Women’s hoops Star Continues to make CUH History

She shoots, she scores. Destiny Castro has been a force on the Chaminade Women’s basketball team since beginning her freshman basketball season in 2016.

Castro is now a junior and continues to out perform, even in the mist of defeat. Chaminade Women’s Basketball has won 6 out of the 24 games played this season. Although not the ideal situation for any team, Castro preservers. Castro is ranked 26th nationally in scoring and sixth in steals per game. Just last Tuesday, Castro broke her own single-game record for steals in a game against Azusa Pacific. With 80 steals this season, she is two away from the conference’s top 10 for a single season. Saturday, she scored 30 points at Concordia Irvine giving her 455 total single-season points breaking Brittnee Fonnesbeck’s record which stood for 12 years and moved her to second in the PacWest in scoring at 19.8 points.

Originally from Guam, the 5-foot-6 junior guard turned down a Division I opportunity to Fordham University to become a Chaminade Silversword.

Castro earned the Pacific West Conference Freshman of the Year honors, she was the first Silversword women’s basketball player to earn a player of the year award by the conference. Out of the all 23 games played her freshman year, she started in all of them and finished third in team scoring averaging 11 points per game.

In her sophomore year, Castro earned the team’s most outstanding player, started all 22 games, led team in scoring, averaging 17.3 points per game, rebounding, assists, with 2.3 per game, steals and field goal percentage.

“I just do what I was taught,” Castro said when asked about her work ethic, “In Guam, it was all about teamwork and my coaches on Guam just pushed me to be the player I am today. With all the support and all the different coaching styles I mean, I wouldn’t be here without them.” 

Especially coach Thompson [her coach in Guam]. He’s the one that got me here. So I really thank him …”

Her close friend and teammate Kali Benavente, came from Guam with Castro.

“Des plays hard every game,” Benavente said, “She doesn’t give up and she has fun, she has fun with the game and it rubs off on other people.

Castro’s junior year has been nothing short of amazing also.

Out of the 23 games Castro has played this season, she has averaged 19.8 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 3.5 steals per game. And now she has made Chaminade history.

In a home game against Academy of Art University on Feb. 12, Castro scored her 1,000th point. Only the third Chaminade women’s basketball player to reach the 1,000-point mark and the first junior to accomplish this feat, Castro joined all-time leading scorer Lilia Maio (1,266 points from 2013-17) and Samantha Saito (1,141 from 2006-10). Castro was also the only one to reach 1,000 points and take home a win the same night.

“I feel really great. It was a goal of mine maybe when I got back, trying to reach my 1000th point and I mean it happened tonight and I was hoping it would happen here on home court and i’m really happy it happened here,” Castro said.  ” … we come in here everyday, come and grind … I wouldn’t be able to score 1000 points without my team on the court.”

“Last year being my first year, it took us sometime to get to know each other and to build trust in one another,” Coach King said of Castro. ” … thats very important and I think we have taken some steps in that direction and I think we can both feel we can continue to grow and have confidence in each other.”

On Monday, Castro was named the Pacific West Conference Women’s Basketball Player of the Week, this would be her third time receiving the award.

This week, the Silverswords close the season against Notre Dame de Namur on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. and Hawai’i Hilo on Saturday at 5 p.m.

Thursday night they play against Notre Dame de Namur in the Aloha Senior Night where Castros teammates Diamond Carter, Hunter Liftee, and Sephora Yayouss will be honored.