Casto looks beyond Ferris

When the stage is biggest, it seems that DeAngelo Casto is at his best as his many postseason awards and accomplishments certainly attest.

“I think I just naturally rise as best as I can,” Casto told me on Tuesday. “I play better when I’m playing against good competition.”

The state player of the year and star of two all-star games raised eyebrows with his announcement of an oral commitment to play at Washington State, as reported in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and News-Tribune in Tacoma. Casto confirmed that to me, saying he talked with coach Tony Bennett at the school.

“I haven’t talked to Tony since the North Carolina game, but they were interested,” said Ferris coach Don Van Lierop.

Which begged the question asked of this gifted, if enigmatic, athlete: Whither goest thou?

Since the end of basketball season, Casto has left the home of his guardian, Dave Rath.

Privacy laws prevent confirmation or denial of these issues:

•Casto maintained good grades through basketball season, nearly has his core credits complete and isn’t that far away from a qualifying SAT score.

•Since basketball he hasn’t been as diligent attending classes, jeopardizing graduation.

To his credit, Casto was, as always, forthcoming.

On his choice of WSU: “It’s hard to explain. They honestly can’t give a scholarship. It’s more of a commitment between the two. They want me to go there and I want to go there.” The college can’t comment about an athlete until he signs and, Casto added, he’s keeping his options open, including possibly attending a prep school.

On his academics: “I’m cool. I’m on target. I’m not trying to sound rude, but the reality is I’ve been on track since last year.” He said he is going to take a correspondence course for a sophomore class to boost his GPA, while acknowledging, “I’ve got to pass classes this semester.”

On his nomadic existence: “I’m not somebody’s child. I don’t know if that makes sense to you. I don’t expect everything to go dandy. I have issues and things on my plate I deal with every day. A lot of the thing with me is I hate confrontation and hate feeling like I’m the problem.” Casto explained that as the product of an unsuccessful family from St. Louis, with no mother and father until he was adopted, it has been a crazy and hectic life.

On his future: Casto envisions a bright one saying he can fit in at college. “As soon as I’m out of high school life, I will excel and I will go as far as I can go,” he said. “To be honest, WSU is a family unit first of all. I’ll be part of something that’s going to be great. It’s close to home and I’ll get a good education and do something with my life.”

While grateful that he was blessed as a basketball player, Casto said, “People think (I’m) a basketball guy and don’t know what it means to be successful. I know what I can accomplish.”

Van Lierop is in his corner, but understands the challenge.

“Anybody at those all-star games knows he’s got options,” he said, “but he has to take first things first.”