By Jamie L. Freedman
The George Washington University women’s basketball team opened its 35th season with two exciting games: an 84-82 away victory against the University of North Texas on Nov. 17, and a 68-64 home victory against Coppin State University on Nov. 19. The game-winning basket against North Texas was scored by freshman Shi-Heria Shipp with just 3.3 seconds left in the fourth quarter, while two jumpers from sophomore Sara Mostafa and freshman Megan Nipe with less than 90 seconds to play secured the Nov. 19 victory. It is an exciting start for the young team, touted as “The Next Generation,” and for Head Coach Mike Bozeman, who is in his second year at the Colonials’ helm.
“We have the youngest Division I women’s basketball team in the country, but they’re really, really talented,” says Coach Bozeman, whose 11-player squad, featuring 10 underclassmen, has just six seasons of collegiate basketball experience. “They have a freshness of attitude and spirit that makes me look forward to working with them every day. We have a lot of excellent shooters, great camaraderie, and an outstanding five-player freshman class that ESPN ranked as the best in the A-10. I’m confident that it’s going to be a great season.”
Three of the new Colonials ranked among ESPN’s best guards in the nation in this year’s group of top-rated women’s college basketball prospects. Freshman Danni Jackson received double honors as ESPN’s 77th top recruit overall and the 11th best point guard in the United States. Freshman Janine Davis was ranked the 20th best point guard in the nation and Ms. Nipe, the 34th best shooting guard. The newcomers join a solid group of returning sophomore Colonials, capped by top scorers Tiana Myers and Tara Booker, who was an A-10 All-Rookie Team selection last season. The team’s sole upperclassman, junior Ivy Abiona, recently underwent knee surgery and will miss at least the first half of the season.
While Bozeman says that the entire team is “a very tight group,” two pairs of Colonials share a special bond—they were high school teammates. Sophomores Tara Booker and Ms. Mostafa played together at Absegami High School in Galloway Township, N.J., and sophomore Kay-Kay Allums and Ms. Nipe shared the shooting guard position at Centennial High School in Lino Lakes, Minn., just north of Minneapolis.
Longtime best friends, Ms. Booker and Ms. Mostafa have been playing basketball together since they were 10 years old. While they did not set out to attend the same university, GW wound up at the top of both of their lists. “We chose GW because of its great reputation,” says Ms. Mostafa, who is the team’s center. “It has a strong basketball tradition, as well as strong academics. We both saw our futures here.”
“Being here together has helped us both on and off the court,” says Ms. Booker, a forward and shooting guard. “Adjusting to college life is hard, and having someone here who knows me so well really helps. It’s great having Sara to play with both on and off the court. She’s a friend, teammate and sister all rolled into one.”
The pair achieved tremendous success as high school athletes. “We won two state championships and four south Jersey titles,” says Ms. Mostafa. “It’s been great playing with Tara for all these years. We’re looking forward to three more successful seasons together as Colonials.”
Kay-Kay Allums arrived at GW a year before her Minnesota teammate Nipe. “Having Kay-Kay here made the transition to college much easier for me,” says Ms. Nipe, who chose GW for the “great coaching staff” and because she “fell in love” with the school’s atmosphere. “In high school, Kay-Kay and I always guarded each other during one-on-one practice drills. We pushed each other to get better. It’s cool to play together again.”
Since high school, the two have shared a unique pre-game ritual—eating a turkey, bacon, and avocado sandwich before every game. “My mom would always prepare two sandwiches for every game, one for me and one for Kay-Kay,” Ms. Nipe says. “We’re planning to continue the tradition here at GW.”
Ms. Allums is thrilled to be reunited with her old teammate on a bigger stage. “I love it here both on and off the court,” she says. “I love my team. I love my coaches. And I’m glad that Megan is here with me to experience it all. I guess you can say we’re continuing our high school dream together at GW.”