Stephon Castle: “Hurley wants me to play a lot at the one” | Page 2 | The Boneyard

Stephon Castle: “Hurley wants me to play a lot at the one”

HuskyHawk said:
Yes. It will be just as 20 years ago as it was all summer. The Boston Celtics also don't have a real point guard. I think Hurley tipped his hand a bit this tournament. Diarra isn't coming in when Newton goes out, Alleyne is and Jackson is the PG.
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Alleyne has come in as either the first man off the bench, or the second behind DC, the entire season. Except for the game where Alleyne and Newtown were in the dog house, Diarra has always been the 9th player in the game and we’ve always played some minutes with Jackson, Alleyne and/or Joey sort of sharing point guard duties.
 
Whoever is on the team, we're going to see a heavy sharing of point duties, similar to this season, with Jackson, Castle, and possibly a third guard.
 
WeAreUCONN said:
What are the chances that Newton comes back? If so, they could play together and share the duties with Jackson, assuming he comes back too. I really hope Jackson comes back.
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That happens it will be difficult to keep us out of the pre-season Top 5.
 
aceboon said:
Older Boneyarders gotta start embracing the term and concept of "lead guard".
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Now THAT'S a point guard. Sort of what we've been missing all year.
 
Castle per recruiting/other pages:

247 : "Combo Guard"
ESPN : "Point Guard"
Rivals: "Point Guard"
SI : "Wing. could play the 4 in some lineups"
Prep Hoops: "Combo Guard"
On3: "Shooting Guard"
NBAdraftRoom: "Small Forward"
Zags Blog: "Shooting Guard"
HoopSeen: "Shooting Guard"
The Athletic: "Wing"


Im glad I could clear this subject up for y'all.
 
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“Yeah, I talked to coach [Dan] Hurley the other day, that’s my guy,” Castle said Monday on a Zoom call in response to my question.

“It’s been pretty cool watching them come this far. Just going to the practices, they always have the [West] Region trophy up, I knew that that was their goal coming into the season, so just seeing them finally pull that out, it was a big deal for him and for me and my family just knowing I made that decision to play under him.”

www.zagsblog.com

UConn commit Stephon Castle excited for Final Four, eyeing big role next season | Zagsblog

By ADAM ZAGORIA It doesn’t get much […]
www.zagsblog.com
 
What was Magic J when he was in HS/MSU?? A tall dude that could pass and dribble and always had a height advantage over the guy defending him.. In the NBA.. They called him a point guard..

Castle is a baller with handles.. Whatever he's labeled ..The ball will be in his hands a lot next year as it was this year in HS.. His Dad(AAU coach) has done an awesome job preparing him for college/NBA by putting the ball in his hands at a young age despite his height/size.
 

Stephon Castle, Connecticut​

Castle has great pace and has made huge strides in improving his overall game this season. He's a bigger guard at 6-7 and has solid body control around the rim. He plays with confidence and has a consistent midrange game when pulling up off the pick-and-roll option. He's not as much of a high-volume shooter as Villanova's Cam Whitmore, but both guards are have similar size and tendencies when the ball is in their hands.

www.yahoo.com

McDonald's All-American Game: 8 top performers who impressed scouts in high school basketball showcase

There are several players representing blue-blood programs, but it was a couple players outside of the top-ranked prospects who impressed scouts the most.
www.yahoo.com www.yahoo.com
 
August_West said:
Castle per recruiting/other pages:

247 : "Combo Guard"
ESPN : "Point Guard"
Rivals: "Point Guard"
SI : "Wing. could play the 4 in some lineups"
Prep Hoops: "Combo Guard"
On3: "Shooting Guard"
NBAdraftRoom: "Small Forward"
Zags Blog: "Shooting Guard"
HoopSeen: "Shooting Guard"
The Athletic: "Wing"


Im glad I could clear this subject up for y'all.
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I change my mind. He’s a small forward, maybe power forward. Charles Oakley is the obvious comp.
 
Watching Castle in the first quarter of the burger game and his body language looks like he wishes it was a real game!!
 
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5. SG Stephon Castle – UConn​

Stephon Castle plays at his own pace, and oftentimes it is one that leads to production. The 6-foot-6 guard played his best on the ball this week. My confidence in him on the ball comes from his continued development with his reads. He was able to put two feet in the paint often throughout the week, and once there, he delivered the ball appropriately. The UConn signee also knocked down a few threes during five-on-five play. Castle is a solid athlete, and he will need to stay on top of his motor, but this week he proved to be among the best, showing added facets against the high-level opponents. Castle finished the game with 13 points and two steals. He is the No. 9 player in the 2023 On3 Industry Ranking.

www.on3.com

McDonald's All-American: Overall top performers

March 29, 2023 - On3s Jamie Shaw discusses the top performers from the 46th annual McDonald's All-American game week.
www.on3.com www.on3.com
 
Stephon has the same hesitation dribble and stutter-step as Kemba. Like Kemba, his first thought is to manufacture his own shot. Despite the difference in height, that is the comparison that comes to mind. Like Kemba. he will work into the lead guard role, but he will never be a pass-first PG. There will be growing pains in the guard position next year, whether or not Jackson returns. The concern is that we will not have Stephon for more than one year, and so we will never get to see the 2011 Kemba version.
 
