Last season, UConn was able to cut down the final nets of the season via a gargantuan run from some of its best players, including draftees Jordan Hawkins and Andre Jackson Jr.
Hawkins, a shifty sharpshooter who spent one year learning the ropes, was eventually drafted No. 14 overall by the Pelicans. And Jackson found himself taken at No. 36 overall to the Bucks for his defensive efforts.
For the most part, the Huskies will be returning some of the pivotal players from their run.
Adama Sanogo, the teams leading scorer at 17.2 points per contest last season, returns to lead the way. Guard Tristan Newton — now an undeniable leader on the UConn team, who managed to averaged double-digit scoring last season — returns as well. And 7-foot-2 center Donovan Clingan is set to earn plenty of draft hype himself in taking on a much bigger and more impactful role.
But it’s going to be extremely hard to recreate the impact that Hawkins and Jackson added. And that’s where the shiny new five-star guard Stephon Castle comes in.
Castle is likely set to take over a bulk of the point guard duties for the Huskies next season. At 6-foot-6, he has great positional size, the athleticism to match and a smooth offensive game that should showcase itself early and often.
Castle stays calm and controlled with the ball in-hands, using an ambidextrous handle to generate paint touches with relative ease. He’s a good passer who looks to get others involved and has enough perimeter juice to make himself a threat. Defensively, his size, athleticism and IQ should make him more of a force than people expect.
Players like Sanogo, Newton and Clingan will help keep UConn in the running at being the top team in the country, but Castle may very well be the catalyst to elevate both the floor and ceiling of the team with his play.
All of this, coupled with the fact UConn is yet again set to make a run at the national championship, makes Castle a prime potential riser in the 2024 NBA Draft class.
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