In the Atlantic 10 Conference’s 50-year history, only one Revolutionary has won the league’s Men’s Player of the Year award. This year, Rafael Castro could be the second.

Returning to the men’s team after leading in scoring last year, the redshirt senior forward has the opportunity to become the first GW player to win the award since Shawnta Rogers in 1999 — an achievement that recognizes individual talent and success. His combination of consistency, size and touch is invaluable to a team that is eyeing the conference title.

After transferring from Providence College ahead of last season, Castro broke out for the Revs, averaging 14 points per game along with 8.9 rebounds — both of which were career highs and team highs. His play earned him a second-team All-Conference position and a spot on the All-Defensive team. 

Castro’s 14 points per game ranked 19th in the conference last season and helped propel the team to an eighth-place finish in the A-10 in scoring, averaging 73.2 points per game. His 66 percent from the field was second best in the conference, trailing only Miles Rubin of Loyola Chicago.

Ahead of this season, the A-10 named Castro to the Preseason All-Conference First Team and the Preseason All-Defensive Team, reflecting the league’s confidence in his ability to be one of its top players.

Castro said his personal goals for this season are the same as they were ahead of last season of cementing himself, stressing that if he takes another step up, award recognition will come alongside it.

“Personally, kind of like what I said last year — I want to try to average a double-double, try to help my team the best I can and [win] player of the year and defensive player of the year,” Castro said. 

Head Coach Chris Caputo, who oversaw Castro’s rise last season, said the 6-foot-11-inch forward has the ability to reach that level of play this season for the Revs, which includes him continuing to build off his work around the rim. 

“If he plays to his potential, certainly he’s got that ability,” Caputo said. 

Caputo said Castro alongside the other returning players, including junior guard Trey Autry, redshirt sophomore guard Christian Jones and redshirt junior Garrett Johnson, are the leaders for this Revs squad and hope to use their experience to build off of last season’s success.

“Certainly our returners have been around, and it’s easier for them to lead a little bit because they kind of know the culture, and Rafael’s done a good job of that,” Caputo said.

Expectations on the team this season are higher than they have been in years, in part of Castro, whose presence in the front court added another wrinkle into the Revs’ offense. The Revs, who finished 21-13 and 9-9 in A-10 play last season, are projected to finish fourth in the conference after being projected to finish 13th last season.

As a senior and veteran of the team, Castro said the pressure and high expectations from the A-10 on his squad this season will only make them compete harder. 

“I tell my guys, pressure makes diamonds,” Castro said. “We’re not really too worried about what the media has to say. I think every game, we just go into it just trying to win that.”

Castro’s quiet confidence translates directly to his game, with the big man carving out space in the paint and emerging as one of the league’s top defenders last season. Off the floor, his easygoing nature stands out — he’s rarely without a grin, whether he’s throwing down a dunk or sharing a laugh with teammates on the bench.

Castro and the team spent the full summer training for the season, which will open Monday against the University of Maine on Nov. 3. He said the team worked on getting closer on and off the court over the summer, which will help them continue to gel and perform on the court.

“I think it’s great,” Castro said. “We really focused on connectivity, and I think we’ve done a good job of that on court and off court also.”

In the Revs’ exhibition matchup with Georgetown University on Oct. 18, Castro and his team fought until the end, competing with their power-five conference opponent, a sign of a team ready and able to compete for the top spot in the conference. In the Revs’ 73-64 loss, Castro scored 12 points — the fourth most of all players — and hauled down seven rebounds, the latter of which was a team high.

In addition to the exhibition against their cross-town rival, the Revs will be in the spotlight multiple times this season, with nationally televised matchups on ESPN against the reigning National Champion Florida Gators in December and the Dayton Flyers in February. The Dayton game will mark ESPN’s first visit to Foggy Bottom since 2017 — the same season the team last reached the 20-win mark before doing so again last season.

Castro said the matchups are an excellent opportunity for him and his team to cement themselves and create a national profile for the first time since 2017, when GW went 20-15 and advanced to the second round of the College Basketball Invitation, where they fell 80-71 to the University of Illinois Chicago.

“It’s always good to go against a nationally ranked team,” Castro said. “I think it’s just a great test, and I think we’ll be ready for that.”

Ahead of his redshirt senior season, with high expectations for the team and himself, Castro said it would not be a surprise to see this team make a run for tournament success. 

“To win the whole A-10 and make a run in March Madness, that’d be great,” Castro said.