Del City’s Brandon Garrison and Bartlesville’s David Castillo are two of 46 high school athletes scheduled to participate in this weekend’s prestigious USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team minicamp in New Orleans.
Conducted in conjunction with the NCAA Final Four, the participants selected represent the Class of 2023, 2024 and 2025. Garrison (Class of 2023) and Castillo (Class of 2024) are the only players selected from Oklahoma.
In addition to on-court drills and scrimmages, the athletes and their parents will participate in a series of educational programs presented by USA Basketball and the NCAA. Minicamp participants will also get to attend the Final Four semifinal games.
Castillo, a sophomore guard, averaged 25 points per game this past season for the Bruins. As a freshman, he averaged nearly 24 points per game. The talented playmaker has multiple offers from some of the top basketball schools in the country and is considered by most scouting services as a Top 20 player in the Class of 2024.
Garrison, a junior center, helped lead Del City to a Class 5A state championship in 2021 and a runner-up finish this past season. The 6-9 post player earned All-State honors this season after averaging more than 13 points and 10 rebounds per game for the Eagles. The shot-blocking specialist also earned Defensive Player of the Year honors in the Suburban Conference.
Garrison has been receiving a lot of attention from college coaches the past two years and he’s already collected several scholarship offers. Hatchett believes he’ll take full advantage of the opportunity attending this minicamp will provide him. He’ll be seen by college coaches, play against some top-tier talent and learn from all the activities offered off the court.
“For a kid that’s 17 years old that’s getting this type of attention, it can go one of two ways, and I think he’s really been able to handle it the right way,” claimed Hatchett. “He’s got a good foundation. That comes from his parents, who’s really taking care of a lot of the stuff that’s going on with him. He’s a good one.”
”Brandon is a selfless player that enjoys his teammates and enjoys his coaches,” added Hatchett. “He loves it here at Del City. Those kids that get that kind of attention, they get a lot of people in their ear talking about what they think they need to do and where they need to go and things like that. He’s an Eagle for life and that’s one thing I take a lot of pride in, and I know he does as well.”
Hatchett is pleased two players from Oklahoma were selected to attend the minicamp. He believes the talent in the Sooner State rivals that of anywhere in the country.
“I think it validates a lot about how high school basketball is played in Oklahoma,” admitted Hatchett. “Throughout the state, we have great coaches and I think there’s some really good players in Oklahoma. In my humble opinion, I think there’s been a lot of players that have been overlooked. As far as the talent that’s here in Oklahoma, it’s as good as it’s been in a long time.”
