A ” Congratulations ! “, a smile and a pat on the shoulder. Tim Duncan just greeted Stephon Castleaccompanied by Harrison Ingram, at the time of their arrival at the Spurs facilities.
The 4th overall pick in the Draft and the local legend have an indirect link that goes beyond the San Antonio franchise: the father of the former, Stacey, teamed up with the former Spurs center for one season (1993-94) at Wake Forest.
Stephon Castle meeting Tim Duncan, who was teammates with Stephon's dad at Wake Forest. https://t.co/z9GxCBTber pic.twitter.com/cjs5kXkp7P
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As The Athletic recallsStacey Castle was then just a player on the end of the bench at the University of North Carolina when Tim Duncan arrived. The latter, that season, would approach the double-double average with a little less than 10 points and 10 rebounds. Before gaining strength year after year, to the point of being selected in first position during the 1997 Draft. And signing the immense career that we know.
Castle, meanwhile, played his senior year at Briar Cliff University in Iowa. He was set to play for the… Harlem Globetrotters after graduation, and even trained at a mini-camp in Orlando. But he decided to return home and play for other college teams before getting into AAU coaching.
Stories told in the family
During his introductory press conference this weekend, a reporter asked Stephon Castle sarcastically if he had heard that his father was “dominating” the future Hall of Famer in practice back in the day. I've heard stories about him playing against Tim Duncan. I haven't heard that he dominated him. I've heard a few and, of course, some good ones, but (this story) has not come back up “, smiles the rookie.
This connection with Wake Forest has taken on a new dimension with the recent announcement of the arrival of Chris Paul, also a prominent figure at this university. The latter, who will begin his 20th season in the Major League, is expected to be a mentor for the young Spurs, including Castle but also Tre Jones, starting point guard last year.
With his college ties through his father, the rookie sees being drafted by the Spurs as ” a dream come true. I was lucky enough to live this experience with my family. They made a lot of sacrifices. They weren't always with me, so to live this with them behind me is nice. »
And what probably awaits him even more: playing with Victor Wembanyama with whom he was able to exchange. We talked about coming to San Antonio and how excited we are to get to work. I can't wait to get out there and show my versatility, especially with the talent we already have on this team. I feel like our future is very bright. “, concludes the rookie, who went to Connecticut, where he was NCAA champion.
