Stephon Castle dazzled in the Rising Stars game like none other. The rookie showed he can control the game and has some serious hang time. The MVP award has finally brought him some much-needed attention. People are finally realising how lethal this Spurs lineup will be now that Castle gets to team up with Victor Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox. But to San Antonio’s Front Office’s credit, they saw something special in him long before.
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Spurs began looking into Castle while he was still at UConn. Their scout, George Felton, was so enamored by his game, he couldn’t help but confess his amazement to Kimani Young, who is the assistant coach for UConn.
Felton was especially impressed by the rookie’s performance against Creighton. Young revealed that particular game was the most important in the entire season for UConn. So, they were practicing at high intensity. The responsibility to guard Baylor Scheierman, who Young believes was the best player in the league at the time, was given to Castle.
He said, “It wasn’t a great day for him. It was a tough day for him because every mistake he made, the coach was there. And any mistake that coach missed, I was there.” With Felton in attendance, Castle was operating under immense pressure. Yet, instead of cracking under pressure, he was able to impress the scout and his coaches with his work ethic.
“What Goerge Felton said was, ‘Kimani, all my years of doing this…You were on top of him 75 times…Coach Hurley was on top of him…a 100 times and the kid never blinked,” Young recalled. Castle kept calm throughout the practice and showed great body language and dedication towards his work.
Stephon Castle: “I’ve never seen that before.” UConn Assistant Kimani Young talks about what George Felton, scout and Director of College Player Personnel for the San Antonio Spurs said when he saw Castle play at UConn.
(🎥: @YouthInc)pic.twitter.com/eeCt8YQhVJ— SpursRΞPORTΞR (@SpursReporter) February 15, 2025
“He said he had never seen that before,” Young added. After being impressed by the youngster’s resilience, the Spurs spent their fourth pick in the draft on Castle. Scheierman, who Castle was responsible for guarding in that career-changing game was drafted as the 30th pick by the Boston Celtics.
Stephon Castle might just become a household name
Granted the Rising Stars game isn’t the first time Castle has proven his worth in the league. Granted the Spurs drafted him at fourth. Indeed he is also most likely to win the Rookie of the Year award. But even then, what he did today has propelled him into a space populated by stars.
This is a pivotal moment in his career. Not only is he leading the Rookie of the Year race, but he now has the opportunity to at least make the play-ins after Spurs got the former Kings star.
San Antonio, with Chris Paul’s veteran leadership, seems poised to become championship-ready in a couple of years. When that happens, Castle will be part of one of the best trios in the league and undoubtedly a household name.
