Unable to find their footing throughout much of Wednesday night, the No. 1 UConn Huskies and the Providence Friars were searching for anything to spark their offense. The sides swapped leads through the first few minutes of the second half before UConn finally found what it had been missing. Freshman guard Stephon Castle sunk a 3-pointer to knot the game at 34 and another just a minute later to take a three-point lead. Connecticut led the rest of the night and cruised to their 19th win of the season.
Stephon Castle Expanding His Offensive Game with UConn
Castle, a former McDonald’s All-American and consensus five-star recruit, arrived in Connecticut as a 6-foot-6, tough, defensive guard with a strong ability to play in the paint offensively. The freshman proved his capabilities there no problem with five Big East Freshman of the Week honors to this point. What hadn’t become so clear was his ability to score from the perimeter.
Through Castle’s first 10 games of the season, he had only shot 2-for-13 (15%) from deep, attempting more than two 3-pointers in a game just once. In the five games since, however, Castle has seemingly become much more comfortable with his jump shot. Shooting 37.5% from 3-point range over that stretch, he’s converted on 6 of 16 attempts and shot four or more triples in three of those games.
UConn’s most recent outing against Providence on Wednesday was Castle’s most impressive game of the season in more ways than one. He notched a career-high 20 points in the win and sunk multiple 3-pointers for the first time this season.
Taking Advantage of Opportunities
Without showing a willingness to attempt shots from the perimeter early in the season, defenses had begun to play off of Castle. This was something UConn saw plenty of a season ago with Andre Jackson Jr. before he solidified his jumper in March. This was referred to as the “Andre Jackson treatment” on Wednesday night after the UConn victory. Head coach Dan Hurley didn’t exactly equate the two players, however.
“Andre was more of a deep thinker, and over thinker,” Hurley explained. “Whereas Steph just keeps playing and maybe just thinks a little bit less out there. If you asked him, he might not even understand how far off [the defense] is playing.
Castle’s reason was a similar tone to Hurley’s. The freshman explained that he’s not out there looking for any specific shots, but rather just staying within the confines of Hurley’s offense.
“I really don’t try and hunt shots,” said Castle. “I really just try and play through our offense. I see how they’re guarding me and just try not to settle. I don’t allow that to stop me from getting in the paint and playing my game.”
Hurley noted his confidence in the type of shots Castle had begun to take. If the freshman continues to string together some nights like this, it will force the defense to respect his jumper and open the lane for what he’s truly elite at.
Up Next for No. 1 UConn
UConn will be at Madison Square Garden to visit Rick Pitino and St. John’s on Saturday at noon. They’ll be back in Hartford on Tuesday to host the Butler Bulldogs at 8:30 p.m.
