Fred Castro, an assistant women’s basketball coach at the University of Washington for the past three years, has been named the new head women’s basketball coach at Eastern Michigan University, Vice President/Director of Athletics Heather Lyke announced today, May 5. Castro will officially be introduced and address the media and campus community at a press conference on Monday, May 9, at 11 a.m. inside University House on the EMU campus.
A rising star in the coaching world, the 36-year old Castro has spent the past 15 years climbing the ranks from student manager to now the eighth head coach in EMU program history. During his career, he has worked tirelessly to learn and has held nearly every position within a women’s basketball program including serving as offensive coordinator, recruiting coordinator, video coordinator, and travel coordinator.
“We are incredibly proud to announce Fred Castro as our next head women’s basketball coach,” said Lyke. “When we had the chance to meet with Fred, he exudes confidence, preparation and passion. His intellect, personality, past coaching experiences and mentors have well prepared him to lead this team and build a winning program. Most importantly, he genuinely wants to have a positive impact in the lives of our student-athletes and will make them even better players and people. We are thrilled to welcome Fred and his family to the Eastern Michigan Athletics team.”
Castro has been a part of 10 squads that have participated in the postseason since the 2001-02 campaign, including a pair of trips to the NCAA Tournament Final Four. In 15 years of coaching, his teams have combined to post a 317-171 record (.650 winning percentage) and eight seasons of 20-or-more victories.
“I am thrilled and humbled to be named Head Coach of the Eastern Michigan women’s basketball program,” Castro added. “The leadership and vision Heather Lyke has for this program gives me great confidence that we can reach all of our goals in the future. This team has accomplished a great deal but I truly believe the best is yet to come. I am eager to get in the gym and start working with our players and doing the work necessary for us to be successful.”
Lyke also continued with praise for the hiring committee which was spearheaded by Erin Kido, EMU’s senior associate athletic director for administration. “A big thank you goes to Erin, who led this search and our interview committee, that identified a talented pool of candidates in which Fred Castro rose to the top immediately.”
Castro comes to Ypsilanti following a three year stint in Seattle as an assistant coach with the Huskies, in which Washington posted a 69-35 record and a trip to the 2016 NCAA Tournament Final Four. He worked with the guards and acted as the team’s offensive coordinator as the Huskies defeated 14 top-25 programs during his tenure.
A storybook 2015-16 campaign saw Washington post a 26-11 record and the program’s first Final Four appearance. Dealing with a short bench due to injuries, the Huskies utilized a six-woman rotation as it tore through the NCAA Tournament, including beating No. 4 Stanford, 85–76, to win the South Regional. Washington finished the year ranked in the top 50 in 11 statistical categories including: free throws made (521 – 6th), free throw percentage (78.0% – 6th), three-pointers made (271 – 17th) and rebounds (1,437 – 23rd).
Castro tutored USBWA All-America honoree Kelsey Plum, who was fourth in the nation in scoring at 25.9 points per game, while leading the country in total points with 960. In addition to her scoring prowess, Plum averaged 3.7 rebounds and 4.2 assists, while leading the nation in both free throws made (266) and attempted (299). The junior guard broke the Washington record for points in a season, while also setting the Pacific-12 Conference record for career free throws made.
Castro’s guards saw success in 2014-15 as he coached Plum and Jazmine Davis through a record-breaking season. Plum finished her season ranked seventh in the nation in scoring and second in free throws made. Additionally, she set UW single-season records in 30-point games (7), free throws made (207) and percentage (89.6%), single season scoring (746 points), and points in a game with 45 against Oklahoma. Davis completed her senior season with the Dawgs as the UW all-time leader in six categories including points, three-point field goals and free throws made. She also become the first four-time All-Pac-12 player in UW history.
In his first year with the program, Washington earned a trip to the quarterfinals of the Postseason WNIT. The Huskies finished 20-14, including 10-8 in the Pac-12. The Dawgs defeated five teams that were ranked at some point during the season, including an upset of then-No. 3 Stanford at Alaska Airlines Arena in front of a nationally televised audience. The win ended the 58-game road conference winning streak of the Cardinal.
On the recruiting trail, Washington national prominence continued to improve with the 2016 recruiting class ranked 16th-best in the country. Castro inked a McDonald’s All-American in 2015 class, while UW’s 2014 incoming group was ranked in the top-25 nationally.
He arrived at Washington from the University of Tulsa where he served as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator from 2011-13. When Castro arrived at Tulsa, the Golden Hurricane were coming off just five wins, but in 2013 they won the Conference USA Tournament title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
Castro helped put together a pair of top-50 recruiting classes at Tulsa, while also assisting with on-floor coaching, including practice planning, player development and scouting. His final recruiting class was ranked 39th nationally and fourth amongst mid-majors.
In 2012, Castro was first invited to the Nike Villa 7 Clinic for the top 30 assistant coaches in the country. He attended the clinic yearly from 2012-15.
In addition to Castro’s duties at Tulsa, he worked as an advance scout for the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream.
Castro worked as an assistant coach at the University of Albany during the 2010-11 season. He was responsible for on-the-floor coaching, game scouting, recruiting, game scheduling and served as the liaison to academic and athlete support services. Castro helped coach the Great Danes to their first winning season since becoming a Division I program in 1999.
Prior to his stint at Albany, Castro was an assistant coach at Mercer University for two seasons (2008-10), where he helped coach the second-best turnaround in the country during the 2008-09 season with a 17-13 record, improving from the 2007-08 season by 12 wins, and earn the No. 2 seed in the Atlantic Sun Conference a year later.
Castro was an advance scout for the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx in 2009-10.
Previously, Castro was an assistant men’s basketball coach at Rogers State University, an NAIA program in the Sooner Athletic Conference, during its inaugural season in 2007-08 where they went 20-11.
He also held various positions for the University of Oklahoma women’s basketball program from 2001-07, including video/travel coordinator (2005-07), volunteer coach (2004-05) and manager/scout team player (2001-04). While with the Sooners, Castro was part of six consecutive NCAA Tournament teams, including a Final Four squad in 2002 and back-to-back Sweet Sixteen teams. Oklahoma captured four Big 12 Conference Tournament championships and three regular-season crowns as well during his time on campus.
http://www.emueagles.com/news/2016/5/5/emu-names-fred-castro-head-womens-basketball-coach.aspx
Photo Courtesy EMU Athletics
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