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New Kansas State men’s basketball five-star commit David Castillo stands with the Wildcat coaching staff during a recruiting visit. Castillo announced his commitment on Tuesday afternoon.
New Kansas State men’s basketball five-star commit David Castillo stands with the Wildcat coaching staff during a recruiting visit. Castillo announced his commitment on Tuesday afternoon.
Kansas State men’s basketball coach Jerome Tang landed the first five-star recruit of his tenure on Tuesday.
Oklahoma combo guard David Castillo announced his commitment to the Wildcats in front of a crowd of fans in the gym of his high school, Bartlesville High.
“It feels amazing,” Castillo said. “It’s been a very long process and I didn’t know I’d be committing this early. I’ve just taken it day-by-day and it’s definitely been a dream come true.”
Castillo is the 20th ranked player in country in the Class of 2024 according to the 247Sports Composite ranking.
He’s a composite five-star player, but is rated a four star by 247Sports, On3 and Rivals. Only ESPN has given him five stars of the major recruiting services.
Currently, Castillo would be the fourth-highest rated recruit of the modern era (since 2000) for the Wildcats, coming in behind Michael Beasley, Wally Judge and Henry (Bill) Walker.
Castillo was offered by more than 15 schools, including the likes of Texas, LSU, Texas Tech, Arkansas and Illinois, but it came down to the final three of K-State, Oklahoma State and Kansas.
In the end, the Wildcats won out over the hometown Cowboys and their rivals up the road.
As a junior, Castillo averaged 23.2 points, six rebounds and four assists per game and was named first team all-league. He also broke Bartlesville High’s career scoring record with an entire season left to play.
He won two gold medals while playing with USA Basketball, including averaging over 10 points a game during the U17 World Cup.
Speaking to media members after the announcement, Castillo said that he had made his decision roughly three weeks ago and had notified the coaches in advance.
“It was just a gut feeling,” Castillo said. “I really trust coach Tang and everything he believes in. I want to help him win a national championship.”
The Wildcats are fresh off a run to the Elite Eight, something Castillo said was definitely a factor in his decision of the last couple months.
“(Tang) told me that he wanted to win a national championship before the season, and for him to come very close, it brought some attention to me,” Castillo said. “It was very cool to see.”
Castillo also said that Wildcat senior point guard Markquis Nowell’s success throughout the last season impacted his decision.
He is coached by former K-State guard Clent Stewart, who played for the Wildcats from 2004 to 2008.
“I’m just so happy for him, knowing he’s worked so long for this moment to finally be here,” Stewart said. “And for him to be able to go to Kansas State is obviously special for me, but I’m just happy for him having the opportunity to go play at the next level, Division I, Big 12 basketball. He’s going to do great things. (It’s) pretty special.”
Castillo is K-State’s first recruit of the 2024 class.
