Elliot Sets High Standard at GW

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PAUSING TO SMILE after a practice, Carl Elliott wipes the beaded perspiration off his newly-shaved dome.

The embodiment of George Washington coach Karl Hobbs' "40 Hard" philosophy, Elliott is in Sacramento on business hoping to put the crown jewel in a record-setting career while his classmates are on spring break.

"He's kind of set the whole tone when you look at his career," Hobbs said of the senior guard. "No one has won more games than him [at George Washington]. ... He's got two A-10 championships, and he's got two regular-season championships. The accomplishments of what he's done and what he's been a part of, it's amazing."

Elliott will try to extend that career one more game when the Colonials (23-8) take on Vanderbilt (20-11) Thursday afternoon in the first round of the NCAA tournament. It's the Colonials' third-straight trip to the NCAA tournament, a first for the school made possible by Hobbs' army of role players, of which Elliott may be the best.

The senior was a significant cog in the Colonials' 2005 Atlantic 10 tournament championship squad and the floor general for last year’s team, which went 16-0 in regular season conference play and advanced to the second round of the NCAAs.

The team-leader in assists (4.9 per game) and steals (82) makes his living in an array of Hobbs' pressure defenses. But at this stage, winning is all that counts.

"I'm not ready to end my career yet," Elliott said. "We worked hard and went down to Atlantic City and won three basketball games. Guys are in high spirits and they're ready to go."

This post was written by Express contributor Eric Brandner
Photo by Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post