Kansas State Freshman David Castillo Gaining More Comfort With Each Game
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The sequence summed the growth of Kansas State freshman guard David Castillo this season.
On the defensive end, he recorded a steal in Saturday's loss to Kansas. A few seconds later, he hit a 3-pointer to bring the Wildcats to within 68-59.
Moments as such are why K-State coach Jerome Tang is starting to trust Castillo. He finished with six points, two steals and an assist in 23 minutes.
"It's building every day," he said. "Just practicing and my teammates and coaches instill trust in me."
Castillo was on the floor in the clutch, playing against the rival and No. 9 Jayhawks.
"It felt good being out there," Castillo said. "It's just figuring out how I can make an impact defensively."
Castillo is starting to live up to the expectations. During the preseason, Tang spoke highly of Castillo and felt he could become a key contributor as a freshman. He is averaging 2.8 points in 11.4 minutes, but his opportunities could increase if he continues to develop.
"The last couple of games he hasn't allowed whether the ball went in the hole or not affect his energy and effort," Tang said. "He's just getting more comfortable, getting time under his belt out there in Big 12 games against really good players. It's starting to slow down a little bit for him. I trust him."
The Wildcats return to action Wednesday against No. 25 Baylor.
Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Kansas State Wildcats On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com
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Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star. TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here