BY DOMENIC ALLEGRA ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
Mason men’s basketball’s point guard Justin Kier and forward Goanar Mar have both decided to enter the transfer portal this offseason. Meanwhile, Ian Boyd was granted another year of eligibility and is choosing to play at Mason.
On April 8, Washington Post reporter Steven Goff announced in a tweet that the NCAA had granted Kier a fifth year of eligibility after missing all but nine games this season with an injury. In the same tweet, Goff announced that Kier was entering the transfer portal.
On April 9, Kier announced his plan to transfer in a tweet: “After a lot of prayer and discussion with my family, I’ve decided to enter the transfer portal. I have not ruled out returning to Fairfax, but I want to make sure I explore all of the options available to me.”
On April 13, Kier announced his final 10 offers: Mason, Auburn, Butler, Wake Forest, Ole Miss, Arkansas, Minnesota, North Carolina State, University of Georgia and Georgetown.
Prior to his senior season in 2019-20, Kier sustained a foot fracture in September and missed the first section of the season. Later in the season, Kier returned to the court and played in only nine games in 2019-20, before re-injuring the foot and missing the remainder of the season to recover from surgery. Kier averaged 9.6 points and shot 46 percent in his nine games as a senior.
Goff also announced in a tweet on April 3 that forward Goanar Mar would enter the transfer portal.
Soon after, Mar announced that he would be transferring to the University of Northern Iowa.
“In high school, I won a lot. At George Mason, we had our ups and downs. So it’s definitely exciting to have potential looking ahead,” Mar said in a Des Moines Register article. “At the same time, the best part of having committed now is I can just get back to work and hopefully, go win a championship.”
“Goanar has been a valuable member of our program and has represented Mason with incredible integrity and character on and off the court,” head coach Dave Paulsen said in a GoMason article. “He has been one of my favorite players to coach. I certainly understand and support his decision. We will miss him and wish him the absolute best. He will always be a member of Mason Nation.”
Mar scored 488 career points in a Mason uniform while tallying 254 rebounds and 58 assists over his three seasons.
Ian Boyd, on the other hand, announced that he was granted a fifth year of eligibility by the NCAA and was staying in Fairfax. “I’m very excited that Ian has decided to come back for his fifth year,” head coach Dave Paulsen said. “This past 18 months, while battling incredible adversity, he has been the consummate teammate and really helped our program, even when he couldn’t suit up on the court. I’ve never had a player who loves to play the game of basketball as much as Ian. He is a competitor through and through. Ian is a proven scorer who provides a veteran presence and toughness which will help us in close games next season.”
Boyd averaged 7.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists as a sophomore in 2017-18. He also shot 42.3 percent from 3-point range and averaged 8.1 points as a junior before sustaining his injury. That injury kept Boyd out for the 2019-20 season as he recovered from surgery.
