May 27, 2004 Jim Time with Spalding's Justin Castleberry by James Quinn MDVarsity.com Magazine Staff Archbishop Spalding's 6'2" junior guard Justin Castleberry is drawing attention from a number of D-I colleges, mostly from the Ivy League and the Patriot League. And with the graduation of superstar forward Rudy Gay, Castleberry is one of three rising seniors that Spalding Coach Mike Glick will be counting on to keep the Cavaliers at the top of the Baltimore Catholic League (BCL) and the MIAA "A" Conference in 2004-2005. Coach Glick told us that 6'5" small forward Lawrence Dixon and 6' wing guard Marquis Sullivan are also drawing significant recruiting attention. Castleberry was Spalding's starting wing guard and also backed-up senior Jesse Brooks at the point this season. It was Castleberry's first season at the Severn, MD, Catholic high school after attending WCAC power DeMatha High School as a freshman and a sophomore. Castleberry was a part-time starter and a key sub on the Stag varsity as a sophomore. As a heavily recruited eighth grader at The Mater Dei School in Bethesda (where he played with Georgetown Prep lacrosse/soccer/basketball standout Danny Glading), Castleberry was one of the most heavily recruited school boy athletes in the D.C. area three years ago. "Justin was one of the best players his age in the area,” said Glick. "We recruited him very hard and it came down to us and DeMatha. He chose DeMatha and did pretty well there for two years, but we are certainly glad to have him now." A resident of Upper Marlboro in Prince George's County, Castleberry told us that he really enjoyed his first season as a Cavalier. "I really felt like I played pretty well. Our team had a great season and I was happy with my role and my contribution. It is a really good bunch of people and players. Obviously, Rudy was the focus of our team. It was great to play with him. Statistically, with Rudy doing so much, I didn't have a great year, but it was probably the most enjoyable year of basketball I've ever had. I feel like I played well and improved a lot and the team did well." Castleberry led the team in steals and free throw percentage, was second in free throws made and in assists, and was the third leading scorer. The Cavaliers won the MIAA "A" Conference Tournament and were ranked No. 2 in the Baltimore Sun and No. 12 in the Washington Post. They compiled a 29-8 record, 19-4 in combined BCL/MIAA"A" Conference play. With Brooks graduated, Coach Glick will move Castleberry to the starting point guard position in 2004-2005. What does Glick see as Justin's strengths? "First of all, Justin is very versatile. He can play either guard position. He is a very mature, smart player. He is very strong physically. His strength helps him be a good rebounder from the guard position and it also enables him to take the bump when he drives into the lane. He is very good at drawing fouls and he is an excellent free throw shooter. He is a pretty good outside shooter and I think he has improved in that area and will still get better. He is a good defensive player, but I still think he needs to work on that a little. He is a quality person, a great student. He is very unselfish on the floor and makes the players around him better." Beyond his basketball abilities, college coaches are attracted to his outstanding grades. “Justin has a 1290 on his SAT and about a 3.4 GPA. He is taking Honors Classes and AP Courses. He has four scholarship offers on the table from four colleges and a lot of other schools interested in him. Bucknell, Colgate, Lehigh, Holy Cross, American University, Yale, Columbia...mostly Ivy League and Patriot League." Justin told us that he has already taken unofficial visits to Lehigh and Colgate. He has not taken any official recruiting visits yet. He confirmed that he is possibly interested in playing in either the Ivy League or Patriot League. "I'd like to major in either Computer Science or Management Information Systems," said Castleberry. Castleberry played AAU ball with the D.C, Blue Devils from thee time he was 10 years old until last year. He played on the outstand Blue Devil 17 & Under Team that went to the AAU Nationals last year. Justin now plays AAU with the other Spalding players on a team called the Fighting Irish. The team also has players from Laurel HS and some Anne Arundel schools. "I'm looking forward to next season,” said Castleberry, "even without Rudy, I think we'll be very good."