in may 2011, lonergan was hired by george washington university athletic director and former america east commissioner patrick nero to take over as head coach of the colonials. early in his tenure, lonergan highlighted his origins in the washington, dc metropolitan area and his understanding of colonials basketball's historical reliance on foreign-born recruits and committed to recruiting locally, nationally and internationally. his first complete recruiting class boasted two players from the dc area and players from argentina, greece and denmark.