A-10 Preseason Top 25 Player Countdown: #19 Goanar Mar

Welcome to A10 Talk’s Preseason Top 25 Player Countdown for the 2018-19 season. Each day, we’ll be publishing a new article counting down our best 25 players for the coming season, as voted on by our staff of writers. Today, we feature #19 Goanar Mar of George Mason.

What He’s Done

As just a freshman, Goanar Mar put up some very solid numbers on a team with a lot of new parts. In his first season, Mar averaged 10.9 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. Of the 33 games that George Mason played last season, Goanar scored in double figures in 19 of them including a season-high 26 points in Mason’s 81-80 victory at VCU last February. In an up-and-down season for the Patriots, Mar was the type of player who could always be relied upon to provide a spark. He plays more of a hard-nosed style of play, which compliments well the more finesse-style of play of Otis Livingston II. A nearly 80% free throw shooter, Mar could always be relied upon to drive to the basket and get some hard-earned points for GMU when it needed it the most.

What He’ll Do

This season, I expect Goanar Mar to take a significant step forward in his production. I think it’s reasonable to think he could put up 13.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, especially given his tendency to drive the ball to the basket. One of the potential weaknesses that has been pointed out about this George Mason team is their lack of outside shooting, so for the Patriots to be successful this season, they are going to have to rely heavily on guys like Mar for points in the paint.

As a team, there are some pretty high expectations for GMU this year. It’s not unrealistic to see the Patriots getting a double-bye in Brooklyn come Tourney time, and a guy like Goanar Mar will have to be a big part of this team’s success. What Mason as a team has lacked in the past has been consistency, and if a guy like Mar can put up solid numbers night-in and night-out for George Mason, then there is good reason to have some high hopes for the Patriots this season.

Previously: #20 Javon Bess