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Sphinx said:
Stephon has the same hesitation dribble and stutter-step as Kemba. Like Kemba, his first thought is to manufacture his own shot. Despite the difference in height, that is the comparison that comes to mind. Like Kemba. he will work into the lead guard role, but he will never be a pass-first PG. There will be growing pains in the guard position next year, whether or not Jackson returns. The concern is that we will not have Stephon for more than one year, and so we will never get to see the 2011 Kemba version.
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Gives of SGA Vibes, but taller
 
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I think where some people get confused is ballhandler and playmakers are different now. That wasn't true in 1999 during our first championship. All 5 positions can be a playmaker, not just a guard.

We will have an abundance of playmakers next year. Castle, Newton, Jackson, Karaban are all playmakers.

Question is whether we have enough ballhandling to break a press. Our guys are high enough IQ players that im Not worried about pressure. We have a bunch of decent ballhandlers to break a press, but no one elite.

Personally I think we're fine. The size at every position is worth the potential weakness. Pass over the press and throw the ball to our 7'2 monster for a dunk. Easy money.
 
HuskyHawk said:
Yes. It will be just as 20 years ago as it was all summer. The Boston Celtics also don't have a real point guard. I think Hurley tipped his hand a bit this tournament. Diarra isn't coming in when Newton goes out, Alleyne is and Jackson is the PG.
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I think that is not an intentional plan by Hurley, but just the result of Alleyne and Jackson playing so well, it’s hard to take them out
 
auror said:
He's more of a "finisher".

Playmakers or finishers is how some people classify players. Sanogo is a textbook finisher (except last game!). Hawkins is also a finisher. There is a continuum between pure finisher and pure creator/playmaker. Jackson is all the way to the playmaker side (he won't even try to finish a play even if he's wide open if there's someone else also slightly open). Sanogo will only playmake if he's double teamed. Alleyne is on the finisher side of things, but closer to the middle. He can pass and playmake a bit, but more likely to catch and shoot or attack hoop in transition. He can dribble and create a shot for himself, but doesn't usually playmake for others.

Ballhandler I consider separate, just a trait, like "rebounder" or "versatile defender."
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Have seen him numerous times give up the ball to AS/DC/AK for an assist.. But he is also one of our more talented guards/wings when the defense gives him an opening or the offensive set breaks down.. And getting his own shot..
 
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husky429 said:
I think where some people get confused is ballhandler and playmakers are different now. That wasn't true in 1999 during our first championship. All 5 positions can be a playmaker, not just a guard.

We will have an abundance of playmakers next year. Castle, Newton, Jackson, Karaban are all playmakers.

Question is whether we have enough ballhandling to break a press. Our guys are high enough IQ players that im Not worried about pressure. We have a bunch of decent ballhandlers to break a press, but no one elite.

Personally I think we're fine. The size at every position is worth the potential weakness. Pass over the press and throw the ball to our 7'2 monster for a dunk. Easy money.
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Exactly. The NBA shifted to this before college, and while, aside from Jokic, most team's assist leader is labeled a PG, it's much more spread around. Most teams aren't running the offense through a single PG. There's no John Stockton out there. Giannis, Tatum, even Embiid gets over 4 assists a game.

UConn is running the closest thing to a modern NBA offense I've seen in the college game. Now, if you've got Nowell at K-State and very few other playmakers, you aren't running that. You're running a traditional offense. Most teams in college are going to be forced into something more like that. Hurley is intentionally building the roster differently.

As for our playmakers, don't forget about Donovan as one of those. I know he has a rep as a good passer, but flashed it only occasionally this year. Next year I challenge teams to stop his lobs to Johnson or Jackson, and think he can kick the ball out to shooters quite easily.
 
HuskyHawk said:
As for our playmakers, don't forget about Donovan as one of those. I know he has a rep as a good passer, but flashed it only occasionally this year. Next year I challenge teams to stop his lobs to Johnson or Jackson, and think he can kick the ball out to shooters quite easily.
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Could Clingan, in fact, be the true point guard this team so desperately needs?
 
HuskyHawk said:
Yes. It will be just as 20 years ago as it was all summer. The Boston Celtics also don't have a real point guard. I think Hurley tipped his hand a bit this tournament. Diarra isn't coming in when Newton goes out, Alleyne is and Jackson is the PG.
Expand ...
There are no pure pgs in the nba. Any PG in college who went to the NBA became shooting guards because thats the game - scoring offense is priority one. Brogdon is the closest to a PG in Boston and the NBA but even he looks for his shot first
 
BigErnMcCracken said:
Could Clingan, in fact, be the true point guard this team so desperately needs?
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Samson Johnson was heralded as that in early January here when awaiting his return from injury, so I don't see why not.
 
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