• Castleberry enters his fourth season on the VMI bench,
assisting in various facets of the program including recruiting,
scheduling and player development.
• Prior to returning to his alma mater, he served as an
assistant coach at Tennessee-Martin, mentoring All-American
Honorable Mention and current Washington Wizard, Lester Hudson.
• While at VMI, Castleberry was a three-year letterman,
two-year starter, team captain and recipient of the Spirit of VMI
Award" for his leadership, toughness and hustle.
Diary Series: Jack Castleberry, Asst. Coach - VMI
“The ball is tipped, and
there you are…”
It’s been seven months since we last heard “One Shining Moment,” the song that has become synonymous with the NCAA Tournament. The excitement across the college basketball landscape is refreshing and invigorating. This is the time of year coaches live for. The chance to lace ‘em up against another team and find out who can play the best basketball for 40 minutes on any given night. There’s parody in our game unlike any other, and that’s part of what makes it special. It will be interesting to see which mid-major programs are the Cinderella teams come March.
The 2011-2012 Keydets return all players but one from last year’s squad. Albeit that one player was an all-conference selection and unquestioned leader of our team, we have high hopes for this group. We’re led by Seniors Keith Gabriel, Michael Sparks, Ron Burks and Wayne Whiting. These four young men have a chance to graduate with the most wins of any class in VMI’s basketball history!
Keith Gabriel is an athletic wing who can score in a flash. He may struggle through 30 minutes of a game, but if he hits one three-pointer, he may hit the next four. Ron Burks has been a “jack of all trades” type player during his four years in uniform. Whatever we ask him to do to help our team he’s willing to do it. We’ve relied on him to be a leader this year, and he’s done a phenomenal job. Michael Sparks is a hard-nosed shooter from Lexington, KY. He’s gone from being a spot up shooter as a freshman, and added the effort skills, defending and rebounding, to his repertoire. Wayne Whiting is a strong post player that we’re counting on to give us quality minutes inside. He works extremely hard and is a physical presence in the paint.
We started our season off with a trip to Colorado Springs, CO, for the “All-Military Classic”. It was a great event pitting us against the Citadel in the first round. It’s a rivalry of similar schools that dates back to our time in the Southern Conference. The two teams hadn’t faced off in nine years, coinciding with our departure for the Big South. Having matriculated to VMI during our first year of Big South play, it was awesome to be part of a rivalry that I’d heard so much about, but never had the privilege play in.
We defeated The Citadel 103-100 in a game that tipped off at 12:32 AM Eastern time. Next, we faced the host Air Force Academy in the championship round. We fell short, losing to a solid Falcon team 75-65. It was a great experience for our guys. The Citadel will host the event next year, followed by our school and ending at West Point in 2014.
With two home victories a week later, we sit at 3-1 going into our next road contest with Ohio State. We’ve had a few injuries to deal with, including last year’s Big South Freshman of the Year DJ Covington, who remains sidelined for a few more weeks with back issues, but that is part of basketball. Other players have to step up to fill the void, which will give some of our younger players a chance to earn playing time and give them much needed experience.
I’d like to thank the staff of CollegeChalktalk.com for allowing me to be part of this unique setting in which coaches are able to give others an inside look into their program. I’m looking forward to reading other coaches’ insights, and wish everyone the best of luck this year.
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