Freshman guard David Castillo emerging as bright spot for Kansas State in dark season
The Kansas State men’s basketball team is on a winning streak ... when David Castillo is on the court.
K-State managed to outscore Texas Tech by 11 points when he was in the game last week at Bramlage Coliseum. Then he followed that up by helping the Wildcats score 15 more points than rival Kansas when he was on the floor over the weekend at Allen Fieldhouse.
Castillo, a freshman guard, had the best plus/minus numbers of anyone on the K-State basketball roster during both of those games.
That is an encouraging development for Jerome Tang’s team. Even though his promising play wasn’t enough for the Wildcats to win either game (they have actually lost five straight and eight of their past nine) it is something that EMAW nation can feel good about as they build toward the future.
“The last couple games, he hasn’t allowed whether the ball went in the hole or not to affect his energy and effort,” Tang said. “He’s growing past that and he’s just getting more comfortable with more 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 I trust him. I’m just thankful he’s here.”
Fans should expect Castillo’s minutes to increase as the season goes on.
The Wildcats (7-10, 1-5 Big 12) have no hope of earning an at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament. So it would be wise for Tang to start leaning on some of his young players in an attempt to build toward future seasons.
But it’s not like Tang is simply gifting Castillo playing time because of his age.
He is a valuable player.
That much has been made clear by his plus/minus numbers. He only scored two points and sent out one assist against Texas Tech, but good things happened for K-State when he was in the game. Ditto for the Sunflower Showdown. Castillo only scored six points and sent out one assist in that game, but the Wildcats held their own in a tough environment when he was on the floor.
His confidence is growing.
“It’s just building every day,” Castillo said. “I’m just practicing with my teammates. My coaches are showing some trust in me and that is pumping more confidence into me.”
Castillo showed just how much confidence he is playing with when he knocked down a 3-pointer from the corner to cut the Kansas lead down to single digits in the final six minutes.
“It felt good being out there,” Castillo said. “I have figured out that I can make an impact defensively and build trust and build confidence. I fed off the guys when I was on the floor. That was kind of my way to make an impact.”
Big things were expected from Castillo when he signed with K-State as a four-star recruit.
But it’s not easy for a freshman to make an immediate impact during the transfer era. Early on this season, Tang leaned heavily on his older players. That is the main reason why Castillo is averaging 2.8 points and 0.9 assists in 11.4 minutes per game.
The Wildcats trust Castillo now though. Good things are happening when he is on the court.