By Tom Orsborn, Staff Writer | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2025-04-06 11:33:55
由生成式人工智能翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。
俄勒冈州波特兰市报道 —— 马刺队新秀斯蒂芬·卡斯尔(Stephon Castle)本赛季已经享受了许多特别的时刻。
他全明星周末上的惊艳亮相，包括捧起新秀挑战赛的MVP奖杯，以及险些赢得扣篮大赛，立刻浮现在脑海。他也奉献了一系列令人印象深刻的表现，成为自2017-18赛季的本·西蒙斯以来，首位单场比赛得分30+、篮板15+、助攻14+的新秀。
但这一切都比不上他上赛季帮助康涅狄格大学赢得NCAA两连冠的回忆。
“那可能是我迄今为止在篮球领域最快乐的时光，”卡斯尔上周五说道。此前，在圣安东尼奥马刺队以114-113惜败克利夫兰骑士队的比赛中，他得到22分、11次助攻和9个篮板。佛罗里达鳄鱼队和休斯顿美洲狮队将于周一晚上在这座城市第五次举办男子最终四强赛的城市中争夺冠军。
上赛季，康涅狄格大学势如破竹地一路过关斩将，成为第六支以两位数优势赢得全部六场比赛的球队。他们在菲尼克斯举行的冠军赛中以75-60击败普渡大学，为这次统治级的征程画上了句号，成为自2006-07赛季的佛罗里达大学以来，首个蝉联冠军的大学项目。
作为一名大一首发球员，卡斯尔度过了一生中最美好的时光。
“和我的队友们在一起，那些你一年四季都住在一起的人，他们有着相同的目标，然后能够实现它，在篮球领域真的没有比这更好的感觉了，”卡斯尔说道。
在冠军赛中，卡斯尔出场34分钟，得到15分、5个篮板、3次助攻和1次抢断。他说他最喜欢的时刻是康涅狄格大学主教练丹·赫利(Dan Hurley)在第四节换下首发球员的时候。
“我们上去给了教练一个大大的拥抱，”卡斯尔说，“这可能是我记忆最深刻的时刻。然后看着时间走完，我们都站在板凳席上互相拥抱。这可能是我在篮球领域最喜欢的时刻。”
康涅狄格大学冲击三连冠的希望在上个月的第二轮宣告破灭，当时鳄鱼队以77-75险胜哈士奇队，终结了男子NCAA锦标赛最长的连胜纪录之一，定格在13场。
马刺队在去年六月的2024年NBA选秀大会上以第四顺位选中了卡斯尔。他在康涅狄格大学的唯一一个赛季里，场均得到11.1分、4.7个篮板和2.9次助攻。
在周日对阵开拓者队的比赛前，他以场均14.4分、3.6个篮板、3.9次助攻和接近1.0次抢断的成绩，成为年度最佳新秀的领跑者。这位来自佐治亚州的球员以1092分的总得分领跑所有新秀。
“关于斯蒂芬，最突出的一点是，我不认为有任何人像他一样被要求承担如此多样的角色和责任，以及他处理这些事情的方式，”马刺队代理主教练米奇·约翰逊(Mitch Johnson)说道。“很多新秀进来后都是通过观看来学习，或者（与其他）一两个（新秀）一起来到这里。很少有新秀进入联盟就被要求成为领袖或者主要球员之一。
“他被要求做所有这些。他被要求与队友一起打球，他被要求替补出场，被要求首发。他有时被要求成为主要球员之一。能够成功地应对所有这些，可能不是表面上能看到的。除非你深入了解一下。”
马刺队也很欣赏卡斯尔在防守端的努力。前锋哈里森·巴恩斯(Harrison Barnes)在卡斯尔对阵骑士队的比赛中得到22分、11次助攻和9个篮板后也指出了这一点。这是他连续第二次冲击三双，此前他在上周三以113-106战胜掘金队的比赛中得到15分、15个篮板和9次助攻。
“斯蒂芬是一个可以用很多不同的方式影响比赛的球员，”巴恩斯说。“很明显，人们可以看到他的未来经常出现三双之类的数据。但在防守端，我认为他承担的对位任务，他所做的工作，尤其是一名新秀，令人印象深刻，而且预示着他未来真的会成为一名高水平的攻防兼备的球员。”
Spurs guard Stephon Castle, right, helped lead Connecticut to its second straight NCAA Tournament championship last season, a 75-60 win over Purdue that the NBA Rookie of the Year frontrunner calls his favorite moment of his young basketball career.
