Stephon Castle Proves Worth as NBA Prospect, Leads Huskies to Final Four Win

The UConn guard led his team and never shook, reaching a bid to the national championship yet again.

Apr 6, 2024; Glendale, AZ, USA; Connecticut Huskies guard Stephon Castle (5) dribbles the ball / Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

The UConn Huskies were able to advance to the National Championship for the second consecutive season on Saturday evening.

A 14-point win over fourth-seeded Alabama, the highly touted 7-foot-2 sophomore in Donovan Clingan's two-way effort and interior presence did a lot for the Huskies in the win.

But it was freshman guard Stephon Castle who'd prove to be the true difference maker in the Final Four bout. Matched up against the Crimson Tide's Mark Sears — who led the game in scoring with 24 points on just 14 shots — it was a truly fun test between two highly involved guards.

Castle, a projected lottery pick, had himself a day in the biggest game of his young career of just 33 games, as he led UConn with a 21-point, five-rebound performance while shooting 53.8% from the field.

"We're just super relentless," Castle told Andy Katz postgame. "We knew that they were a good team. We knew they weren't going to go away, but we were just super relentless today and we got it done."

That relentlessness first came when the Crimson Tide wasn't showing him much respect, if any, sagging off of him and letting him shoot the three ball — he'd end up shooting 2-of-6 from three and 7-of-13 from the field.

It wasn't the smartest plan to play off of one of the best freshmen in college basketball, but Alabama was adamant in making the freshman have to beat them, rather than Clingan or the others who'd claimed the national title a year ago.

"I noticed it like the first play of the game when we were trying to run a set and the guy was guarding me in the paint. I tried to take advantage of it early," Castle said. "It was kind of a disrespect on their end just to guard that far back. ... I saw the ball go in early. I thought it started a great night for me."

It definitely did, sparking one of his best performances on the season and in his collegiate career, simultaneously reaching the National Championship and bolstering his claim as a lottery pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.

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