Goanar Mar, a 6-foot-7, 180-pound sophomore forward from Minneapolis (MN) DeLaSalle, is considered the number two prospect in the state for the Class of 2017 behind Apple Valley’s Gary Trent Jr.
Mar helped lead the Islanders to its fourth straight Class AAA championship in March as they finished 26-4 this year and won 25 of its last 27 games.
Mar came off the bench as a freshman as the Islanders finished 26-3 in 2013-14 and won its last 23 games.
He will play an even bigger role next year with the graduation losses of starters Jarvis Johnson (Minnesota), Sacar Anim (Marquette) and Josh Collins (North Dakota) as the Islanders hope to break the Minnesota state record with a fifth straight title.
Mar averaged 8.9 points per game and scored in double figures in ten games with a season-best 22 points versus Concordia Academy.
Gopher Hole caught up with Mar after his practice with the D1 Minnesota 17-and-under team to learn the latest on his recruitment.
Gopher Hole: You picked up your fourth offer the other day from Xavier. How pleased and proud are you of the interest and offers you have received so far?
Goanar Mar: I am pretty proud. I still have a lot to do this summer. I am really proud of how I have been playing
Gopher Hole: Does that make you want to work even harder to get even more offers and looks?
Goanar Mar: Yes. Because of the offers, I have been lifting a little more and doing more on-the-court workouts, so it has been going really good off and on the court.
Gopher Hole: How pleased were you with your play in the adidas Gauntlet series in Dallas? You finished 3-1 (Mar averaged 11.5 points and 3.5 rebounds in the four games).
Goanar Mar: We finished 3-1. We came out and should have won the fourth game. We had one bad game against Indiana Elite in the tournament.
Gopher Hole: What things have you really been working on to continue to improve yourself as a player?
Goanar Mar: I have been doing a lot more ball handling and a lot more in the weight room. I have been going in there four or five times a week. Just working a lot harder on my game.
Gopher Hole: Since I talked to you last, you won a fourth straight title. How did this title compare to the one you won as a freshman. You played a lot more this season. How different was this state title?
Goanar Mar: It was a lot different because I had more expectation, being a starter and having a bigger role on the team this year.
Gopher Hole: Next year, you are going for a fifth straight state title, but you lose some key players like Jarivs, Sacar and Josh. What do you expect your role to be with the team?
Goanar Mar: A lot bigger. I have to lead a lot more and I am going to have to be a lot more accountable to the rest of the team.
Gopher Hole: Is that something that you are looking forward to, being more of leader next year?
Goanar Mar: Yes. Just being accountable for guys showing up for lifting in the offseason.
Gopher Hole: You have the offers from Iowa State, Northern Iowa, Nebraska and Xavier. What other schools are you hearing from besides those four?
Goanar Mar: I’m hearing from mostly the Big Ten.
Gopher Hole: What are you hearing from the Gophers? What are the Gophers saying to you?
Goanar Mar: About evolving my game more. Getting more aggressive and stronger.