The Indiana basketball program heads off to the Empire Classic this weekend but one of its opponents will be entering a bit shorthanded.
UConn head coach Dan Hurley announced on Friday morning that 5-star point guard Stephon Castle will ‘miss some time’ with a knee injury he suffered last week. The injury isn’t expected to be season-ending, but it is expected to sideline him for this weekend’s matchup with Indiana.
Castle was averaging 14.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game in two games this year.
This summer during UConn’s three-game foreign tour, Castle led the Huskies with 16.7 points per game on 60 percent shooting from the field and 42.9 percent from three.
Castle was a McDonald’s All-American and averaged 20.1 points, 9.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 3.0 steals and 2.0 blocks per game for Newton (Ga.) as a senior.
Castle and Indiana basketball freshman guard Jakai Newton were high school teammates. Unfortunately both players will miss Sunday’s matchup with knee injuries.
The Huskies, coming off of winning the National Championship last season, will lean heavily on a veteran and experienced group. They returned two starters from last year and brought in veteran guard Cam Spencer from Rutgers. In addition, 7-foot-2 center and potential first-round selection in the upcoming NBA Draft, Donavan Clingan jumps into a starting role after playing in a sixth-man role last year.
All five starters were averaging double-digits this season.
Solomon Ball, a 6-foot-3 freshman, started in place of Castle earlier this week. He had 10 points in 28 minutes. He’s averaging 6.3 points and 2.3 rebounds on 28.6 percent shooting.
UConn will also rely on veteran guard Hassan Diarra to fill Castle’s minutes. He is a 6-foot-2 senior who is averaging 4.3 points and 2.7 minutes per game this season. He is a hard-nosed defensive guard who plays with an extremely high motor.
UConn and Indiana face off on Sunday afternoon at 1:00 pm ET on ESPN. The winner faces the winner of Texas and Louisville on Monday afternoon.
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Alec Lasley is the owner of Hoosier Illustrated, a comprehensive site covering news, updates and recruiting for Indiana University athletics. Alec has covered Indiana for six years and is a credentialed media member. He has previously worked for both Rivals and 247Sports.
