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Stanford Basketball Used D1 Lacrosse Legend As A Human Victory Cigar Against His Former Team

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Cole Kastner Stanford Basketball Virginia Lacrosse
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Cole Kastner recorded his first-career rebound as a Division-I college basketball player on Saturday. Stanford used the former lacrosse star as a human victory cigar against his former team, Virginia.

It was the most perfect ending to a dominant victory by the surging Cardinal.

Kastner, listed as a graduate student on Stanford’s college basketball roster, transferred into the program during the offseason. He spent the last four years at a different ACC school and played a completely different sport. The 6-foot-7, 220-pound forward previously won a national championship with the Cavaliers as one of the best defensemen in college lacrosse. It was a rather big transition.

Cole Kastner transitioned from D-I lacrosse to D-I basketball.

Kastner was twice nominated for the Tewaaraton Award, the Heisman Trophy of lax, and was named as the ACC Defensive Player of the Year in 2022. He caused 95 turnovers during his four-year lacrosse career, which ranks third all-time. His occasional long pole goals were always electric!

Even though Kastner was good enough to be drafted by the California Redwoods of the Premier Lacrosse League, he decided to go a very different route in 2024. The Palo Alto-native transferred back home to hoop at Stanford instead of turning pro in lacrosse.

Basketball was actually Cole Kastner’s first love. He averaged 17 points, 10 rebounds and three assists per game as a senior in high school at the Menlo School!

Stanford head coach Kyle Smith was thrilled to welcome him back to town and his teammates love him.

However, Kastner has only played two minutes in two games. The Cardinal used him as a human victory cigar on Saturday to the delight of a sold-out crowd at Maples Pavilion. He got into the game against Virginia, his former school, and even recorded his first-career rebound!

Cole Kastner is one of the best stories in college sports this year. One of the best lacrosse players in the country laid down his want and picked up a basketball just to record his first stat against his former team!