Colin Castleton

Colin Castleton

Castleton with Michigan in 2019
No. 14–Los Angeles Lakers
Position	Center
League	NBA
Personal information
Born	(2000-05-25) May 25, 2000 (age 23) Pembroke Pines, Florida, U.S.
Listed height	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight	250 lb (113 kg)
Career information
High school	Father Lopez Catholic (Daytona Beach, Florida)
College	Michigan (2018–2020) Florida (2020–2023)
NBA draft	2023: undrafted
Playing career	2023–present
Career history
2023–present	Los Angeles Lakers
2023–present	→South Bay Lakers
Career highlights and awards
NBA In-Season Tournament champion (2023) First-team All-SEC (2023) 2× Second-team All-SEC (2021, 2022)
Stats   at NBA.com
Stats   at Basketball-Reference.com

Colin Reed Castleton (born May 25, 2000) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the South Bay Lakers of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Michigan Wolverines and the Florida Gators.

Early life and high school career

Castleton grew up in DeLand, Florida and attended Father Lopez Catholic High School in Daytona Beach, Florida. As a senior, he averaged 24.5 points, 11.7 rebounds, and 5.6 blocks per game and was named a finalist for Florida's Mr. Basketball Award and the Class 7A Player of the Year. ^[1] Castleton was rated as a four-star recruit and committed to playing college basketball for Michigan over Illinois after also considering offers from Clemson, Georgia, Purdue, Florida, Florida State, and Xavier. ^[2]

College career

Castleton played in 19 games as a true freshman and averaged 1.1 points and 1.1 rebounds per game. ^[3] As a sophomore, he averaged 3.1 points on 54% shooting and 2.4 rebounds over 25 games played, all off the bench. ^[4] Following the end of the season, Castleton entered the transfer portal and ultimately transferred to the University of Florida, which had offered him a scholarship coming out of high school. ^{[5] [6]}

Castleton was granted a waiver to make him eligible to play for the Florida Gators immediately rather than have to sit out one season per NCAA transfer rules. ^[7] During the season, he became the seventh Gator (following Vernon Maxwell, Dan Cross, Joakim Noah, Scottie Wilbekin, Michael Frazier II (3) and Jalen Hudson) to ever earn Southeastern Conference (SEC) player of the week honors at least twice in the same season. ^[8] He was named second-team All-SEC after averaging 12.4 points and 6.4 rebounds with a conference-high 2.3 blocks per game during the regular season. ^{[9] [10]} Following the season, Castleton declared for the 2021 NBA draft while maintaining his college eligibility. ^[11] He ultimately opted to withdraw from the draft and return to Florida. ^[12]

On November 14, 2021, Castleton recorded 15 points, a career-high 16 rebounds, and six blocks in a 71–55 win against Florida State. ^[13] That effort contributed to his third SEC Player of the Week honor. ^[14] He was named to the Second Team All-SEC as a senior. ^[15]

On January 16, 2023, Castleton was recognized with his fourth career SEC Player of the Week award, making him the second Gator to achieve four, one behind Vernon Maxwell in Gator history. The effort partly recognizes the rare stat line of 16 points, 13 rebounds, six assists, three steals, and two blocked shots against Missouri on January 14. ^{[16] [17]} On February 15, 2023, Castleton broke his hand in a 79–64 win against Ole Miss and was lost for the season. Before the injury, he was averaging 16.5 points (third in the SEC), 7.9 rebounds (sixth) and 3.0 blocks (first) per game. He had been on a hot streak prior to the injury, with averages of 24.8 points and 9.5 rebounds per game over his last four games. ^[18] The coaches recognized him as a first-team All-SEC selectee. ^[19]

Professional career

Los Angeles / South Bay Lakers (2023–present)

On July 3, 2023, Castleton signed a two-way contract with the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers and the G-League's South Bay Lakers. ^[20] Castleton was honored as a part of the Lakers team that won the inaugural 2023 NBA In-Season Tournament game.

