Eric says Castleton Set to Lead the Way

Colin was good last season. With a little extra muscle and slight improvements in stats all around, he'll be great this season. I'd really like to see him develop a little Vernon Macklin hook shot, and get a little better at passing out of the double team.

 

I personally would love to watch an elite defensive team.

 

Like they say, defense travels well.

 

And giving up 20 or less at the half is pretty sweet.

 

I'll say the obvious...which is...if you are not going to be a prolific scoring team then you have to play really good defense in order to move into the post-season with a good seeding. Of course having both would be optimal.

 

If we're an elite defensive team, that may provide the scoring opportunities and breakaway points to make up for a so-so offense. Anyway, good defense is a real advantage in those big arenas of the NCAAT, where shooting often suffers.

 

Depends on what "lead the way" means. I have doubts about him statistically leading the team in scoring, because it's just to hard for a big man down low to do that the way the game is played now, unless his outside shot really improved and becomes more frequent. I do see him being a floor leader, though. He's got a little bit of Christian Laettner at Duke vibes to him. So, yes, I do think that Castleton can be the heart and soul of the team and lead in that way for sure. Scoring and stats... maybe... but we know very little about our individual transfers, and even less about how they have come together as a team.

BTW, I dropped 18-20 points in my men's league last night. I think I saw Mike White in the bleachers scouting me for a scholarship, but it also could have been the janitor. Hard to say.

 

Really enjoy Eric F (Thank you Eric) great write up.
CC is certainly cause for hope and excitement on this years club.

Would be fab if he makes all SEC first team!

 

Thank you! Preseason content leading up to the season is going to ramp up starting now!

 

Colin Castleton should be on the pre-season ALL-SEC team and he should be Florida's best returning player and give the Gators its identity. It's too bad that KJ may not play on this team and team up with Castleton in the front-court. Had that happened, Florida would legitmately be a top 10/top 5 kind of team.

However, I have a feeling that the newcomer, CJ Felder, will do a great job in the front-court along with returning player Duriji. Hopefully this year, Jitoboh can also give some quality, back-up minutes at the center position, too. Florida may become a smaller team whenever Castleton goes out of the line-up such as being in early, foul trouble.


It will be interesting to see how effective Castleton will be from both beyond the 3-point line but also in making some mid-range jumpers, too. If Castleton can consistently make some outside shots, that should help with Florida's offensive spacing and letting other players drive to the basket, too.

However, in addition to improving his post moves, Castleton should continue to focus in improving his center/post skills such as increasing his rebounding numbers, defend without fouling and not always trying to block a shot - just give the threat of going for a shot-block and be in position to rebound and limit the other teams' possessions.


Here's to Castleton & his teammates having a great season and helping Florida achieve another successful year of basketball.

 

Needing a strong leader with all the new faces. Hopefully Big C on the floor and Key on the bench and practice will be a great team.

 

only 2 games into the season but CC leads the country in blocks:
NCAA College Basketball Statistics, College Basketball Statistics, NCAA Basktball Statistics - ESPN

 

And one-half of his games were against a team with 7 nine-footers.

 

He still looks thin but is strong. Going against JJ in practice must be helpful. He's playing very hard.

 

Eric, looks like you called this right! I didn't think the ball would get down low to him often enough to lead the team in scoring, but looks like I was wrong. Thanks for putting out great writeups!

 

The word which comes to mind for me with CC is "deceptive." He appears to be stronger than you might think when first watching him play and he has some nice moves around the basket. He's also cerebral and plays smart most of the time.

 

All true but don't forget determined. He seems to really be determined to dominate.

 

That's another good description.