to come to GW, and what made now the right time to make the jump up to a head coaching position.
Caputo said, βIn my mind there were only a few places, quite honestly, that I was really strongly considering and GW was one of them.βΒ
GWβs new coach also spoke about what specifically made GW such an appealing option to him.
βGW is one of the elite private schools in all of America, and all of Division I, in the middle of one of the greatest…