In the past 24 hours, there’s been a lot of judgments passed on DeAngelo Casto, who opted to forgo his senior year and enter the 2011 NBA Draft. The decision to enter the draft was a formality, and doesn’t necessarily mean he thinks he’ll even be picked. It’s about forming connections and catching on somewhere, whether it’s in a summer league, the NBDL or overseas. He knows where he stands and is dead-set on playing professionally somewhere.
But the question of why kept coming up. Why stop short of getting a degree and why now? Some of it stemmed from Washington State fans longing for success in the immediate — Casto is a catalyst in the success of the team and the only low-post threat. But part of it stems from simply not understand Casto, who he is and where he’s come from.
In a post for CougCenter, I explored Casto’s past and how it’s shaped who he is and what he wants to be. As a product of the foster system, Casto has lived a rough, nomadic life at times. With a child in-tow and a family to provide for, it’s time for him to move on and take care of himself in the professional field.
There’s a nomadic way about DeAngelo Casto that’s been present throughout his life. He bounces around, never takes root in one place and slips away when its time to leave. It happened again this week as he took off for Las Vegas, packing his things and moving on again.
So while we preach education and realizing future earnings over immediate gratification, it comes from our own backgrounds, not his. The fact Casto has made it this far — through almost three years of school and on the cusp of a professional career — is amazing considering his background. But for him, it’s time to move on to the next stage.
There’s more to it, and I encourage you to read the rest. For more on Casto and the Cougars, be sure to bookmark CougCenter as a one-stop shop for Washington State news.