By ADAM ZAGORIA
UConn freshman guard Steph Castle, a projected lottery pick in next summer’s NBA Draft, had a minor procedure on his knee and will miss “some time,” head coach Dan Hurley told reporters.
Hurley said it’s “looking anywhere from early December to after that, so it’s like a 2, 3, 4-week thing.”
Castle, the reigning Big East Freshman of the Week for the defending NCAA champions, missed Tuesday’s win over Mississippi Valley State with what UConn said was an injury. No. 5 UConn will play Indiana on Sunday in the Empire Classic at Madison Square Garden, and then either Louisville or Texas on Monday.
They visit No. 1 Kansas Dec. 1 and then face North Carolina Dec. 5 in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden.
Castle came out of the gates strong to open his freshman season, one entered with a world of hype as a McDonald’s All-American and consensus top-10 recruit. The 6-foot-6 rookie averaged 14.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists in his first two career games, shooting 66.7 percent from the floor and 80.0 percent from the free throw line. He also added four steals and a block during UConn’s 2-0 start. In the regular season opener last Monday against Northern Arizona, Castle scored 12 points and grabbed five rebounds in only 19 minutes of action. He followed that up with a stat-sheet-stuffing performance on Saturday against Stonehill, going for 17 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two steals. Castle went 5-of-7 from the floor and 7-for-7 from the free throw line against the Skyhawks. UConn sophomore big man Donovan Clingan missed a month ahead of the season with a foot strain but returned for opening night. Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter Follow ZAGSBLOGHoops on Instagram And Like ZAGS on FacebookDan Hurley on Steph Castle, "expecting early December" or shortly after, he had a minor procedure, "best case scenario" on the diagnosis #UConn pic.twitter.com/edG3oVoIjn
— Storrs Central (@StorrsCentral) November 17, 2023
