MANHATTAN-BOUND: BHS Bruin hoop standout commits to Kansas State
Just like the first line from the classic song standard by Rodgers and Hart, a Bartlesville High student-athlete could proclaim "I'll take Manhattan."
Following an intense search that began prior to the end of his freshman year and has increased since at an acute acceleration, David Castillo has finally picked a college address.
The explosive Bartlesville Bruin basketball player has committed to Kansas State, the winner of what could be called the Castillo Lottery.
The 6-foot-2 junior is rated as a 5-star prospect and among the elite players nationally coming out of the Class of 2024.
Several top college programs, including the 2022 NCAA champion Kansas Jayhawks, expended much recruiting capital to try to entice Castillo to their program.
Castillo is on his way to becoming the first 2,000-point scorer in Bruin history.
He has averaged approximately 25 points per game since starting on the varsity as a ninth-grader.
He has recorded at least one 40-point game each of his first three seasons.
Putting the ball in the hoop is only part of Castillo's wizardry. He's also a superlative passer that can deliver the ball from any angle, a fierce rebounder, can knock down the trey or drive through traffic put the pumpkin in the hole, can pump in fadeaways and fallaways with taller defenders looming over him and is a dangerous free throw shooter.
Although Bartlesville High hasn't gathered a ton of wins during Castillo's tenure, due largely to the infusion of at least two new starters in each of his three years, the Bruins have risen to some tremendous achievements -- including defeating Broken Arrow on its home court back during Castillo's sophomore season, and last season breaking a nine-year losing streak against Tulsa Union.
Guiding Castillo's prep career has been Clent Stewart -- a Kansas State graduate and former standout Wildcat basketball player.
In addition to his high school accomplishments, Castillo has earned a spot on the USA Basketball U16 and U17 teams the past two summers and helped the squads win gold medals in international competition.
Castillo joins a K-State program coming off a blockbuster NCAA tourney showing, which advanced to the Elite Eight.
The 2022-23 Wildcat roster included five seniors, three juniors and six sophomores or freshmen.
This article originally appeared on Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise: Bartlesville 5-star David Castillo commits to Kansas State basketball
