This time last year, Rafael Castro was a bit anonymous in Atlantic 10 circles, and understandably so. He redshirted one season at Providence and then played two years for the Friars, averaging 2.5 points and 2.3 rebounds in 60 games before hitting the transfer portal and landing at George Washington.
He’s a much more known quantity now after entrenching himself as the Revolutionaries’ starting center and earning All-Defensive and Second Team All-League honors. He’s a credible A-10 Player of the Year candidate.
But to him, not a whole lot has changed besides some extra attention.
“I’d say it really hasn’t been that different,” Castro said. “My mindset is still the same. I’m not the type to be complacent about how I did last year.”
When George Washington coach Chris Caputo asked coaches around the Big East what they thought of Castro, there was universal praise. One concern was Castro’s 6-foot-11, 220-pound frame. (There's good reason the man's nickname is "Slim"). But the feedback was he was tough enough physically.
Once he got to Foggy Bottom, the GW staff picked up on other things. His hands were a bit better. His footwork was superb. And then he took off having finally secured a solid chunk of playing time, averaging 14.0 points and 8.9 rebounds. Those numbers jumped to 16.4 points and 9.6 rebounds per game in A-10 play.
“He put a lot of work in, preparation and all that,” Caputo said. “His mental makeup, his emotional stability, his character, all those things, those seem to be consistent traits of guys who make big jumps like that. I think it’s to his credit. The staff has worked very hard with him, but a lot of that is the mental side of things to withstand a few tough years in terms of opportunity and really take advantage of it when he was ready.”
No one will be startled if Castro is one the Atlantic 10’s top players this season, and even though he’ll start much higher on scouting reports than he did a year ago, he’s also surrounded by an even deeper cast than he was in his first season with the Revs.
“It felt great to finally be able to get an opportunity and kind of give the world a glimpse of what I could do,” Castro said. “I feel like this year, it’s taking it to a new level.”
A look at the Revolutionaries
Coach: Chris Caputo, fourth season at George Washington, 52-46 with the Revolutionaries and overall.
Last year: Despite the absence of injured forward Garrett Johnson, George Washington won 20 games for the first time since 2016-17, picking off Dayton and Saint Louis on the way to a 9-9 record in the Atlantic 10. The Revolutionaries earned the No. 7 seed in the A-10 tournament before falling in the quarterfinals to George Mason, and then concluded the year 21-13 with a loss to Boise State in the College Basketball Crown.
They’ll miss: Four rotation pieces departed, including Gerald Drumgoole Jr. (11.0 ppg) and Sean Hansen (5.2 ppg) to graduation. Darren Buchanan Jr. (10.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg) moved on to Rutgers, while Jacoi Hutchinson (6.5 ppg) moved on to Longwood.
Impact returners: For good reason, Rafael Castro is the most discussed player on the roster coming off his breakout season. But two other major contributors from a year ago will make a significant impact again.
Redshirt sophomore Christian Jones (8.7 ppg) was part of the A-10’s all-rookie team and has transformed his body in the offseason. Meanwhile, cerebral junior Trey Autry (10.6 ppg, .386 3FG%) doesn’t make many flashy plays but usually makes the right ones.
“I have large amounts of appreciation for Trey Autry,” Castro said. “There’s plenty of situations we got into last year, and Tricky basically bailed us out. Once the shot clock gets low, if it’s not to me, I definitely say get the ball to Tricky. He’ll make something happen.”
Newcomers of note: Tre Dinkins III (12.9 ppg at Duquesne) is already familiar to A-10 fans, and he is a Preseason Second Team All-League pick. GW also added guard Jean Aranguren (14.2 ppg at Hofstra), wing Bubu Benjamin (13.9 ppg at Tarleton State) and forward Tyrone Marshall Jr. (10.4 ppg, 6.6 rpg at Western Kentucky).
Reasons to be optimistic: With Castro and Autry also in the mix with those transfers, there are six players who averaged at least 10 points at the Division I level last season on the roster.
“I think willingness to share the ball has been a big emphasis,” Caputo said. “We don’t have to really twist anybody’s arm too much. We keep our eye on it, but also hopefully the way we play allows guys to feel like they’re involved.”
About the only thing the Revs didn’t add was an additional ball to share. Nonetheless, Castro sees a united, cohesive offense forming.
“With all of us having a common goal of winning, it can be anybody’s night on any given night,” Castro said. “Sharing the ball is one of our key points this year. If I had 20 or somebody else has 20, it doesn’t matter. As long as we win at the end of the day, we’re fine.”
X factor: Johnson missed all of the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons at Princeton while undergoing treatment for a benign tumor in his left leg, and he was sidelined last year after suffering a torn ACL in June.
But in between, he averaged 13.4 points and 5.6 rebounds while shooting 40.3 percent from 3-point range in his 23 games for GW in 2023-24. The 6-foot-8 forward is healthy again, and would be a major asset if he regains anything close to his form from a couple years ago.
“It certainly raises our ceiling a little bit,” Caputo said.
Circle the date: The Revolutionaries made a clear attempt to upgrade their nonconference schedule, though most of their intriguing games are not against the sport’s biggest brand names. There is one exception: A Dec. 13 meeting with defending national champion Florida in the Orange Bowl Classic in Sunrise, Fla.
Bottom line: George Washington hasn’t reached the NCAA tournament since 2014, a drought that could end this season. Look for the Revs to make another jump in the standings and be one of the A-10’s deepest and most potent teams.
“I’m very confident it’s realistic,” Castro said. “We have quick point guards, high IQ, big strong wings and two of the best big men in the league. I feel like this team’s potential is through the roof.”
Patrick Stevens is a veteran college basketball writer that has worked for The Washington Post, Syracuse Media Group and The Washington Times. He has written selected pieces for the Atlantic 10 since 2013.