Stephon Castle displayed his elite potential as a junior and senior at
Newton (Covington), leading the program to state quarterfinal and semifinal appearances in Georgia's highest classification.
Now Castle is being projected as one of the top picks ahead of Wednesday's NBA Draft. Kyle Boone and Gary Parrish of CBSSports.com have him going No. 4 to San Antonio and No. 6 to Charlotte, respectively, in
their latest mocks.
It wouldn't be a complete shock to see Castle go even higher.
Boone also details that he has the fourth-highest odds to go No. 1 behind Zaccharie Risacher, Donovan Clingan and Alex Sarr.
As a senior at Newton, the 6-foot-6 guard tallied 20.1 points, 9.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 3.0 steals and 2.0 blocks per game. He went for a season-high 41 points in an 80-76 loss against nationally-ranked Duncanville (Texas) and earned second team MaxPreps All-America honors.
Projected top ten pick Stephon Castle averaged 20.1 points, 9.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 3.0 steals per contest during a dominant senior campaign. (Photo: Corey Jones)
In 2021-22, Castle averaged 16.6 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists to guide the Rams to the state semifinals and earn MaxPreps Junior All-America honors.
Castle was regarded as the No. 9 overall prospect in the Class of 2023 according to
247Sports. He justified that outlook with 13 points, two rebounds and two steals in the McDonald's All-American Game to close out his prep career.
As a freshman with the national champion Connecticut Huskies, Castle continued to flash his upside. He put up 11.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists per contest while shooting 47.2 percent from the field, 26.7 percent from 3-point range and 75.5 percent from the free throw line in 34 games.
Castle also had a pair of impressive performances when it mattered most for the Huskies. He pumped in 21 points, five rebounds and two assists in an 86-72 victory over Alabama in the Final Four before posting 15 points, five rebounds and three assists in a 75-60 victory over Purdue in the national title game.
