USF's X-Man Showing Increased Abilities for Bulls
NEXT GAME: USF (4-4) vs. Dartmouth (5-3)
DAY/TIME: Friday/8 p.m.
LOCATION: Yuengling Center, Tampa
TV: ESPN3 (Drew Fellios, Mike O'Donnell)
RADIO: Bulls Unlimited (Jim Lighthall,
Joey Johnston)
TICKETS: USFBullsTix.com
By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
TAMPA, DEC. 5, 2019 – Named after the leader and creator of the X-Men,
Xavier Castaneda is tirelessly increasing his basketball powers for the good of the shorthanded Bulls.
Without star forward
Alexis Yetna (knee) for the season, resilient USF (4-4) is back on even ground in the standings after getting a heroic effort from its sophomore guard. The last time out, Castaneda reached new career highs in points (18), three-pointers (4), made field goals (6) and steals (2) to lead the Bulls to a 65-55 victory over formerly 7-1 Furman on Monday night.
"You're starting to see him grow and improve in every facet of the game, which is really, really important for him and it's gonna make an impact on us as well," head coach
Brian Gregory said.
During his breakout performance against Furman, Castaneda became the first Bull off the bench to make four three-pointers in a game since
Payton Banks on Jan. 13, 2018. Castaneda needed only five attempts from beyond the arc to make it happen, but his keen-eyed coach credits countless more when seemingly no one is watching.
"I'm not surprised because he puts in the work," Gregory said. "He's in the gym every morning at 8 o'clock, getting extra shooting in."
Castaneda isn't trying to show up his teammates, he's simply following the 10,000-Hour Rule often mentioned in "Outliers: The Story of Success," a New York Times Best Seller released in 2008.
"Malcolm Gladwell, he speaks on 10,000 hours, that's when you master something," Castaneda said. "I'm just always trying to reach those 10,000 hours and hopefully master something in this game."
Castaneda's desire for constant improvement is crucial for the Bulls this season. After playing in all 38 games as a true freshman, the Chicago kid is being counted on more than ever due to USF being dealt with Yetna's preseason injury and a key roster a few games in.
"Defensively, he gives us a huge lift. Then in the past, offense has been kind of a plus. Now, it's needed," Gregory said.
Thanks to catching fire against Furman, Castaneda is now averaging 6.1 points – two more than last season. He's also up to 10 made three-pointers, a feat that took him 26 games as a freshman to accomplish on the way to totaling 17 overall. Castaneda's minutes total has grown to 23.3 per outing and he's hopeful to enhance his game in all areas to keep the Bulls moving forward despite their early adversity.
"One of the big adjustments is to go from a role player into much more of an impact guy," Gregory said. "That's the step from a freshman playing, to a sophomore having to be a really important guy in the whole system and different things like that. He's handled it well."
Catch Castaneda and the Bulls at the Yuengling Center on Friday, when they host Darmouth (5-3) at 8 p.m. Reserve your seats at
USFBullsTix.com.
More From the X-Files
- THE X-MAN: Everybody calls Castaneda "X," but his full first name was given to him for a cool X-Men-related reason. "My mom, she was a real big fan of Professor X, so that's who she named me after." Castaneda takes after his mother when it comes to sports. Renee Jones played basketball, along with volleyball, in high school.
- HOOPING SINCE HE WAS SMALL: Now standing tall at 6-foot-1, Castaneda was much smaller when he started playing basketball at age 3 against older kids in Chicago. Castaneda's father, Misael, got him into the sport and taught his son the best way to get better. "Growing up, my dad would never tell me, 'You gotta work out,'" Castaneda said. "He would tell me, 'You gotta tell me to take you to the workout.' He wanted me to be self-driven, not from him."
HIGH SCHOOL SUCCESS: In a city known for an all-out style of basketball, Castaneda helped Chicago's Whitney Young High School go all the way to the state title game during his final two prep seasons. As a junior, Castaneda posted eight points and nine assists in Whitney Young High's Class 4A state championship victory. "It definitely builds a winning culture, having people around you that want to win like you do," he said.- X HAS A STUDIO: When he's not on the court, you can find Castaneda in a homemade studio in his apartment making rap music with teammates. Song topics include basketball, "funny stuff," or anything that's happened in the day. "We just rap for fun sometimes to pass the time when we're bored and hanging out," he said. Castaneda picked up the hip-hop hobby from a high school friend who invited him over during senior year. "I got the mic and ever since then, I've had a little interest in it," he said.
BIG BOXING FAN: Castaneda also played football as a kid until the eighth grade, but he's been a lifelong boxing fan who caught fights often with his dad's side of the family. "They used to have like 50 people come over their house and just watch it in the back garage or something, going crazy," he said. Some of Castaneda's current favorite boxers are Errol Spence Jr., Danny Garcia and Shakur Stevenson, a fighter he calls his twin. "He looks just like me," Castaneda said.
About USF Men's Basketball
The USF men's basketball team is led by head coach Brian Gregory. On March 22, 2017, Gregory was introduced as the 10th head coach in program history. He previously led programs at Georgia Tech (2011-16) and Dayton (2003-11). Gregory spent nearly a decade as an assistant coach under Michigan State's Hall of Fame head coach Tom Izzo and helped the Spartans win the 2000 NCAA National Championship. Gregory owns nearly 250 career head coaching wins and six postseason appearances, including the 2010 NIT Championship. In his second season at the helm of the Bulls, Gregory led the team to the best win turnaround in the NCAA, the most single-season wins in school history and the 2019 College Basketball Invitational championship.
USF has retired three numbers in its 47-year history: Chucky Atkins (12), Charlie Bradley (30) and Radenko Dobras (31). The Bulls have earned three NCAA tournament bids, appeared in the NIT eight times and won the 2019 CBI championship.
