A2toGVSU

April 10th, 2018 at 12:51 PM ^

All D1 caliber big men dunk a bunch on high school kids. Mark Donnal's* high school tape was loaded with ferocious dunks. He never just layed it up. *I am NOT saying Castleton == Donnal. Donnal came here to be a 4 and got forced to the 5 because he couldn't move well enough to play on the wing. I am extremely excited about Castleton and I believe he will be a solid contributor in year 2.

Wolverheel

April 10th, 2018 at 1:47 PM ^

That's not true at all, Donnal was very much expected to be a 5. From UMHoops' commitment post:

 

Donnal is a great fit for the five position in Michigan’s offense. He can step out and hit a jump shot, put the ball on the floor at times and is comfortable running the pick and roll. He needs to continue to gain strength but with two years left in his high school career, he should step on campus."

 

On this site he was listed in the season preview with other 5's McGary, Bielfeldt, Horford, and Morgan. 

 

A2toGVSU

April 10th, 2018 at 3:16 PM ^

My memory failed me there. Maybe I was thinking of early Bielfeldt or Smotrycz. There was quite a parade of undersized below-the-rim (tough, gritty, etc. You know) 5s with just a touch of outside shooting.

Indonacious

April 10th, 2018 at 12:37 PM ^

As I mentioned over in the Iggy thread, I defintely think Castleton's offensive game is very underrated. I heard he picked up basketball relatively recently and so I think his upside is even greater than your average recruit as well.

TheRonimal

April 10th, 2018 at 12:45 PM ^

Hadn’t seen much video of him before and I’m impressed. He even use a behind the back move like mo. Defense will be the most important thing to see from him at the next level but I think his shooting ability (loved seeing his deep 3s and midrange 2s) gets him out there pretty quick next season. Really excited about the future of this team.

MI Expat NY

April 10th, 2018 at 1:29 PM ^

He's a pretty good shot blocker, especially off the ball.  I think the questions are: 1) how well can he defend the pick and roll, 2) how will he hold up in man-to-man against physically equal or superior athletes, and 3) how well will he rebound? 

I don't know much about his history, but he strikes me as being much more coordinated and a little thicker in this video than videos from last summer.  Possible the rest of his body has caught up to his height a bit.  Still think that he's a little skinny to provide great production in year one, but I can see why there is excitement for his future.  

Indonacious

April 10th, 2018 at 1:00 PM ^

I would imagine the delay is due to selection of an agent, but in the event he is to return I would imagine he has been told to hold off on announcing given we would be over the limit, and everyone would be clammoring for who the transfer would be etc.

njvictor

April 10th, 2018 at 12:50 PM ^

This is first time I've seen extensive footage of him playing and I'm very impressived. Surprisingly athletic and mobile for a big guy. Pretty good handle. Good rim protection instincts. Decent form on his jump shot and has a quick release. I also like that he finishes with authority, which is something we don't have too much of. 

1VaBlue1

April 10th, 2018 at 1:13 PM ^

That jump shot shooting stroke!!! OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG!!!!

The 5-out offense LIVES!!!!  ITS ALIIIIVE!!!

He'll see the floor quite a bit as a freshman.  My untrained, bball-limited eyes tell me that it'll be a fist fight between Teske and Castleton for the starting spot late in the year.  But only if he adds some bulk - he seems, ahem, wispy...

Westside Wolverine

April 10th, 2018 at 2:05 PM ^

The kid has fantastic offensive tools. His athleticism is solid, his footwork is above average, his ball-handling is great for his size. The only issue I see is that his shot needs a little tweaking to improve consistency; he does not square to the hoop very well (his left foot and shoulder are further away from the hoop) and his shooting hand finishes too far forward (instead of high). 

Go Blue in MN

April 10th, 2018 at 2:24 PM ^

I try not to get too hyped from high-school highlight videos, but that was impressive.  CC definitely has some skillz.

Long arms, aggressive to the rim, nice outside shot, he even has some moves.

Anyone know anything about the level of competition he was facing?  Didn't look too good to me, but it was hard to tell.

Matt EM

April 10th, 2018 at 2:50 PM ^

I think he as the highest long term upside of anyone in our 2018 class, and likely the most potential to be a future NBA player. Colin has some Pau Gasol qualities to his game for sure.

That said, he is a developmental project in my opinion. He obviously needs to add 20-25 pounds of muscle mass in order to physically compete at the Big Ten level. Beyond that, his HS comp level isn't the greatest and you can see his reaction time lags a bit in terms of his quick twitch movements.

From a scouting/evaluation standpoint the HS highlights don't do much because he's operating in space in the vast majority of those clips.............in other words there is no defense being played by the opposition. In order to properly evaluate a prospect, its crucial to see how their respective skillsets manifest in tight spaces against a set defense where multiple defenders factor into the equation along with absorbing contact.

Even with that though, I seen enough in EYBL to determine that his combination of size/length/athleticism is a game-changer in terms of rim-protection. He also dispalyed a nice midrange jumper and good passing out of the high post. I'm extremely high on Castleton and think he has a future in the NBA in a few years.

 

Matt EM

April 10th, 2018 at 4:01 PM ^

And his decision in large part. If Moe sticks around then I think Colin takes a RS. If Moe leaves then I think Coach Beilein will let Davis/Castleton fight for 10-15 minutes per game during the non-conference with the winner grabbing those minutes in B10 play and beyond.

bluesalt

April 10th, 2018 at 3:36 PM ^

He’s going to have at least two upper-class players ahead of him at his primary position of center, and another upper-classman and a more highly touted freshman and his secondary position of the 4. Combine that with the strength he needs to add and the intricacies of his position both in our offensive and defensive systems, and I just don’t expect to see him burn his redshirt. That doesn’t say anything bad about him as a player, either. DJ Wilson went from a redshirt to mid-1st round pick two years later. Mo barely played once the conference schedule started his first year. His future could be quite bright, but it will be tough for him to leap over that many players given that he also needs to develop more physically. Barring more attrition than expected (e.g. Mo goes pro AND there’s a transfer) or an injury, I think it will be best for both the team and player if he spends next year in the weight room, on the practice floor, and in the classroom.

umchicago

April 10th, 2018 at 5:48 PM ^

i see him getting immediate bench minutes.  nearly 1/3 of his shots were from 3 this past year and he made them at a 32% clip (per max preps; not always the most accurate); shot 62% from 2..  he also shot 75% from the FT line.  that projects to a solid 3 pt shooter.

he looks pretty skilled with the ball, though the competition in the highlights looks pretty bad (ie. short).

if davis can't shoot well from 3, i see castleton getting his minutes by the time BIG season rolls around.

Tyler1495

April 11th, 2018 at 12:16 AM ^

dang now youre going late 90's. Peja had one of the nicest shots ive ever seen in my life i def see the comparison on his shot but other than that two completely different positions like you said less athletic

 

Jonesy

April 11th, 2018 at 1:55 AM ^

I'd be surprised if he plays much as a freshman. He's thin, Beilein's offense is complicated, Yoklich's defense is complicated, he's got 2 people ahead of him going into their 3rd years.

 

I do like that he can dunk from a standstill.