George Washington University men’s basketball sophomore Darren Buchanan Jr. was recently selected as one of 14 NCAA Division I student-athletes to compete in the organization’s Elite Men’s Basketball Symposium.
The select annual event held at NCAA headquarters in Indianapolis aims to educate student-athletes about their upcoming transition from college to professional careers. Members of the NCAA leadership development and enforcement staff guided participants through sessions focused on making this leap.
“It meant a lot to be selected,” Buchanan said. “It showed me that my hard work gets noticed a little bit, but it also motivated me to get back in the gym with our guys and continue to go harder so we can have the year we need.”
Buchanan has participated in panels focused on basketball topics such as how the NBA pre-draft process works and questions to ask when searching for an agent, but also topics outside of basketball including financial literacy, taxes and money management.
Notably in Buchanan, a transfer from Virginia Tech who redshirted before coming to Foggy Bottom, were the stories told by Kent Bazemore, himself redshirted during his freshman year at Old Dominion University before becoming a two-time All-Coastal Athletic Association player for the Monarchs from 2008 to 2012 and eventually carving out a 10-year career in the NBA.
Buchanan was also privy to conversations with Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Charlie Ward, who was a first-round NBA draft pick in 1994 and played 13 years in the league, and NBA executive Scott Perry, who worked in the front office for the 2004 NBA champion Detroit Pistons and most recently served as general manager of the New York Knicks from 2017-23.
“I learned a lot about the traits of a team that you need to win a championship,” Buchanan said. “(Perry) told me that his best teams approached each other the same way every day. They were all willing to work, willing to listen and all enjoyed being together. So I really want to bring those lessons back to our team.”
With the season just over 50 days away from starting, Buchanan aims to take everything he has gathered and quickly apply it as best he can to help lead the 2024-25 Revolutionaries into the next step toward becoming a championship program.
“Overall, it was a great experience,” Buchanan said. “I learned a lot and I’m bringing it back to share with my teammates so we can hopefully take it and use it as motivation for this year.”
GW fans can get involved in the game by supporting NIL opportunities for Buff & Blue student-athletes through contributions to the Collective of Friends of George. Fans can also support directly by donating to Buff & Bleu Fund.
For more information on GW Athletics, fans are encouraged to visit GWsports.comor follow the revolutionaries on social media via@GWsports) and Instagram (@gwsports).
Additionally, season ticket deposits for the 2024-25 GW men’s and women’s basketball campaigns are currently being accepted through the GW Athletics Ticket Office (202-99-GWTIX or tickets
gwu (point) educate (tickets(at)gwu(dot)edu)).
