2023 Recruiting: - Stephon Castle "Best player of the game yesterday" | The Boneyard

2023 Recruiting: Stephon Castle "Best player of the game yesterday"

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UCONN COMMIT STEPHON CASTLE TURNING FROM PROSPECT TO PLAYER​

Stephon Castle has long been one of the most tantalizing prospects in the 2023 class. A 6-foot-6 guard with tremendous length and the skillset and feel to play any position on the perimeter.

In years' past, Castle tended to operate on the passive side more than the assertive side but he has really ramped up his aggressiveness and his assertiveness on the court.

The talent and potential for him to make a major impact on the court is coming to light and being felt by the opposition. Castle truly is a physically gifted player and the UConn staff and fanbase should be excited with what he brings to the court.

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Stockrisers and storylines as hoops has taken over the ATL

ATLANTA, GA -- Another day of the first July live period is in the books and since I didn't recap day one, we are making this a two-for-one! On day one, the overwhelming
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husky429 said:
He has all the pieces to be an elite player. Once he develops that competitive fire under our staff, he's going to be great.
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I get vibes from his game that he's like a Tatum or Jimmy Butler whereas Solo Ball is a Ja Morant or Westbrook. Obviously not saying they will be anywhere near as good as those players, just what stars they remind me of at a young age in terms of playing style and athleticism.

Castle isn't a jump out of the gym athlete, neither are Tatum and Butler. He looks really skilled like them and uses his pace, size, and skill to get his buckets which is what they do. Solo Ball is an athletic freak who will be unstoppable in transition using his speed, hops, and body control near the rim to get his scores like they do.
 
superjohn said:
I get vibes from his game that he's like a Tatum or Jimmy Butler whereas Solo Ball is a Ja Morant or Westbrook. Obviously not saying they will be anywhere near as good as those players, just what stars they remind me of at a young age in terms of playing style and athleticism.

Castle isn't a jump out of the gym athlete, neither are Tatum and Butler. He looks really skilled like them and uses his pace, size, and skill to get his buckets which is what they do. Solo Ball is an athletic freak who will be unstoppable in transition using his speed, hops, and body control near the rim to get his scores like they do.
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I get the same read. They'll compliment each other well in the back court.
 
Offhegoes said:
Reminds me of Jimmy Butler.
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I remember Jimmy Butler being an "okay" prospect his first 2 years at Marquette.

All it proves is that work ethic & aggression can be taught and cultivated. Super excited to see what Castle can grow upon.
 
BGesus4 said:
Great comp. Haven’t heard anyone say it before. Definitely see the resemblance on the offensive package.
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the-boneyard.com

2023 Recruiting: - Stephon Castle

This is so Connecticut..... I’m just glad someone got the reference!!!
the-boneyard.com the-boneyard.com

Can't believe I'm doing this but.....I knew I distinctly remembered saying this on here when I saw him at first.
 
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kcc1442 said:
the-boneyard.com

2023 Recruiting: - Stephon Castle

This is so Connecticut..... I’m just glad someone got the reference!!!
the-boneyard.com the-boneyard.com

Can't believe I'm doing this but.....I knew I distinctly remembered saying this on here when I saw him at first.
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Touché. Great comp to you too. Also I’m heavily debating changing my handle to “offensive package”.
 
2nd best guard on the Under Armour Association AAU circuit.

2. STEPHON CASTLE, 6-6, ATLANTA XPRESS​

The first question in the Castle evaluation is whether he is a true point guard at the next level. He plays with the ball in his hands now and has shown a passing acumen, but seemed more natural as the athletic secondary playmaker with size during his stint with USA Basketball. He makes high-level plays with the ball in the open floor, gets downhill in transition as well as coming off ball-screens, and knows how to change his pace in the pick-and-roll. He is exceptionally imposing with the ball because of his positional size, strength, body control and balance holding off contact and maintaining his line, even when going through the lane with euros. While he rarely gets sped up as a handler, he also does not have as much shake or even change-of-direction as a typical point guard. He can see and pass over top of smaller guards and similarly has an effective short pull-up game that may become a bigger part of his arsenal at the next level. His inconsistencies as a shooter are the most glaring swing skill. He shoots a harder ball and can lose confidence, even at the free-throw line. Defensively, he has extreme potential versatility that may eventually be his calling card, even if it is not yet the emphasis of his game. Castle is not especially vocal, but commands his teammates’ respect when he does talk. Similarly, with his natural tools, he is capable of imposing his will on the game, on both ends of the floor, probably more so than he does now. Overall, Castle projects as an extremely versatile defender and downhill playmaker, especially in the half-court – that is a realistic floor. His ceiling would come from proving he is a true big point guard, developing his jumper and a true killer instinct to maximize his unique tools.

247sports.com

Breaking down the best 2023 guards in the Under Armour Association

My approach to the month of July has been to tackle one circuit at a time in order to build out my own position-based depth charts by circuit, as almost a building block
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husky429 said:
He has all the pieces to be an elite player. Once he develops that competitive fire under our staff, he's going to be great.
Expand ...
I hope he can develop that fire. I tend to think “the fire” is innate in most players. You either have it or you don’t. Nonetheless, he’s going to be a great player if he keeps honing his craft.
 
Kid is a beast and love his size
Great to have him in a UConn uniform soon
For him not to be a 5* is ridiculous
 
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I’m much less stressed about recruiting HS students than I was before the Portal. It’s less critical and no need to take a flyer on a player to fill a slot. I’d rather take proven portal players and build around a couple Castles every year than put all our eggs into one basket of unproven hs players.
 
fatlucy said:
I’m much less stressed about recruiting HS students than I was before the Portal. It’s less critical and no need to take a flyer on a player to fill a slot. I’d rather take proven portal players and build around a couple Castles every year than put all our eggs into one basket of unproven hs players.
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I think that's especially true for shooters. I am not against filling in the perimeter spacers (Alleyne/Calcaterra) with the transfer portal guys. You know they can shoot already... and we NEED that skill.
 
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Storrs South said:
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I love how he seems to have increased his commitment to playing with more energy/authority - especially breaking down (multiple) defenders with his patience and physical assets as it is letting him get to the rim with ease. That's going to be huge in the BE.
 
I went through all 15 of Castle's UAA box scores. He was SUPER ineffecient shooting the rock through the spring in the 7 games they have (and USA Basketball)... since then he has really turned it around.

Post-July (8 games)

17.1 PTS
6.4 REB
2.0 AST

2.1 TO
0.5 BLK
1.8 STL

48% FG (11.0 attempts per)
42% 3FG (3.0 attempts per)
66% FT (8.1 attempts per)

Pre-July (7 games)

15.8 PTS
4.7 REB
2.3 AST

2.9 TO
0.6 BLK
0.9 STL

37% FG (14.2 attempts per)
24% 3FG (4.7 attempts per)
70% FT (5.9 attempts per)

I'm going to make some huge generalizations based on God-awful AAU games and not having watched the games.
  • Gets to the line a lot consistently... Averaging around 70% from there needs to improve.
  • 24% from deep to 42% is a MASSIVE turnaround. Same with 37% to 48% overall.
  • More steals and rebounds, less shot attempts after the break. More team basketball and less hero stuff?
 
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