Karl Hobbs makes no bones about it: George Washington is in rebuilding mode this year.

The Colonials head man tossed junior wing Cheyenne Moore and freshman guard Miles Beatty from the program. Hobbs also kicked point guard Maureece Rice off the team last season.

``They weren't meeting the expectations and weren't doing what they were supposed to do," Hobbs said.

Moore, a Clemson transfer, averaged 5.6 points per game while Beatty battled through a suspension and averaged 4.8 points in 14 games.

Hobbs said the toughest part of last season was playing without a point guard and therefore, not being able to press and get out in transition as much as his teams have done in the past. He'll get Travis King back from a knee injury this year and other than senior forward Rob Diggs, positions and playing time will be up for grabs this season.

``We're rebuilding," Hobbs said. "We'll see where guys line up. We're young and it's going to take some time."

Hobbs will still have Diggs (13.9 ppg, 7.7 rpg), King, Wynton Witherspoon (11 ppg) and Damian Hollis (9.1 ppg, 6.3 rpg) as the core of his team.

MACK STOCKING UP AT EAST CAROLINA

East Carolina got a huge coup with the signing of North Carolina native Chris Turner and former South Carolina signee Darius Morrow.

Turner is a 6-foot-5 guard who spent this past season at Humble Christian Life Center in Texas and is a smooth scoring wing who could develop into an all-league player down the line.

The 6-foot-8 Morrow, who played at Columbia High in Georgia, was given his release following the coaching change at South Carolina

Turner was close to committing with Maryland at one time and considered Wake Forest in the spring while Morrow chose the Pirates over Auburn. Seton Hall was also pursuing Turner heavily.

``These were our top two targets when we got the job and for us to get both of them is a real tribute to my staff," McCarthy said.

Remember, McCarthy took over on an interim basis last summer after Ricky Stokes was basically forced out.

East Carolina finished the season 11-19, but showed glimpses with wins over N.C. State, Houston and George Mason and McCarthy was rewarded with a five-year deal and the permanent gig.

``I think they recognized the fact that one thing the program needed was stability and we've got to get that in every phase," McCarthy said.

TOURNEY UPDATES

I spoke with Rick Giles of the Gazelle Group yesterday and he confirmed that the four host schools for the CBE are Kansas, Florida, Syracuse and Washington. That's four potential Top 25 clubs and also includes the winners of the last three national titles.

Giles also said that the Duke, UCLA and Michigan are set as three of the four hosts for the Coaches vs. Cancer. The other host will likely be either Pittsburgh or Rutgers.

The third preseason event that Giles organizes is the Legends Classic. If Pittsburgh isn't in the Coaches vs. Cancer, look for Jamie Dixon's team to play in the Legends. Also expect Pat Knight and Texas Tech to participate in this event.

RANDOM NOTES:

New Toledo coach Gene Cross has hired Brian Loyd and Bob Sundvold and retained Nate Tuori. ... Missouri 6-foot-9 junior forward Leo Lyons has withdrawn his name from the NBA Draft. ... On the flip side, Duquesne forward Shawn James has signed with an agent. ... New Cal coach Mike Montgomery signed his first recruit in Findlay College Prep guard Jorge Gutierrez. ... New Stanford coach Johnny Dawkins will bring in Duke director of basketball operations Mike Schrage and promote him to an assistant coach.