Rafael Castro
Year: 2022
Position: PF
Height: 6-11
Hometown: Dover, NJ
High School: Dover HS
AAU Team: Team Rio (NJ)

Offers (out of high school): Boston U, Dayton, Fairleigh Dickinson, Florida, George Mason, Marist, Massachusetts, Miami (FL), Providence, Seton Hall, St. Peter's, Stony Brook, VCU, Xavier

Eligibility: Two years to play

Statistics:
(from Sophomore year at Providence) - 2.9 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 0.2 apg, 0.3 spg, 0.4 bpg; 68% FG, 50% 3-PT, 42% FT per 9.2 mpg with 34 GP
(from Freshman year at Providence) - 1.8 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 0.3 apg, 0.4 spg, 0.5 bpg; 51% FG, 63% FT per 6.5 mpg with 26 GP

Notable Performances (against D1 competition):
12/10/22 vs. Albany: 12 points, 10 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block; 5-6 FG, 0-1 3-PT, 2-2 FT in 17 minutes (freshman year at Providence)
11/6/23 vs. Columbia: 13 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal, 3 blocks; 6-7 FG, 1-3 FT in 14 minutes (sophomore year at Providence)
11/17/23 vs. Kansas State: 7 points, 5 rebounds; 3-4 FG, 1-2 FT in 20 minutes (sophomore year at Providence)
1/17/24 @ DePaul: 12 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals; 5-6 FG, 2-4 FT in 23 minutes (sophomore year at Providence)
3/19/24 vs. Boston College: 8 points, 4 rebounds; 4-4 FG in 16 minutes (sophomore year at Providence)

This is a nice pickup given the major need to fill spots up front. Castro is a bouncy forward who played quite a bit at the 5 despite probably being a more natural fit at the 4. His game reminds me of a taller Bo Zeigler. From what I watched of Providence, by all accounts he seemed like a good help side defender and I think he can make a strong contribution on that side of the ball.

Much like the Friar team as a whole though, there were some issues offensively. Castro does have ability as a rim runner and can catch/throw down lobs. Given how poor GW was inside the arc last year, even doing just that will help a lot. However, as you can see from his FT percentages his range is fairly limited and he can be prone to losing the ball/letting the ball slip out of his hands. Regardless, I think this can be a good pickup depending on how many minutes he sees per game next season as we all expect another big to be added.

His past statistics matter less to me. I think fit is more important. He's not a guy who will be posting up much, but that isn't really the way CC wants to play anyways. Can he coexist with Jun? Given DBJ was a spotty shooter at best at the 4, ordinarily I would say no and cite potential floor spacing issues. However, given Jun generally drives the ball from the top of the key, his ability as a point forward may allow it to work in stretches here and there.

Castro played roughly 9 mpg at Providence. Assuming his playing time doubles in the A10, I think he can make a difference as a 15-20 minute per game guy. Anything more and we may find ourselves saying once again that the frontcourt is not good enough. Regardless, I'm excited to see what Rafael can do in a GW uniform next year. Welcome!

Links
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Bio
FIBA
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Hudl
NJ.com
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Verbal Commits

GW Commitment Tweet