Steph Castle goes off for 32. | Page 3 | The Boneyard

Steph Castle goes off for 32.

Connhomer99 said:
Was watching the game yesterday, the way he gets to the hoop is something we haven't seen a lot before, even in the NBA. He has a unique bounce to his step, agility, maneuverability and bounce step towards the hoop. Dude obviously works hard as heck. He made some moves he didn't make at UCONN last year. He came a long way from the beginning of last season to the end of last season. And he's come a long way from the beginning to so far in this season. I think he'll be a great representation of our university for years and years to come. I'm so happy for him. He's gotta be one of my favorite huskies ever and what he's accomplished in the NBA only continues to add to that. Keep killing them steph!!!
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Connhomer99 said:
Was watching the game yesterday, the way he gets to the hoop is something we haven't seen a lot before, even in the NBA. He has a unique bounce to his step, agility, maneuverability and bounce step towards the hoop. Dude obviously works hard as heck. He made some moves he didn't make at UCONN last year. He came a long way from the beginning of last season to the end of last season. And he's come a long way from the beginning to so far in this season. I think he'll be a great representation of our university for years and years to come. I'm so happy for him. He's gotta be one of my favorite huskies ever and what he's accomplished in the NBA only continues to add to that. Keep killing them steph!!!
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He looks smoother rather than explosive, but he's obviously the top combo of both!
 
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Dogdeacon said:
I think a better way to characterize the perception while he was at UConn of Steph's athleticism was that it translated VERY well (or Elite if we have to use the talking head buzzword) on the defensive end, yet offensively while definitely NBA - more towards NBA average on the offensive end with tbd upside.

However, if you watched him play in the 2nd half of the season at UConn or just saw Steph up close standing next to college players it was abundantly clear that he was a different level athlete. The fact that he would finish 95%+ of fast break plays was indicative to me that the offense upside would come.
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To me what stood out in Steph aside from all the talent and athleticism was his mental toughness.

He doesn’t and didn’t take plays off.

As a team If we could channel his level of being ”locked in” on every play we’d be a top 10 team right now.
 
caw said:
I honestly don’t know if I ever called him average but he certainly did not show the eye popping athleticism of AJ in high school. Even at UConn he didn’t show it a ton.

A lot of it is masked by his superb body control, strength and footwork. I wonder if he is using it more now because he has to in the NBA where almost everyone is a great athlete.

He’s doing a ton now in the NBA that he didn’t even a year ago. His hesitation layup package is probably the best in the NBA right now. He goes from acceleration to almost full stop in a split second and the defender usually is caught flying by.
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Huh? I think every game I was texting people what an effortlessly freakish athlete he was.
 
Connhomer99 said:
Was watching the game yesterday, the way he gets to the hoop is something we haven't seen a lot before, even in the NBA. He has a unique bounce to his step, agility, maneuverability and bounce step towards the hoop. Dude obviously works hard as heck. He made some moves he didn't make at UCONN last year. He came a long way from the beginning of last season to the end of last season. And he's come a long way from the beginning to so far in this season. I think he'll be a great representation of our university for years and years to come. I'm so happy for him. He's gotta be one of my favorite huskies ever and what he's accomplished in the NBA only continues to add to that. Keep killing them steph!!!
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The idea that Castle wasn't a supreme athlete probably comes from how effortless his movement looks. He reminds me of a young Paul Pierce in that respect (Pierce was a better shooter). He's a top level athlete whose game isn't based on pure athleticism.
 
Castle was about as effortless of an athlete as another guy who went to UConn from the same area. Jeremy Lamb
 
HuskyWarrior611 said:
Castle was about as effortless of an athlete as another guy who went to UConn from the same area. Jeremy Lamb
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Castle is faster and (much) stronger, but I buy that comparison. Both guys would play so under control and then make athletic plays out of nowhere that would make your eyes pop.
 
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BigErnMcCracken said:
I was going to post that in the thread about dunkers yesterday. One of my favorites.
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The four best UConn dunks I can remember were Sticks' half court alley vs. Texas, Lamb's vs. Columbia, Donyell against Seton Hall, and Bouknight's one-handed dunk off a botched lob pass against ECU. I'm sure there are others I'm forgetting (I could probably put a half dozen Robinson putback dunks or Rudy Gay lobs on this list)
 
Excalibur said:
The idea that Castle wasn't a supreme athlete probably comes from how effortless his movement looks. He reminds me of a young Paul Pierce in that respect (Pierce was a better shooter). He's a top level athlete whose game isn't based on pure athleticism.
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Yeah, he's so smooth it gives the illusion he's not super athletic, but that's far from the truth.
Sorta like an average baseball outfielder that makes a crazy looking diving catch vs an elite outfielder that makes the same catch standing still while yawning. He's so athletic he can get in position to catch the ball much faster than the average athlete outfielder who has to use 100% of his energy to barely catch the ball.
 
