Henricksen: Young’s Xavier Castaneda the real deal in 2018

Morgan Park point guard Charlie Moore is a top 100 recruit headed to Memphis and is considered the best senior prospect in the state of Illinois.

Evan Gilyard of Simeon has elevated his stock in the junior class and enhanced his reputation among college coaches as the point guard catalyst for the Wolverines.

With a big freshman season a year ago at Westinghouse and a subsequent move to Morgan Park this year, there has been plenty of early production and fanfare for sophomore point guard Ayo Dosunmu.

The Chicago Public League has an assortment of talented and exciting point guard prospects throughout the city, but it’s time to get the word out on another one: Young’s Xavier Castaneda.

“I know a lot of people haven’t seen him or maybe haven’t even heard of him,” says Young coach Tyrone Slaughter. “But they’re going to real soon.”

The 5-11 Castaneda has been among the City/Suburban Hoops Report’s top five prospects in the Class of 2018. He’s elevated himself to the No. 2 spot in the class, behind only Champaign Central’s Tim Finke. Though like Slaughter noted, he’s hardly been seen by the masses and is behind in the name recognition department.

There’s been little varsity exposure –– Castaneda led the sophomore team to a city title last year as a freshman –– and because of injuries he’s missed a lot of the club circuit in the summer. In the season-opening loss to Simeon on Saturday, Castaneda showed a glimpse of his qualities as a point guard while scoring 16 points.

Slaughter has a young team without a whole lot of varsity experience. There are going to be growing pains, especially with the typical tough schedule Young plays each year. However, the transition and process could speed up, thanks to having a young but wise and savvy lead guard in Castaneda.

“He has poise and patience,” says Slaughter, “but more than that he has an incredible toughness and basketball I.Q. He knows and is aware of what needs to be done at the point guard position and where people are supposed to be on the floor.”

While Castaneda’s excellent court sense and feel for the game are ideal for a point guard, he brings more than just the typical point guard intangibles. He changes speeds, with the ability to kick it into an extra gear in the open court. And though he’s a pass-first lead guard with the ball in his hands, he possesses a jumper that requires attention and is capable of taking on a larger scoring role when needed.

When you combine it all, Castaneda’s projection right now points to a high-major point guard prospect. But for right now, it’s all about putting a surge into the young Dolphins going forward. This is Castaneda’s team now, and there’s no question the ultra-competitive sophomore is ready for the challenge.

Follow Joe Henricksen and the Hoops Report on Twitter @joehoopsreport