Stephon Castle Explained

Stephon Castle
Position:Point guard
Height Ft:6
Height In:6
Weight Lb:215
League:NBA
Team:San Antonio Spurs
Number:5
Birth Date:1 November 2004
Birth Place:Covington, Georgia, U.S.
High School:Newton (Covington, Georgia)
College:UConn (2023–2024)
Draft Year:2024
Draft Round:1
Draft Pick:4
Draft Team:San Antonio Spurs
Career Start:2024
Years1:–present
Team1:San Antonio Spurs
Highlights:

Stephon Javonte Castle (born November 1, 2004) is an American professional basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the UConn Huskies. He was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2023 class.

Early life and high school career

Castle grew up in Covington, Georgia and attended Newton High School.[1] He averaged 16.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game as a junior.[2] He finished his senior year averaging 20.1 points, 9.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists, three steals and two blocks per game to carry the Rams to the Class 7A state quarterfinals.[3] Castle was selected to play in the 2023 McDonald's All-American Boys Game during his senior year.[4]

Recruiting

Castle was initially rated a four-star recruit by most recruiting services. On November 19, 2021, he committed to playing college basketball for UConn during his junior year over offers from Auburn, Arkansas, Georgia, Georgia Tech, and Ohio State.[5] By the end of his senior year Castle had been re-rated as a five-star recruit.[6] [7]

College career

Castle enrolled at UConn in June 2023.[8] He declared for the 2024 NBA draft on April 19, 2024.[9]

Professional career

San Antonio Spurs (2024–present)

On June 26, 2024, Castle was selected with the fourth overall pick by the San Antonio Spurs in the 2024 NBA draft[10] and on July 2, he signed with the Spurs.[11] He made his NBA Summer League debut on July 6, putting up 12 points, six rebounds, and three assists in a 97–65 loss to the Charlotte Hornets.[12]

National team career

Castle played for the United States under-18 basketball team at the 2022 FIBA Under-18 Americas Championship.[13] He averaged 5.5 points and 2.2 rebounds per game as the United States won the gold medal.[14]

Personal life

Castle is the son of Quannette and Stacey Castle. He has a younger sister, Staci and an older brother Quenton.[15] Castle's father, Stacey, was a teammate with Tim Duncan at Wake Forest during the 1993-94 season.[16]

Career statistics

College

|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2023–24| style="text-align:left;"| UConn| 34 || 30 || 27.0 || .472 || .267 || .755 || 4.7 || 2.9 || .8 || .5 || 11.1

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Hubbard . Phillip B. . August 22, 2022 . Newton basketball star Stephon Castle celebrated across Newton County for gold medal . June 19, 2023 . The Covington News.
  2. Web site: Experts break down the game of UConn men's basketball 2023 commit Stephon Castle. Hartford Courant. April 23, 2022. June 12, 2023.
  3. Web site: Divens . Jordan . March 29, 2023 . 2022-23 MaxPreps All-America Team: Cameron Boozer of Columbus headlines high school basketball's best . August 5, 2023 . MaxPreps.com.
  4. Web site: January 25, 2023 . UConn men signee Castle named McDonald's All-American . dead . June 12, 2023 . . February 7, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230207042517/https://www.journalinquirer.com/sports/college/uconn_mens_basketball/uconn-men-signee-castle-named-mcdonalds-all-american/article_04c2c3f8-9c82-11ed-a213-87684c7aba56.html .
  5. Web site: Class of 2023 four-star guard Stephon Castle commits to UConn men's basketball. Hartford Courant. November 19, 2021. May 14, 2023.
  6. Web site: UConn Hoops Freshmen Intros -- Five-Star G Stephon Castle. Stratton. Stave. Rivals.com. May 10, 2023. May 14, 2023.
  7. Web site: High School Notebook: Stephon Castle is on the Rise. Ignacio. Rissotto. SI.com. March 3, 2023. June 19, 2023.
  8. Web site: UConn freshmen basketball players have arrived in Storrs: KK Arnold, Stephon Castle, and more. Christine. Butterfield. Connecticut Post. June 1, 2023. June 8, 2023.
  9. Web site: Leahy . Sean . April 19, 2024 . UConn freshman guard Stephon Castle declares for 2024 NBA Draft . June 27, 2024 . Yahoo! Sports . en-US.
  10. Web site: Peter. Sampson. Victor Wembanyama’s first message to Spurs’ Stephon Castle after NBA Draft. ClutchPoints.com. June 26, 2024. June 26, 2024.
  11. Web site: Luke. Adams. Spurs Sign Stephon Castle To Rookie Scale Contract. HoopsRumors.com. July 2, 2024. July 2, 2024.
  12. Web site: Spurs' Stephon Castle ruled out for NBA Summer League after injury scare. ClutchPoints. Ledesma. Hector. July 15, 2024. July 19, 2024.
  13. Web site: UConn men's basketball commit Stephon Castle named to USA Basketball men's U18 roster. Hartford Courant. June 3, 2022. June 8, 2023.
  14. Web site: Hubbard . Phillip B. . June 15, 2022 . USA BASKETBALL: Castle, Team USA take gold . June 8, 2023 . The Covington News.
  15. Web site: Stephon Castle - Men's Basketball . University of Connecticut Athletics . 26 July 2024 . en.
  16. News: Stephon Castle’s curious tie to Tim Duncan . June 30, 2024 . .