BROOKLYN, N.Y. – George Mason University men's basketball senior guard
Otis Livingston II has been named to the preseason All-Atlantic 10 First Team, while the Patriots are picked fourth as a team in the preseason poll, the league office announced Thursday.
Coming off second team All-Atlantic 10 accolades in 2017-18, Livingston II is Mason's first-ever All-Atlantic 10 preseason first team selection. As a junior last season, Livingston II also earned a spot on the NABC District 4 Second Team and the VaSID All-State Team.
"Otis is very deserving of this recognition," head coach
Dave Paulsen said. "He has distinguished himself as one of the best and most consistent players in the Atlantic 10. He has worked tremendously hard in the offseason and is playing at a high level in practice. He's poised to have an excellent senior year."
Mason's fourth-place preseason position is its highest in the program's now six-year history in the Atlantic 10. The Patriots have improved their standing from preseason poll to postseason standings in each of Paulsen's first three seasons.
In the past two campaigns, the Patriots have risen an impressive five spots between the October poll and the March final standings (12
th to 7
th in 2016-17, 10
th to 5
th in 2017-18).
The Patriots open the season inside EagleBank Arena on Tuesday, Nov. 6 against defending Ivy League champion and 2018 NCAA Tournament team Pennsylvania.
Preseason Poll
1. Saint Louis (15) – 348
2. Saint Joseph's (4) – 324
3. Davidson (6) – 314
4. George Mason (1) – 287
5. Rhode Island – 221
6. Dayton – 206
7. VCU – 195
8. Massachusetts – 175
9. St. Bonaventure – 167
10. Richmond – 156
11. Duquesne – 146
12. La Salle – 85
13. George Washington – 73
14. Fordham – 33
Preseason All-Conference First Team
Kellan Grady, Davidson
Josh Cunningham, Dayton
Otis Livingston II, George Mason
Luwane Pipkins, Massachusetts
Grant Golden, Richmond
About the Patriots
George Mason is the only team in the nation which returns 100 percent of its scoring output from the 2017-18 campaign. Mason welcomes back every student-athlete from a team that placed fifth in the Atlantic 10. That finish marked Mason's best in its five-year tenure in the league. The Patriots will be led by Livingston II, who is one of just five Div. I players returning who has posted at least 1,400 points, 350 assists and 250 rebounds in a career.
In addition to welcoming back all five 2017-18 starters, the Patriots also will add former University of Virginia forward
Jarred Reuter (Marion, Mass.), as well as a recruiting class that features guards
Jason Douglas-Stanley (Mount Vernon, N.Y.),
Jamal Hartwell II (Los Angeles, Calif.) and
Jordan Miller (Middleburg, Va.).
About Livingston II
Otis Livingston II took his all-around game to the next level as a junior in 2017-18, earning NABC All-District as well as Atlantic 10 Second Team accolades. In A-10 play, he improved in nearly every statistical category compared to the previous season. Those stats included scoring (19.8 ppg vs. 13.7 ppg), assists (4.7 vs. 2.8), 3-point field goal percentage (.411 vs. 299) and field goal percentage (.458 vs. .379).
In overall games, those numbers also improved dramatically, including in scoring (17.3 ppg vs. 14.3 ppg), assists (4.4 vs. 3.0), 3-point field goal percentage (.382 vs. .336) and field goal percentage (.436 vs. .414).
Livingston II provided a consistently dominant scoring presence throughout the A-10 slate for the Green & Gold. He posted at least 10 points in 16 of 18 league games and tallied 20+ points in 11 games. He also notched 30+ points in a pair of league tilts.
During his outstanding junior campaign, Livingston II worked his way up the Mason record books. He's now one of just four players in school history to post at least 1400 points and 350 assists in a career.
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