Newton County has a rich history of standout athletes who have not only garnered major high school accolades, but have also gone on to turn heads regionally and nationally in college and the pros. 

Stephon Castle wants to be added onto that list. And as far as high school accolades, he’s already there. 

The 6-foot-7 Newton High standout appears to be the latest in a long line of homegrown athletes poised to take the nation by storm. In fact, he’s already begun. 

The combo guard is a consensus five-star prospect who committed to UConn last November, choosing the Huskies over other college basketball blue bloods such as Kansas, Arkansas and Ohio State, but also schools like Florida and Auburn — the latter he said he almost chose. 

That’s because Castle doesn’t like to be somewhere where he can just mesh and meld into the background. Castle is a game changer and a leader — has been since his freshman year. And he wants to go places that give him opportunities to flex those game changer, leadership muscles. 

“Since I was a freshman at Newton, I knew I was going to have a big role,” Castle said. “I came in as a freshman from Clements Middle School, and when it was my first year in high school, it was also coach (Charlemagne) Gibbons’ first year too.” 

Castle said he wasn’t going to come to Newton out of middle school, but seeing how Gibbons coached changed his mind. Now he’s glad he did it. 

“I liked the way he coached and how he approached the game,” Castle said. “And he showed me from the start that he believed in me.” 

It was shortly after his freshman year began that Gibbons challenged him to step up and lead, not just his team but his entire class. 

“He told me I was one of the best freshmen ball players not just at Newton, but in Georgia,” Castle said. “And that really just motivated me to do what I could to become as good as I could, not just for me, but for my team. 

Not to mention his community. 

Since that conversation, Castle has carved out a reputation as one of the nation’s top high school prospects. So much so, that in addition to all the accolades he garnered at Newton, he won gold as a member of the 2022 USA Basketball Men’s U18 National Team. 

That experience allowed Castle to pit his talents against the best in the world. 

“I really learned and gained so much from that experience that I know I couldn’t have learned without it,” Castle said. “It showed me the importance of how to play the game when you’re not the best on the court. It also taught me to have pride for where I’m from.” 

Castle’s achievements locally and abroad triggered both the Newton County Board of Commissioners and the Covington City Council to deem Aug. 15 as “Stephon Castle Day.” 

“That was really a big deal for me and my family,” he said. “It showed me how much this community appreciates what I’ve done, and its made me appreciate my home more.”

So has his ability to be a role model to up-and-coming basketball players from across the area. He said his phone is constantly buzzing with text messages from kids who look up to him. 

“I definitely try to answer them all,” he said. 

And when he pays visits to those local middle schools, he tries to pass on the same message that’s helped him. 

“Stay out of trouble. Stay off the streets, keep your head in the books and stay in the gym and work as hard as you can,” Castle said. “Also, the biggest thing I’ve learned is to trust God and not rush things. Let things happen in their own time because of your hard work.”