Editor's note: The 2017-18 George Mason University men's basketball primer will take a look at storylines surrounding the Green & Gold heading into a season filled with potential and fresh faces. Check back throughout the preseason for features on GoMason.com.

Every men's basketball transfer student-athlete at the Division I level journeys through a season filled with the opportunity to grow and develop into a more mature and versatile player.
 
Before a student-athlete can suit up and play in games for his new program, he must first sit out a full year of competition. The athlete can practice each day with his teammates, go through a full strength & conditioning regimen and have access to sports medicine and academic support staff. But the players cannot travel for away games or dress for home contests.
 
Going through a full season of basketball without the reward of playing in games can be frustrating, but the mature student-athlete approaches it as a year that will pay critical dividends in the seasons to come. They work hard on their individual skill sets while helping their teammates get better each day. Those are the individuals who look back and say the "redshirt" year was the best thing that ever happened to their basketball careers.
 
Recent NCAA history is littered with Division I transfer success stories. Wesley Johnson averaged 12 points and four rebounds per game as a sophomore at Iowa State in 2007-08. After transferring to Syracuse, he sat out the 2008-09 season, took advantage of the opportunity, and went on to lead the Orange in scoring (16.5 ppg) and rebounding (8.5 rpg) en route to a 30-5 record and Sweet 16 berth. He was selected with the fourth overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves.
 
Head out west, and it's hard not to think of Kyle Wiltjer, a versatile big who began his career at Kentucky, averaging less than 10 points over his first two seasons. He transferred to Gonzaga and worked tirelessly during his redshirt year. He averaged 16.8 points, then 20.4 over his junior and senior seasons while leading the Zags to an Elite Eight berth in 2015 and Sweet 16 spot in 2016. He now plays for the Toronto Raptors.
 
Also at Gonzaga, 2017 NCAA Tournament star Przemek Karnowski sat out his first year as part of a career-long development that turned him into arguably the top post player in the nation last season.
 
Simply put, a redshirt year represents an opportunity. The player who puts his head down, improves day-by-day, and makes a positive impact with his team is destined to get a leg up on the competition when he's eligible the following season.
 
Mason redshirt-sophomore Jarred Reuter is a prime example of a player who is ready to make the most of his transitional year.
 
A transfer from the University of Virginia, Reuter chose Mason this past spring for a variety of reasons.
 
"I felt really comfortable with Coach Paulsen and our staff," Reuter said. "I liked the dynamic of the team and how talented our guards are. We have younger, talented guys who present us with the opportunity to be versatile and play in a number of different ways. When I visited, I could really see myself aligning with this team."
 
Reuter – a native of Marion, Mass. – is a 6-7, 260-pound force inside who will challenge Mason's forwards each day during practice in 2017-18.
 
For Paulsen, Reuter's presence already has made a significant impact on the court.
 
"Jarred is a really, really good player," Paulsen said. "He's a handful to guard, whether it's around the basket, when he steps out to the pinch post or in ball screens. He's going to help our bigs get better defensively and he'll help our entire team understand rotations and other nuances of the game. He's really smart offensively, and will facilitate for whatever team he's a part of. He's also sound defensively, and as a veteran guy, he talks and that really helps in practice."
 
The veteran presence Reuter brings to the Patriots this season will certainly pay dividends as the season progresses. Mason has two experienced junior leaders in Otis Livingston II and Jaire Grayer, but with nine freshmen and sophomores on the roster, Reuter knows he can utilize the lessons learned in his two seasons in the ACC to help out Mason's younger guys as they navigate the nooks and crannies of Division I basketball.
 
"We're a talented team but we're relatively young," Reuter said. "We have guys with playing experience, but they're still juniors and sophomores. For our guys even younger than that, I'm going to try and share as much of what I've learned as possible to help them as they begin their careers. I'm also going play as hard as I can in practice to give them the best challenge they can face."
 
Paulsen sees that mentorship ability with Reuter and it's something he's discussed with the redshirt-sophomore leading into the season.
 
"He's a mature kid, so one of my challenges to him is to become a leader this season without actually being able to suit up for a game," Paulsen said. "That might entail putting his arm around a kid that has a tough practice or leading by example when it comes to balancing academics and athletics."
 
