Senior defenseman Cole Kastner — the towering defensive captain of the men’s lacrosse team who has been a threat to opposing offenses for years — announced Wednesday via social media that he will transfer after this school year. He is changing schools and sports and will spend his final year of eligibility playing basketball at Stanford.
The senior is rekindling a basketball career that had been dormant since he graduated from high school. He declared his intention to play basketball in May, when he entered the transfer portal. He told reporters Saturday that basketball had always been his favorite sport and that he had always dreamed of coming home to play it.
Kastner, 6 feet 7 inches and 215 pounds, played high school basketball at Menlo School in Palo Alto, Calif., averaging 17 points, 10 rebounds and three assists per game as a senior and landing on the All-State. second team. The same length and raw athleticism that made him a formidable lacrosse player were also a big help on the basketball court.
“I pretty much recruited him from a basketball highlight film,” coach Lars Tiffany said Saturday. “I remember one piece in particular. He stole the ball on a press and, from midcourt, took three steps and dunk the ball. I was like, “I don’t know much about basketball, but this is ridiculous as an athlete.” »
The transition from lacrosse to basketball sets a precedent in all collegiate sports. Pat Spencer, a Tewaaraton Prize winner at Loyola, used his final year of eligibility to play basketball at Northwestern in 2019-20, and Thomas O’Connell played lacrosse at Maryland before heading to St. John’s to play basketball ball the same year.
Kastner is a Tewaaraton candidate himself, and he had another stellar season anchoring Virginia’s defense. But Kastner will be an asset wherever he is for one simple reason highlighted by his coach.
“He encourages people,” Tiffany said. “He makes people better with positive words. It lights up a room. It brightens up a locker room. It brightens up a practice field. When he speaks, we all listen.
Kastner’s move is also a homecoming: Stanford is just two miles from the Menlo school. So it always felt natural, especially considering the recent exodus from the transfer portal that emptied the Stanford basketball locker room. The Cardinal currently have five players in the transfer portal following the firing of coach Jerod Haase during the offseason.
Kastner had spoken to Haase’s staff during basketball season, visiting a practice during his winter break and establishing communication. He also spoke to staff in California, where his father played football. But ultimately, he became the first transfer to commit to new Stanford coach Kyle Smith.
In an interesting twist, Kastner will face his former school next season — Stanford’s transition to the ACC means it will face Virginia every year in conference. The idea of the match crossed his mind.
“It’s going to be really special, that’s for sure,” Kastner said.
The game will be at Stanford next season, eliminating the possibility of Kastner playing a game for the Cardinal at John Paul Jones Arena. But Klöckner Stadium, which borders JPJ, will always be Kastner’s home, regardless of the color of his jersey. In his final weeks as a Cavalier, he will do his best to bring one last trophy back to the stadium he has called home for so long.
