Freshman guard Otis Livingston II has been making a name for himself during his first season as a Mason Patriot. Livingston has stepped up and helped lead the team to victory with his speed and ability to see the court.
Fourth Estate sat down with Livingston so we could learn more about his life both on and off the court.
The first thing we learned? Livingston played both basketball and baseball growing up. From a young age, however, he knew his passion was on the court (not the diamond). By seventh grade, Livingston had decided that basketball was the sport he would pursue for the long haul.
Here are some other questions Livingston answered for us:
FE: How did you decide to come to Mason?
OL: I didn’t have a lot of schools looking at me during high school. I had like four scholarship offers, and Mason was the best place for me to come.
FE: What’s your favorite thing about Mason?
OL: It fits my personality. It’s not too big and not too small. It’s just right. It is chill, but can also get fun sometimes. It fits me.
FE: How has your experience with the team been thus far?
OL: Coming to college, I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. Some of the older guys have been helping us out a lot … as far as the season, I knew it was going to be hard because it’s a very tough conference. It’s what I thought it was going to be.
FE: What do you want to see out of the team by the end of the season?
OL: By the end of the season, [I want us to be] putting games together. One game we’ll play a certain way, then the next game we won’t. I want to see us putting great practices together and doing what Coach [Dave Paulsen] wants us to do.
FE: Do you have any goals for the team that you hope to reach by the time you graduate?
OL: NCAA Championship and Atlantic 10 Championship. Those are the big ones. I think we can get it done with our coaching staff and our players.
FE: What’s your favorite thing about home games?
OL: When the crowd gets into it. They give us a lot of energy, and we feed off them. We want to play hard, we want to make the right play, we want to get the crowd excited. When the crowd gets loud, that’s my favorite part.
Off the court, you can find Livingston in Mason’s Panera or in his sports management classes. He’s also hoping to get more involved in organizations beyond basketball. Before Livingston graduates, he hopes to be an Academic All-American, get more involved in the community and leave Mason with a high GPA.
FE: What’s your favorite place to eat on campus?
OL: That’s a hard one. Panera is always good, but probably Red Hot & Blue.
FE: What’s your favorite place to study?
OL: Fenwick.
FE: When you’re not on the road traveling, what do you like to do on the weekends?
OL: I like to watch Netflix. I like watching movies. Just hanging out and taking it easy.
FE: What’s your favorite movie?
OL: All time is “Lion King” for sure. Recently, it would be “V for Vendetta.”
FE: What’s a fun fact about you?
OL: I play the piano from time to time. I took piano lessons early on, then after a while I taught myself some songs from YouTube. I stopped playing, but I’m starting to get back into it.
Mason’s next home game is Feb. 24 against Virginia Commonwealth University. Come out to cheer on Livingston and witness how Mason’s newest freshman can take command of the court.
