Cole Kastner still dreams of playing college basketball. And, with that in mind, the Virginia men’s lacrosse defenseman, a two-time all-ACC selection, has entered his name in the NCAA transfer portal, with an eye on the future.
Kastner said Tuesday he plans to play next season, his senior year, for UVa, before exploring using his fifth year to play college basketball, either at Virginia or elsewhere, possibly back home on the West Coast.
“I just want to try to get those conversations going with schools that recruited me, and Pac-12 schools, and UVa as well,” Kastner said before lacrosse practice. “Just see if I can make a childhood dream come true.”
The 6-foot-7, 215-pound Kastner, a Palo Alto, California, native, said he hasn’t talked to any other schools yet, choosing to focus on the lacrosse team’s postseason efforts. Virginia, the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, defeated Richmond on Saturday and plays seventh-seeded Georgetown on Saturday in Albany, New York, in the quarterfinals.
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“I’ve kind of put everything on the back burner until the season’s over, because lacrosse is priority No. 1 and we want to make the best run possible,” Kastner said. “As soon as the season’s over, I’d love to start revisiting that.”
Kastner had received recruiting interest from some West Coast schools, even a few Pac-12 programs, while in high school, before he shifted his focus to lacrosse.
At UVa, he talked to the basketball coaching staff about walking on as a freshman, but the overlap between the season and the start of lacrosse became too much of an issue.
Kastner said there’s a chance the NCAA would grant him a sixth year because of the pandemic, which would give him two seasons to play college basketball. Kastner said he’s been playing pickup basketball with friends on Grounds, working on his shot and ball handling.
He’s also talked with former Loyola lacrosse standout Pat Spencer, who used his fifth year of eligibility to play basketball at Northwestern and now is in the NBA G League.
“College basketball is a different beast,” Kastner said. “It’s something that I always wanted to be a part of. It’s crazy how good those players are.”
