In the first half of just his third game as a member of the George Washington University men’s basketball team, Rafael Castro was defending an out of bounds play from underneath his own basket.
In prior eras of basketball, his lengthy 6-foot-11 frame probably would have been asked to faceguard the inbounder on a play so close to the basket. But this is a new era, where centers aren’t just parked on the lane near the rim.
As the ball was lobbed out toward the 3-point line, Castro burst from his spot near the baseline and extended his long arm to intercept the pass. Instead of giving it up to a point guard, he dribbled the ball down the court himself, pulling up at his own 3-point line for just a moment before bursting toward the lane. As a defender took his angle going to the block, Castro spun back toward the hoop with lightning speed before rising up for a thunderous, rim-rattling two-handed dunk.
As the broadcast put it: “Stutter step. Spin move. Good night.”
GW would go on to win that night against North Carolina A&T, with Castro scoring 12 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. It was a game, and moment, completely representative of who he is a player.
Castro, who transferred from Providence prior to the 2024-2025 season, played guard growing up and was well seasoned in running off flare screens, shooting 3s and spacing the floor. But he hit a massive growth spurt as a sophomore at New Jersey’s Dover High School. While there would be no choice to play his length down low, he brought his guard skillset with him to his new position.
“My game almost evolved backwards,” Castro said. “Normally guys go inside-out. I went outside-in.”
That versatility is a big reason why he was named a preseason first-team All-Atlantic 10 pick, giving him a legitimate chance to be GW’s first conference player of the year since Shawnta Rogers back in 1999, the only time a Revolutionary has earned that honor.
He’s also a big reason why the GW program enters the season very much awake and alive with anticipation. The Revolutionaries, who open their season with a highly anticipated exhibition game against Georgetown—the first meeting between the two D.C. schools since 1981—at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Charles E. Smith Center. The team is coming off a 21-win season in which it played postseason basketball for the first time in eight years.
The Revolutionaries are ranked 60th in Bart Torvik’s preseason projections and were picked for fourth in the A-10. The last time they were projected for that high of a finish in the league was 2016, when they won the NIT.
GW also tied for an A-10 high with four players named to preseason all-conference teams as Tre Dinkins III, Trey Autry and Christian Jones joined Castro on the list. Garrett Johnson, who averaged nearly 14 points per game in 2023-2024, also returns after missing last season due to injury. Expectations are high among a group of players Castro says have strong chemistry on and off the court.
“I think fourth in the preseason is a long way from where it’s been, for sure, but it’s still not where we want to be,” Castro said. “I think this team could be the number one team in the A-10, and my guys believe that too. So, just instilling that into everyone and creating the common goal of winning.”
It always helps when one of the team’s leaders is putting forth effort on both ends of the court. Not only did Castro lead the team in scoring last year, but he was also the top rebounder and shot blocker, ranking third nationally in field goal percentage and top-35 in the NCAA in total rebounds. He also possesses a calm demeanor to complement the tenacity he brings to the court.
“In our world, there are so many different things that can distract you from the main thing—improving, getting better every day, being a great teammate,” said coach Chris Caputo, now in his fourth season leading the Revolutionaries. “His emotional maturity is at a very high level, and it allows him to just keep getting better, but also be a great teammate and a great leader. I think that part of it is really the difference.”
Castro represents a new era of centers in the sport who can stretch the floor with their athleticism. He and his teammates also hope to usher in a new era of GW basketball where postseason play and finishing near the top of the conference become standard expectations.
Tickets for the exhibition game against Georgetown are still available. Fans can also catch the game on Monumental Sports Network, the same channel that broadcasts the Capitals and Wizards.
