Rene Castro following footsteps of Boston legends
Words. Lucas Shapiro
(photo by Roy Chambers)
How many players have hit buzzer-beaters in the Boston Garden? The first people that come to mind are John Havlicek, Larry Bird and Paul Pierce. So while kids from all over the world dream of hitting a game-winning shot on the parquet floor of the Garden, Rene Castro got to realize that dream two seasons ago as a high school freshman.
And after hitting that clutch shot that helped Milton High School advance to the Division II MIAA State Finals, Castro has blown up on the New England and national basketball scene ever since.
Soccer rules everything in Central America, so typically when you have parents from Honduras, soccer will be your priority growing up. However, Rene chose to go against his Honduran roots at the age of nine and pick up a basketball instead. It should not have been that big of a surprise, though, that Rene chose basketball. After all, his uncle, Eddie Cannedy, was at one point the best player in Honduras.
“I chose basketball over soccer because in basketball, you can take over a game single-handedly,” says Castro. And take over games is exactly what he does. Despite being undersized at the point guard position, listed at 6-2 and 190 pounds, he has a knack for scoring the ball.
“I don’t have his size, but I play like Brandon Roy,” says Castro. “I’m not the fastest guy, but I know how to score, make plays and be a leader.”
Speaking of leadership, there is not a better example of it than Castro’s memorable performance at the Garden in 2009. With Milton trailing Woburn in the second half, Castro went into the fourth quarter with a killer’s mentality — an amazing feat considering he was the only freshman who had been moved up from JV for the state tournament.
After scoring 10 points in the last three minutes of the game, Milton still trailed. So with 15 seconds remaining, Castro demanded the ball, took it to the top of the key, did a pivot move and nailed a pull-up jump shot with 8.5 seconds left on the clock. Milton ended up winning the game, 69-68. It was that shot that propelled Castro and his squad to the state championship, a game where they took the crown against Hoosac Valley.
This was, however, only the beginning for Castro. After his stunning performance, he transferred to Beaver Country Day, the alma mater of another great guard, Wayne Turner (two-time national champion PG at Kentucky), and repeated his freshman year.
“I remember the first time I saw him, says Brendan Hall, co-editor of the high school section of ESPNBoston.com. “I had covered the previous game for the Boston Globe and stuck around to watch D-II. Here’s this scrawny kid in a JV uniform, feeling no pain out there, with some serious stones. That game-winning shot was testament to that.
“I thought he had a high ceiling then, and it’s clear now that he’s pushed himself very hard.”
Because of his hard work, Castro earned himself a spot on the region’s renowned AAU team, BABC. But after his team lost only a few games all Spring and were invited to the AAU Nationals in Florida, Castro realized he could not join his teammates because he had to visit his ailing grandfather in Mexico.
On the morning that he returned to Massachusetts, Castro received a voicemail from his coach, Leo Papile. BABC had gone deep in the playoffs while he was gone, but they needed his help. Castro quickly boarded a plane at 6:00 a.m. to Orlando and instantly began playing once he arrived. Coming off the bench for his team, Castro brought great energy and BABC eventually went on to win the U16 Nationals with Castro as a major contributor.
“I think one of the things Castro proved this summer was that he can play at a high level,” says Adam Finkelstein, founder of New England Recruiting Report. “We all knew what he could do in New England, but we weren’t sure how his playmaking ability would translate to the national level. After his performance in Orlando, it is clear that he is capable of playing against the best talent in the country.”
Finkelstein is not the only one who has noticed that Castro can play at a high level, as the rising sophomore has already received a scholarship offer from Boston College. With three years left of prep basketball to play, expect to see a lot more offers pile up in the future.
