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Jordan Brand has signed a quartet of players from the 2024 NBA Draft class.
Stephon Castle | 4th overall | San Antonio Spurs
Castle attended high school career at Covington, Georgia’s Newton High School, where his hard work and talent turned him into a 5-star prospect and was selected as a 2023 McDonald’s All-American.
He committed to UCONN, signing a National Letter of Intent, on November 19, 2021, picking the Huskies over 13 other offers be had which included Georgia, Auburn, Arkansas, Florida, Ohio State, and Miami. In his freshman campaign in Stors, Castle averaged 11.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.9 assists. He was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Year and when the lights shone the brightest, Castle showed the stage wasn’t too big for him as he was named to the 2024 NCAA East Region All-Regional Team and 2024 NCAA Final Four All-Tournament Team as he helped UCONN win a second consecutive NCAA Championship.
Jared McCain | 16th overall | Philadelphia 76ers
Following a decorated high school career that included leading his Centennial High to its consecutive California Open Division State Championship in 2021-22, being named Gatorade Player of the Year after his junior and senior seasons, the 5-star prospect and the no.1 player in California committed to Duke on March 18, 2022. McCain averaged 14.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per game and piled up accolades during his lone campaign at Duke including being named ACC All-Rookie, All-ACC Honorable Mention. McCain also got it done in the classroom as he was named to the All-ACC Academic Team and was also voted to Kyle Macy Freshman All-America Team.
Dalton Knecht | 17th overall | Los Angeles Lakers
While most of the fanfare has gone to his barely drafted teammate, Dalton Knecht has gone about his work and is the Lakers rookie that most closely resembles an NBA player. After graduating from the University of Northern Colorado he transferred to the University of Tennessee for his final year of eligibility. In that lone season, he became the fourth player in Tennessee history when he averaged 21.7 ppg, joining the likes of Bernard King (25.8), Ernie Grunfield (22.3), and Allan Houston (21.9). The 780 he scored on the season was only outpaced in program history behind the 806 poured in by Allan Houston in 1990-91.
Ja’Kobe Walter | 19th overall | Toronto Raptors
The McKinney, Texas native played his senior season at Link Academy in Branson, MO, helping them to a 24-1 record in 2022-23. The McDonald’s All-American and no.17 ranked player, according to ESPN, led Link to their first-ever state championship game. He would move on to Baylor where he would average 14.5 points in his freshman campaign where he would be named Big 12 Freshman of the Year. Other accolades Walter would garner include, preseason and postseason Freshman of Year Awards, Big 12 All-Freshman Team, and All-Big 12 Third Team.