Reuter is one of three current Mason student-athletes who has embraced a redshirt opportunity with the Patriots under head coach Dave Paulsen.
 
Each of the three athletes redshirted for a different reason.
 
Reuter's year is out is a necessity under NCAA transfer guidelines, while sophomore Daniel Relvao took a redshirt year in 2015-16 for medical reasons, using the 12+ months to recover from a knee operation and get his body healthy to compete at the Division I level.
 
Current redshirt-freshman AJ Wilson, who will suit up in games for the first time in 2017-18, used his time away from competition last season to bulk up in the weight room, diversify his skill set and get adjusted to the college game.
 
For Wilson, redshirting last season came with an adjustment period, but the benefits quickly became apparent as the preseason moved forward.
 
"I was really frustrated those first couple weeks, but then I looked at the bigger picture," Wilson said. "I took it on the chin and embraced it. I saw the year as an opportunity to evolve as a player and as a man. After I looked at it that way, I took it head on and it ended up benefiting me in the long run."
 
Paulsen and the Mason staff acknowledge that the year away from competition helped Wilson tremendously in all facets of his game, including skill, conditioning and work ethic. Now heading into his first competitive games, Wilson knows having Reuter in that role this season will only further benefit the development of Mason's forwards on the roster.
 
"Jarred has a unique skill set for his size. He's so nimble and quick," Wilson said. "I've already learned different post moves from him and studied up on how well he paces himself on the block and how he gets space to shoot 3s. Everything he does, I take notes and try to add it to my game."
 
For Relvao, Reuter presents a size/skill combo that provides the ultimate test. He knows that will help when he goes up against some of the conference's best and biggest forwards, like Massachusetts' Rashaan Holloway.
 
"Playing against Jarred is so helpful," Relvao said. "He has a talent level that I haven't played against very often. When we play against a big guy with the raw skill that Jared has, going up against him in practice all week will really allow us to prepare ahead of time. I know he'll be able to get me ready for whoever comes my way this season."
 
As for the mental frustrations that can come with the redshirt year, Relvao and Wilson can provide guidance in the coming months for whatever Reuter needs. And the Mason coaches have plenty of strategies to share so that he still receives plenty of opportunities to get his competitive juices flowing.
 
Mason's director of basketball operations Ted Rawlings heads up a team of student managers that track stats in practice throughout the season, including shooting numbers, drill performance, conditioning times and weight room repetitions. The staff shows the results to Mason student-athletes and embraces the need to improve upon each of those numbers as the weeks progress. It allows the players to see their improvements first hand and affords them the chance to flex that competitive edge and try to hit max numbers each and every time they begin the task.
 
Last season with Wilson, Mason assistant coach Duane Simpkins and strength & conditioning coach Handy Handerahan put him through an intense workout prior to the game and ran a set of drills that helped simulate the physical exertion that comes with a 40-minute college basketball game. It's something they will be able to re-create with Reuter in 2017-18.
 
Reuter understands that mental aspect of his season and has a mature outlook on how he will approach the months ahead.
 
"I've been around guys that have redshirted and I know it's not easy," Reuter said. "But I'm just happy to be here at Mason and at practice everyday. Whether it's shooting, handling the ball or playing facing the basket, those are all aspects I can work on and hopefully insert into my game. I'm working all year to become the healthiest, strongest and fittest player I can be. I'm going to keep trying to make practices my games and work as hard as I can and embrace competition where I can find it."

#GetPatriotic

2017-18 Men's Basketball Primer Archive
Oct. 2: Mason holds first official practice
Oct. 4: Leadership begins at home for Grayer
Oct. 5: EagleBank Arena to feature new center-hung video board
Oct. 12: Mason Athletics dedicates basketball practice facility
Oct. 15: Mason Madness Photo Recap
Oct. 17: Livingston II named preseason Atlantic 10 All-Conference

About The Patriots
George Mason put together a turnaround campaign in 2016-17 while registering the 13th 20-win season in school history. In head coach Dave Paulsen's second season leading the program, Mason set a new program record for Atlantic 10 victories (9) and its 20 overall wins were the most by the program since 2012-13. After winning 11 games total and five A-10 contests in 2015-16, Mason ranked as of the nation's 20 most improved teams this past season. The Patriots return three starters heading into the 2017-18 campaign.