Men's Basketball Bolsters Roster with Highly-Touted Transfer Class

WASHINGTON - Fresh off its winningest season and first postseason appearance since 2017, George Washington men's basketball has continued the program's momentum with the addition of five transfer student-athletes. Joining the Buff & Blue are juniors Jean Aranguren (Hofstra) and Bubu Benjamin (Tarleton State) and graduate students Tre Dinkins III (Duquesne), Luke Hunger (Northwestern) and Tyrone Marshall Jr. (Western Kentucky).

The quintet, which features three international student-athletes and a pair of starters on NCAA Tournament teams, has been ranked as a top-10 recruiting class in the country per the Portal Report and by the advance metric "Box Plus Minus (BPM)", measuring a player's impact on score differential per 100 possessions.

"We're thrilled about the class we've been able to assemble in the transfer portal," said Head Coach Chris Caputo. "Each player in the group brings a unique skill set to the table that complements our returning core. We also are excited about the vision that each brings to our program for the upcoming season, when winning is the most important thing."

Jean Aranguren

6'3" // 190 // Guard // Jr. // Valencia, Carabobo, Venezuela

Previous Schools: Hofstra (2024-25), Iona (2023-24)

Aranguren (ARE-en-GRR-en) comes to GW following a campaign for Hofstra in which he was named to the Met Basketball Writers Association All-Met Third Team. In his lone year with the Pride, he posted 14.2 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 4.2 apg and 1.1 spg while starting all 33 games. He reached double figures 26 times with seven 20-point efforts and a career-high 35 against Northeastern in February.

Aranguren ranked third in the CAA in assists, eighth in double-doubles, 10th in points and 11th in defensive rebounding, showcasing his wide-ranging ability. He led Hofstra in scoring 16 times, assists 15 times, rebounding eight times, steals seven times and blocks five times.

The native Venezuelan has scored 735 points in his two years at Iona and Hofstra, averaging 11.1 ppg, 4.7 rpg and 3.0 apg while shooting 43% overall and 36% from beyond the arc.

Coach Caputo on Jean: "Jean possesses a unique skill set in that he affects the game in almost every way. He scores, assists, steals, rebounds and is an elite defender. We're excited about the versatility he brings to our backcourt."

Bubu Benjamin

6'7" // 205 // Guard // Jr. // Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada

Previous School: Tarleton State (2023-25)

Benjamin enjoyed a breakout campaign last year at Tarleton State, leading the Texans in scoring (13.9 ppg), made 3-pointers (49) and minutes per game (36.0). He notched 24 double-digit scoring efforts, including six 20-point performances, and led the team in scoring 14 times.

Benjamin paced the WAC in minutes played and also ranked among league leaders in steals (4th, 48), free throw percentage (7th, 78.9%), double-doubles (8th, 3) and scoring (8th).

The native Canadian saw his point per game production increase by more than 11 points per contest in his sophomore season and took impressive jumps in 3-point percentage (38.0, +14.9%), free throw percentage (78.9, +3.9%), minutes played (+24.3) and rebounds per game (+2.9) from his freshman year.

Coach Caputo on Bubu: "Bubu stood out to us in the recruiting process thanks to his combination of shooting, positional size, length, defensive ability and how hard he plays every possession. His versatility and athleticism make him an extremely strong fit for our system."

Tre Dinkins III

6'2" // 190 // Guard // Gr. // Chester, Pa.

Previous Schools: Duquesne (2024-25), Canisius (2022-24), Harcum College (2020-22)

A proven playmaker at the A-10 level, Dinkins becomes GW's first intra-conference transfer after playing last season at Duquesne, where he paced the Dukes with 12.9 ppg while ranking 10th in the A-10 with 77 made 3s and 10th in assist/turnover ratio at 1.75.

Dinkins reached double figures in the final 17 games of the season for the Dukes, including scoring 12 points with three rebounds, three assists and two steals against GW in January. He reached double figures 24 times overall, including a team-high five 20-point games and his first career double-double.

Dinkins came to Duquesne after two years at Canisius, where he scored 669 points in two seasons (10.8 ppg) and was a 2024 All-MAAC Third Team selection after pacing the Golden Griffins with 15.4 ppg. In total, Dinkins has scored 1,095 points in three seasons at the D-I level at 11.5 ppg in 94 games.

Coach Caputo on Tre: "Tre is a proven scorer, shooter and ball-handler at our level in the Atlantic 10. Our staff was so impressed by him this past year that we voted him as an All-Conference player. The opportunity to get someone of his caliber to GW is really exciting for our program."

Luke Hunger

6'10" // 260 // Forward // Gr. // Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Previous School: Northwestern (2022-25)

Hunger comes to GW looking to continue a trend of Power 5 transfers to thrive under Coach Caputo after All-Conference honorees Maximus Edwards (Kansas State, 2023 A-10 Rookie of the Year), Darren Buchanan Jr. (Virginia Tech, 2024 A-10 All-Rookie) and Rafael Castro (Providence, 2025 A-10 All-Conference Second Team and All-Defensive).

The Quebec native played three seasons at Northwestern, averaging 3.3 ppg and 2.1 rpg in 62 games. He started 10 of those contests, including both games of the Wildcats' appearance in the 2024 NCAA Tournament, when he averaged 7.0 ppg, 7.5 rpg and 3.0 apg in a win over FAU and a loss to eventual national champion UConn.

Hunger battled injuries this last season, playing sparingly during Big Ten play, but notched a pair of double digit efforts in non-conference play. Off the court, Hunger graduated from Northwestern in three years and will have two years of eligibility left at George Washington while pursuing a graduate degree.

Coach Caputo on Luke: "When we looked to find a replacement for Sean Hansen, Luke became the perfect fit. Luke started on an NCAA Tournament team two years ago and brings a physicality and inside-out offensive ability to our frontcourt that will help complement Rafael Castro in similar ways to the success we had this year."

Tyrone Marshall Jr.

6'7" // 215 // Forward // Gr. // Nashville, TN

Previous School: Western Kentucky (2022-25), Colby CC (2020-22)

A mainstay in the Western Kentucky starting lineup during his career, Marshall comes to GW with 99 games of D-I experience under his belt, having averaged 7.4 ppg, 4.6 rpg with 46% shooting from the floor during his career. This past season, Marshall tallied career-highs in scoring (10.4 ppg), rebounding (6.6 rpg) and minutes (28.8 mpg) while starting 29 of 32 games for the Hilltoppers.

Marshall ranked sixth in Conference USA in rebounding and fourth in defensive boards per game (5.5) in 2024-25, following up on an All-CUSA Honorable Mention season in 2023-24. That year, he saved his best game for the NCAA Tournament, when he started and scored 21 points with six rebounds, five assists and two blocks against No. 2 seed Marquette on 6-of-8 shooting (4-of-5 3s) in WKU's first tourney appearance since 2013.

Marshall has scored double figures in 30 career games, including 16 this past season. He also recorded at least six rebounds in a team-best 15 games. The Nashville native began his career with two years at Colby Community College, where he averaged 14.0 ppg both seasons.

Coach Caputo on Tyrone: "Tyrone is another guy that started on an NCAA Tournament team and knows what it takes to get there. He has shooting ability, plays with an edge, and can defend a number of different positions. He will bring experience as another versatile piece."

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