There are high expectations for our Gators this upcoming basketball season. Desires for a NSAA State Championship have grown after last season’s heartbreaking loss in the first round of the state playoffs against Lincoln Southeast. When interviewing Coach Castor, he talked about playing as a “transition team” with great pace. Castor also mentioned the importance of not settling and only working for the best shots and opportunities. He also emphasized playing as a hard nosed defensive team on the other end of the floor. He ended by saying, “overall, team first mentality. Do what it takes to get the job done.” His priorities have been made clear; he wants to play as a team, and more importantly, win as one.
The game plan that Coach Castor laid out all starts with Star Junior Point Guard, Jordan Castor, who felt really optimistic going into this season. Castor made a huge leap in his game this offseason leading to him earning a division 2 offer from the University of Nebraska-Kearney. Castor mentioned the team has more chemistry than ever, they are hanging out all the time which he feels translates well on the court. When asked about his goals for the season, he mentioned wanting to average 7 assists per game and work to get his teammates involved in the offense.
One of those teammates is Junior Forward Jakeyce Fowler. Castor and Fowler have been playing basketball together since before high school with other Juniors J’Shawn Afuh and Goay Gatwech. Fowler believes that the team can build off the chemistry that they built from last season and knows that said chemistry will propel them farther into the State Tournament. When talking about the Southeast loss, Fowler thought that they needed that to humble them and give them fuel to make the push towards a championship this year. With the pieces they have returning, they are bound to make some noise in the NSAA Hoop Scene.
However, the returners gained another huge addition to their squad that they hope will be the guaranteeing factor in this year’s success. Easton Switzer, a 2026 combo guard, transferred from Lincoln Northeast after a solid season for the Rockets which ended in a district championship loss to Lincoln Southeast. Switzer also has a number of division 3 and NAIA offers on the table for his post high school career. In an interview, Switzer stated his main reason for transferring was to give him the best chance possible to bring home a state title. When he took a look at what North Star had to offer, he believed it gave him the best opportunity to complete his goal. Coach Castor spoke on Switzer saying, “he compliments what we already have here at North Star.” Coach Castor raved about him being a great all around player instead of just a “shooter” like everybody else says. 
Coach Castor also added that Switzer and William Schafer, Senior forward, have played many AAU seasons with Castor, Fowler, Afuh, and Gatwech making their bond even stronger. When talking about the connection he has formed with the four four of them, Coach Castor mentions the blessing it has been to coach them for this long. He speaks on how special it is to go from coaching them in AAU games, to watching them talk to college coaches, describing it as a “surreal experience.”
With a handful of talent and experience, North Star is a shoe in for an amazing season. With basketball season rapidly approaching, and the team already working in the offseason, come November this team may very well be unstoppable. One thing is for sure: North Star is hungry for that state title.
