Top college basketball coaches visit town to court Bartlesville star David Castillo
When it comes to high school junior basketball recruits, Bartlesville 5-star talent David Castillo is one of most wanted players in America.
A Who’s Who list of some of America’s premier and most well-known college basketball programs — including the defending national champion University of Kansas team — have made a pilgrimage the last week to Bartlesville to meet with Castillo and his family and have the opportunity to observe him in action as they court the specially-gifted and accomplished player with a deep well of worth ethic.
Castillo — a 6-foot-2 point guard — is nearing the start of his junior season at Bartlesville. He started every game as a freshman and sophomore and carries a career scoring average of 25 points per game.
ESPN has ranked him as top point guard coming out of the high school class of 2024 and one of the top 10 players overall. In addition, he’s been part of two USA Basketball national teams that won gold medals in international competition.
Beginning toward the end of Castillo’s freshman school year, several top-notch university and college programs offered him scholarships — but that was pretty much the extent of recruiting they have been allowed to do the past year-and-a-half.
However, the ballgame, so to speak, changed on Sept. 9, when coaches and recruiters were allowed to travel to Bartlesville to spend time with Castillo, thanks to the NCAA’s 42-day contact and evaluation period, which will last through early November.
One coach wasted no time in beating his competitors ahead of the wild scramble of visitors that has taken place the past week. Oklahoma State head coach Mike Boynton and his staff visited Castillo at 12:01 a.m. on Sept. 9.
That visit opened a deluge of distinguished coaches, each with the intent of courting Castillo for their team.
Coaches from Kansas, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, K-State, Arkansas and Florida included on growing list visiting Bartlesville
As mentioned above, University of Kansas head coach Bill Self — and his whole staff — spent a few hours watching Castillo practice and meeting with him.
“That was pretty cool obviously with Bill Self coming off a national championship season,” said Bartlesville High head basketball coach Clent Stewart, who is helping coordinate the timing of the visits. “Bill is so tuned in with Oklahoma because he’s from here.”
Jerome Tang, the head coach of Stewart’s alma mater Kansas State, and his entire staff also have already been to Bartlesville to enjoin in the quest to bring him on board as a Wildcat.
University of Oklahoma head coach Porter Moser has been among the other visitors, as has a University of Florida assistant and a University of Arkansas assistant.
Oklahoma State could send someone again this week, and Stewart said he’s heard Gonzaga and Villanova also are interested in traveling to Bartlesville to recruit Castillo.
“It’s pretty amazing,” Stewart said about the flood of attention and visits.
Every school is allowed a total of 100 recruiting days total, so that means when a program like Oklahoma State send four coaches for one visit that counts as a four recruiting days against its 100 days, Stewart explained.
The coaches let Castillo and Stewart ahead of time when they’re coming, “so we can confirm the time we’re practicing and the ability to meet with David,” Stewart said. “They just can’t meet during his class periods. They can be with him during the basketball hour, or come before or after his classes.”
One of the practical benefits of this contact/evaluation period is to set unofficial campus visit dates for Castillo, Stewart said.
“By far this is the most attention I’ve ever been a part of in recruiting,” Stewart said. “It’s pretty special when you have Division I head coach show up in Bartlesville along with their whole staff. It’s pretty special when they say they’ll be back.”
This article originally appeared on Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise: Bartlesville High basketball player David Castillo courted by coaches