In March, Castleton suffered a right wrist fracture, leaving him out of the lineup for multiple weeks. ^[21]

Career statistics

Legend

GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field goal percentage	3P%	3-point field goal percentage	FT%	Free throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game	Bold	Career high

College

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2018–19	Michigan	19	0	3.5	.409	.000	.333	1.1	.1	.1	.2	1.1
2019–20	Michigan	25	0	7.9	.540	.000	.828	2.4	.3	.1	.5	3.1
2020–21	Florida	24	21	25.7	.597	.000	.781	6.4	1.1	.5	2.3	12.4
2021–22	Florida	28	28	30.7	.546	.000	.703	9.0	1.5	.9	2.2	16.2
Career		96	49	18.1	.557	.000	.730	5.1	.8	.4	1.4	8.8

References

1. Boyle, Chris (March 30, 2018). "Michigan-bound Colin Castleton named Boys Basketball Player of the Year". The Daytona Beach News-Journal . Retrieved March 23, 2021.
2. Chiari, Mike (October 7, 2017). "4-Star PF Prospect Colin Castleton Commits to Michigan over Illinois, Others". Bleacher Report . Retrieved March 23, 2021.
3. Gates, Riley (August 28, 2020). "Colin Castleton receives immediate eligibility waiver". 247Sports.com . Retrieved March 23, 2021.
4. "Florida Gators add Michigan Wolverines transfer Colin Castleton". ESPN.com . Associated Press. April 30, 2020. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
5. "Michigan basketball's Colin Castleton has entered transfer portal". Detroit Free Press . April 9, 2020. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
6. Kahn, Andrew (April 26, 2020). "Michigan sophomore Colin Castleton transfers to Florida". MLive.com . Retrieved March 23, 2021.
7. Thompson, Edgar (August 28, 2020). "Michigan transfer Colin Castleton eligible for Gators basketball team". Orlando Sentinel . Retrieved March 23, 2021.
8. Nettuno, Tyler (February 1, 2021). "Colin Castleton joins an impressive list with second SEC Player of the Week honor". USA Today . Retrieved February 10, 2023.
9. "Florida Gators player to watch at NCAA tournament: Colin Castleton". The Star Press . March 17, 2021. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
10. Wells, Kevin (March 9, 2021). "Gators Tre Mann, Colin Castleton voted All-SEC". WCJB.com . Retrieved March 23, 2021.
11. "Florida Gators big man Colin Castleton enters NBA draft for feedback". ESPN.com . March 28, 2021. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
12. Harvey, Demetrius (July 4, 2021). "Colin Castleton Announces Return to Florida Gators". Sports Illustrated . Retrieved July 24, 2021.
13. "Florida ends 7-game skid vs FSU, dedicates win to Johnson". ESPN . Associated Press. November 14, 2021. Retrieved November 15, 2021.
14. Parler, Denver (November 15, 2021). "Castleton Earns SEC Player of the Week Honors". Florida Gators . Retrieved February 10, 2023.
15. "Men's Basketball All-SEC Teams & Awards Announced" (Press release). Southeastern Conference. March 8, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
16. Rosenberg, David (January 17, 2023). "Florida's Colin Castleton named SEC Player of the Week". USA Today . Retrieved February 10, 2023.
17. Hernandez, Brandon (January 16, 2023). "Castleton named SEC Player of the Week: Florida earned a pair of conference victories behind Castleton's performances". The Independent Florida Alligator . Retrieved February 10, 2023.
18. Borzello, Jeff (February 15, 2023). "Florida loses leading scorer Colin Castleton to broken hand". ESPN . Retrieved February 18, 2023.
19. "Coaches select 2023 SEC men's basketball award winners" (Press release). Southeastern Conference. March 6, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
20. "Lakers Sign Colin Castleton to Two-Way Contract". NBA.com. July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
21. Starkand, Daniel (2024-02-26). "Lakers Injury Update: Colin Castleton To Be Re-Evaluated In Two Weeks With Right Wrist Fracture". Lakers Nation. Retrieved 2024-04-12.

External links

• Florida Gators bio
• Michigan Wolverines bio