Stephon Castle entered Sunday’s game against the Trail Blazers averaging 14.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.9 assists in an impressive rookie season for the Spurs.
点击查看原文：Castle recalls 'favorite moment' in basketball
Castle recalls ‘favorite moment’ in basketball
PORTLAND, Ore. — Spurs rookie Stephon Castle has enjoyed plenty of special moments this season.
His big coming-out party at All-Star Weekend, which included taking home the Rising Stars MVP trophy and nearly winning the dunk contest, immediately comes to mind. He’s also enjoyed a slew of impressive performances in becoming the first rookie since Ben Simmons in 2017-18 to have a game with 30 or more points, an outing with 15 or more rebounds and a night with 14 or more assists.
But none of it compares to the memories he forged last season in helping Connecticut win a second-consecutive NCAA title.
“That was probably the most fun I’ve ever had in basketball up to this date,” Castle said last Friday after he had 22 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds in a 114-113 loss to Cleveland in San Antonio, where the Florida Gators and the Houston Cougars will play Monday night for the championship in the city’s fifth men’s Final Four.
The Huskies romped through the tournament last season to becoming the sixth team to win all six games by double-digit margins. They capped the dominant run with a 75-60 thrashing of Purdue in the championship game in Phoenix to become the first program to claim repeat crowns since Florida in 2006-07.
As a freshman starter, Castle had the time of his life.
“Just being with my teammates, guys you’ve lived with all year, that have the same goal and then to be able to accomplish it, there is really no feeling like that in basketball,” Castle said.
In the championship game, Castle had 15 points, five rebounds, three assists and a steal in 34 minutes. He said his favorite moment came when UConn coach Dan Hurley subbed out the starters in the fourth quarter.
“We went to give a big hug to coach,” Castle said. “That’s probably the most vivid memory I have. And then watching the clock go off and we’re all standing up on the bench hugging each other. That’s probably my favorite moment in basketball.”
UConn’s hopes of a three-peat ended in the second round last month when the Gators edged the Huskies’ 77-75 to stop one of the longest men’s NCAA tournament win streaks at 13.
The Spurs selected Castle fourth overall in the 2024 NBA Draft last June after he averaged 11.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game in his one season at Connecticut.
He entered Sunday’s game against the Trail Blazers as the clear-cut leader in the race for Rookie of the Year with 14.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists and nearly 1.0 steals per game. The Georgia native leads all rookies in points with 1,092.
“The thing about Steph that sticks out is I don’t know that there’s anybody who has been asked to do the variety of roles and responsibilities he has, and the way he’s handled it," acting Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. "With a lot of rookies, you come in and learn by watching or you come in (with) one or two (other rookies). Very few rookies come into the league and are asked to be the guy or one of the main guys.
"He’s been asked to do all that. He’s been asked to play alongside guys, he’s been asked to play off the bench, to start. He’s been asked at times to be one of the main guys. To be able to navigate all of that with success is probably something that doesn’t show on the surface. It’s hard to see unless you pull back the layers a little bit.”
The Spurs also love Castle’s work as a defender, something forward Harrison Barnes noted after Castle recorded 22 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds against the Cavaliers in his second straight bid for a triple-double after notching 15 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists in a 113-106 win at Denver last Wednesday.
“Steph is a guy who can impact the game in a lot of different ways,” Barnes said. “Obviously, people can see a triple-double and things like that in his future pretty regularly. But defensively, I think the matches he’s taking on, the assignments he’s doing, especially as a rookie, it’s impressive, and it just bodes well to his future of really being a high level two-way player.”
By Tom Orsborn, Staff Writer, via San Antonio Express-News