Excalibur said:
The four best UConn dunks I can remember were Sticks' half court alley vs. Texas, Lamb's vs. Columbia, Donyell against Seton Hall, and Bouknight's one-handed dunk off a botched lob pass against ECU. I'm sure there are others I'm forgetting (I could probably put a half dozen Robinson putback dunks or Rudy Gay lobs on this list)
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Stanley had a so many that were crazy. My favorite is his left handed put back dunk against the entire Providence team. It's the most impressive dunk I've ever seen from a UConn player. 2:03 mark of this video...

 
superjohn said:
Stanley had a so many that were crazy. My favorite is his left handed put back dunk against the entire Providence team. It's the most impressive dunk I've ever seen from a UConn player. 2:03 mark of this video...

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Add in the one that got us within 3 in the Final Four game against Michigan State (7:01). The Texas lob is at 10:06.
 
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Scottzer said:
But we saw a glimmer of it in his worst offensive game of the tourney vs Illinois. That dunk was sick, and it was on a very good defender (Shannon), whom he also locked up.
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My all-time favorite UConn in-game quote remains, "Got a mismatch," before Kemba's BET ankle-breaker.

My second favorite is, "Castle's been quiet..." before that spin & dunk.
 
Gurleyman said:
I'd like to submit:

"Trajan Langdon with the ball, he's going up against a great defender, what's he doing here?"
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Without any of the attitude I'd associate with someonesaying this, I actually expected the stop and the outcome, and don't remember that call.

I've even rewatched the game and been surprised how good an opponent Duke was, and how close the game was.
 
Hans Sprungfeld said:
My all-time favorite UConn in-game quote remains, "Got a mismatch," before Kemba's BET ankle-breaker.

My second favorite is, "Castle's been quiet..." before that spin & dunk.
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That Kemba one is great…I submit for you a couple more:

“The shot…yesss…the shot’s gonna count. The shot by Tate George wins it”

“Just when they say you can’t, you can, and UConn has won the national championship.”
 
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Hans Sprungfeld said:
Without any of the attitude I'd associate with someonesaying this, I actually expected the stop and the outcome, and don't remember that call.

I've even rewatched the game and been surprised how good an opponent Duke was, and how close the game was.
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Always felt like we didn't even play our best in that one. We actually lost our minds from about the 8 minute mark to the 4 minute mark of the second half after we went up 5. We had 4-5 wasted possessions that let them tie it back up. Langdon also hit a couple threes (and a FT) on an exhausted Ricky at the end of the half (although he was exhausted because he scored 13 and that wouldn't happen every night).
 
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UCHuskies08 said:
Huh? I think every game I was texting people what an effortlessly freakish athlete he was.
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His athleticism on display wasn't usually the straight run and jump athleticism you saw from Jackson. He never showed an outstanding first step because he often used his superb strength and balance to get by defenders. It wasn't that it was absent but he just didn't show nearly the CONSTANT explosiveness at UConn that he shows in the NBA.
 
superjohn said:
Stanley had a so many that were crazy. My favorite is his left handed put back dunk against the entire Providence team. It's the most impressive dunk I've ever seen from a UConn player. 2:03 mark of this video...

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Norm Bailey double clutch two handed against Nova was best I ever saw. Had a little David Thompson in it.
 
Hans Sprungfeld said:
My all-time favorite UConn in-game quote remains, "Got a mismatch," before Kemba's BET ankle-breaker.

My second favorite is, "Castle's been quiet..." before that spin & dunk.
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Two

“Elton Brand is so big and strong. He has powerful hands”. And then Saunders knocks the ball from him which while in the air is grabbed by Soulymane and put in for 2.

Vs Florida. UConn was down quickly in the first half and their offense was not getting much. “UConn is not penetrating. They are just passing the ball around the perimeter”. That was a fair observation as UConn was in the middle of a possession passing the ball around the outside for 15 seconds. But he just finishes saying that when Shabazz throws a rocket pass from 25’ at the rim and a cutting Daniels throw it down with authority. Awesome!
 
cwh20 said:
Two

“Elton Brand is so big and strong. He has powerful hands”. And then Saunders knocks the ball from him which while in the air is grabbed by Soulymane and put in for 2.

Vs Florida. UConn was down quickly in the first half and their offense was not getting much. “UConn is not penetrating. They are just passing the ball around the perimeter”. That was a fair observation as UConn was in the middle of a possession passing the ball around the outside for 15 seconds. But he just finishes saying that when Shabazz throws a rocket pass from 25’ at the rim and a cutting Daniels throw it down with authority. Awesome!
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The best quotations are context sensitive.

And all of them have a ring!
 
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