BY ANGELO VELOTTA
Gazette Newspapers
Jefferson High School graduate John Castrilla Jr. has just completed his collegiate career. After soaring with the Falcons on the high school level, Castrilla’s journey took him to Bryant & Stratton College, almost Heidelberg University, Marietta College, and finally, Fredonia State University.
Castrilla had a very successful two seasons playing at Bryant & Stratton, scoring 604 points, knocking down 147 three-pointers, and finishing with a 42.6 percentage from beyond the arc. He was recruited to play at Heidelberg, however, the head coach there had accepted a position at Marietta, and invited Castrilla and other recruits to join him.
“The day before I was going to commit to Heidelberg, he asked me to come to Marietta,” Castrilla said.
“I did the pre-season, but it wasn’t the right fit,” he added, as he stepped away from the team in the middle of October of 2025.
Castrilla finished out the academic semester, and then got the opportunity to finish his playing career at Fredonia State University in upstate New York.
“January 2nd, I had my first practice, January 3rd was my first game. I was thrown into the fire fast,” Castrilla said.
“I got to play twenty-plus minutes in a few games, had a couple double digit (scoring) games. For the situation I was in, I was grateful for the chance to join in-season,” he added.
While playing for the Blue Devils, Castrilla continued his craft from beyond the arc, shooting 43.8 percent for three-pointers. Castrilla finished his entire collegiate playing career with an impressive 43.1 percent shooting percentage for three-pointers.
“After fifteen years straight of basketball, high school and college, I have nothing left to prove,” Castrilla said, as he now will pursue full-time job opportunities.
“The entire experience of highs and lows of games and practices…met so many of my close friends, and all that goes into it,” he reflected.
His advice to younger players who may want to play at the collegiate level is, “Stay in the middle. Don’t get too high or too low. Be level-minded through everything.”
Congratulations to John Castrilla Jr. on an excellent basketball playing career, and best of luck in the future.
