Beaver guard Rene Castro ’13 became the 11th player in school history to break the 1,000-point mark on January 22, when the boys’ varsity team bested Bancroft 81-43 at home. The team’s record now stands at 12-1.
Excitement was at a fever pitch in the Beaver Athletic Center as Rene scored the decisive point with only a few seconds left on the clock.
Director of Athletics Sherry Levin reports on the action, “In the final 20 seconds of the game, Jake LiBassi ’11 dove out of bounds to save a ball and give Beaver possession. Despite Bancroft’s strong defensive effort, Rene dribbled through five defenders, used a high screen at the 3-point line, spun to the middle of the lane and was fouled from the weak side. As he ended up on the ground the whistle blew and the ball rolled in the basket. The home crowd went wild, as the official counted the 1,000th basket with only 12 seconds to go. Rene was presented with the ball and calmly made the free throw. 1,001 and counting.”
Afterward Coach Levin stated, “It is a wonderful accomplishment not only for Rene but for the entire boys’ basketball program and the Beaver community. Individual achievements are a result of quality programs.”
As a sophomore, Rene stands a chance of breaking Beaver’s all-time career scoring record of 2,542 points, set by Wayne Turner ’95 who went on to lead the University of Kentucky to two NCAA titles. The last Beaver player to score over 1,000 points was Ephraim McDowell ’08, now a junior at Hamilton College where he is a captain of the men’s team and one of the leading scorers.
Coach Juan Figueroa and the varsity boys’ team have four away contests coming up next. They will play at home again on Wednesday, February 9, at 5:30 p.m. against Landmark.