Alaisha Castleberry '14 Recruiting Profile

I am currently doing CrossFit, Boxing, and getting in the gym everyday to stay in shape.

My Skills and Experiences:

I just completed my second year of playing basketball at the JUCO level. In May 2018, I will have two associate degrees; one in Business and one in Criminal Justice.  My current goal is to play my next two years of NCAA basketball eligibility at a competitive college that will allow me to continue expanding my basketball skills and obtain a bachelor's and master's degree.  

After college, I plan to play basketball overseas and semi-professional basketball in addition to owning my own business. 

Playing History

I began playing basketball in the 3rd grade and have played competitively usually on older travel teams since 6th grade.  I have been in AAU's Book of Top Players for 3 years and have won many tournament championships over the years.  I am known as a coach’s player.  If my coach needs something done on the floor, I am the person they call on to “get it done” and I am the person my high school coach keeps in the games and wants handling and touching the ball at crunch-time.  Playing for different teams and coaches over the years has given me a good understanding of different offensive and defensive playing styles.  According to our opponents, offensively, I can run a fast-paced man offense with inside-out options or a controlled move the ball offense with option plays or a combination. Defensively, I can run a full court press or a controlled style of play with 2-3, 3-2, 1-3-1 or triangle defenses depending on the team we are playing.  Overall, I enjoy “breaking down” a player one-on-one, shooting 3-pointers, stealing the ball, and assisting my teammates.  I usually rotate from the 1 and 2 positions and believe it or not, I even have experience playing the 4 and 5 positions although it’s been a couple of years.

My coaches are often surprised but happy to know that as a small player, I have been averaging 6 rebounds per game with several games scoring 17 to 21 points.  I attribute this to my personal and team strength and conditioning trainers, exercises and coaches – I have “hops”, ball-handling, shooting and defensive skills because I spend long hours in the gym working out year round.

As a youth basketball league team Assistant Coach and Trainer, basketball player, and basketball fanatic, basketball is not just a hobby for me; it is a passion and future career aspiration.