Ralph Castaneda Develops Into Complete Player

Double Dribble has become a Double Threat.

Ralph Castaneda’s ability to knock down a 3-pointer or slam dunk over an opponent is one of the reasons Mead is in position to defend its Greater Spokane League boys basketball title.

“He’s a kid we watched grow up as a person besides developing as a basketball player over the years,” Mead coach Jim Preston said. “He has continued to develop. Like any high school kid, sometimes he still struggles…. He has really worked to make himself a more complete basketball player.”

The Panthers reached the halfway point of the season with a 7-1 league record, 9-3 overall, tied for first with Ferris, the only GSL team to beat Mead so far.

Castaneda, a 6-foot-5 forward, is averaging 17 points, about eight rebounds and a couple of blocks for Mead. Not bad for someone who didn’t take basketball seriously until eighth grade.

“I really didn’t like it,” Castaneda recalled. “My friends and I played outside of my elementary school and they used to call me the double-dribble king.”

However, his neighbor, Jason Smith, was working on his game at a nearby court before Smith’s ninth grade year and he took Castaneda, a year younger, with him.

“We did that every day for a couple of hours,” Castaneda said. “At the end, when I played at the elementary school, I found out I was doing better, it was fun. I went out (for basketball in eighth grade) but I didn’t expect anything to happen.”

Smith went on to be league co-Most Valuable Player as a senior last year. Castaneda would have to be considered a candidate for that honor this year.

“At the start of year he wasn’t playing near the defense he is now,” Preston said. “As his defense has gotten better, so have we. Our defense really flows from the inside out. What we’ve been stressing is defense is the one constant you can have throughout the year. Offensively you can struggle any night.”

The Panthers kept six straight league opponents below 50 points. Meanwhile, Castaneda has become a consistent offensive threat.

“Ralph is a tough kid to defense,” Preston said. “He can go outside and shoot the 3; inside he can elevate over most kids.”

Castaneda’s biggest strides, however, are emotional.

“He used to have trouble controlling his temper,” Preston said. “I feel he’s made some really great strides as far as focusing on the things that need to be done.”

Castaneda said, “For him to say, a little bit of a temper, that’s just the bottom of the scale.”

He played pickup games at a local health club and didn’t understand the playground dynamics of the game.

“I got kicked out a couple of times. I got in I don’t know how many fights,” he recalled “It’s taken two years to get over that. Fortunately for us, especially me, I got rid of that.

“I would look back at the game and see in my mind where I should have done something … think why didn’t that happen. My only conclusion was I was so mad at myself I wasn’t doing the little things I needed to do.”

He does them now, willing to sacrifice anything to win.

“In the last two years he’s really developed a great team awareness,” Preston said. “Last year he started the first playoff game at district and had 17 points. He played real well. I didn’t start him (the next game). I remember telling him and his response was, ‘Whatever it takes to win, coach.’ You don’t hear that from high school kids very often.”

Castaneda remembers.

“I would rather win than start,” he said. “I was bummed, I’m not going to lie, but I was sure I was going to play and I knew I had next year.”

That attitude developed as a sophomore, playing for coach Bill Ayers on the junior varsity.

“In ninth grade, my coach just told me to shoot the ball every time,” Castaneda said. “In 10th grade, coach Ayers wasn’t having any of that, he wanted more team style. I wasn’t really the star. It was kind of a change for me. We were 5-9 in ninth grade. I’d rather not be the only guy there and actually win instead of doing it myself. That is the point I went from someone who messes around to someone who can play basketball as a team.”

Castaneda’s dream is to play college basketball next year, preferably in Washington, particularly Division I, ideally at the University of Washington. Anything, though, would be acceptable.

“I would like to continue my career and just see how far I can go with this,” he said.

Judging how far he has come so fast, it seems likely we’ll be seeing Ralph Castaneda take his career another step.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo