Kicking or Shooting at the Next Level

Justin Castor is a rising junior at Arvada West High School. Castor has a problem, one that other high school athletes might like to have. Castor is viewed as a prospect in two sports, basketball and football!

So which sport will it be for the 6-foot-4, 170-pound Castor? It could depend on how his body matures, or how he plays this fall on the gridiron versus how well he does this winter on the hardwood. Either way, Castor has some decisions to make, first which sport he wants to play, and secondly which college he would like to attend.

"I would really like to play football in college," Castor said, “but I like shooting hoops to."

Castor, who has been playing shooting guard this summer and averaging 14 points a game to go along with 6 rebounds, should start drawing some interest in both sports this year.

This summer he has found time to mix in both sports and still perform at a high level in both. He has played summer basketball for the Arvada West summer team under new head coach Jeff Parriott, the former Dakota Ridge coach, and he has also been lifting and practicing all summer with the A-West football team.

Castor attended the CSU team basketball camp in Fort Collins this summer along with the Gold crown basketball tournament and said, "We started the summer not playing very well cause we were trying to learn a new system and get used to our new coach, but as the summer went along we started playing well together and started to win some games."

Castor also found time to attend Colorado football camp, where he kicked a 62-yard field goal. Special teams coach at CU, Kent Riddle, relayed the following observations about Castor following the camp, “Justin has everything you would look for in a college football kicker. He's a big kid with a strong leg who's going to get bigger. Most importantly, however, is Castor has a strong academic profile with a 3.85 GPA and is an articulate young man with an excellent presence."

Not a bad grade.

Castor’s decisions may not solely be his as he still needs to weigh his performance on the football field, the hardwood as well as his physical maturity over the next year.

Those will go a long way in determining which schools recruit him for basketball or football.

Colorado Football Insider will continue to monitor Castor's athletic progress and update our readers!