'He's Living the Dream Now': Farleigh Dickinson Coach Excited to See Ansley Almonor at Kentucky

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Ansley Almonor has been one of Kentucky Basketball’s biggest personalities since committing in May. However, he hasn’t always been like that.

Current Farleigh Dickinson head coach Jack Castleberry joined FDU’s program as an assistant coach in 2022. His first impression of Almonor, who was entering his sophomore year at the time, was that he was a “really quiet, observant kid.”

“He was not so quick to speak up at that point in his career,” Castleberry told KSR+. “He’s very intelligent, not just in basketball, but in life. He’s not going to say anything that isn’t well thought out. He’s a very rational young man.”

When Farleigh Dickinson head coach Tobin Anderson left to become the coach at Iona in 2023, Castleberry was promoted to head coach. One of Castleberry’s first tasks as head coach was to work with Almonor to determine whether he’d be finding a new home in the transfer portal or remaining at FDU. Castleberry said it wasn’t a “big sales pitch” but instead a collaborative effort to determine the pros and cons of each option.

“Ansley and I, for probably five weeks, met every week once a week,” Castleberry said. “We would have hour-long conversations. It would be about what was good about FDU, and what the potential possibilities of leaving would be, good and bad. They were very direct and honest conversations.”

Two years later, Almonor is set to be a key piece to Mark Pope‘s first roster at Kentucky. It’s something Castleberry believes he’s well prepared for.

“He’s living the dream now. He’s at Kentucky,” Castleberry said. “[Ansley] has accomplished a lot. He was such a quiet kid when he first got here. It seemed like he wouldn’t say a word to anybody. As he’s grown in his confidence, it’s pretty nice to see the fun side of Ansley now that he’s letting everybody be a part of it.”

‘His Confidence Increased’

Ansley Almonor’s sophomore year in 2022-23 saw him go from a fringe rotation player to an All-Northeast Conference selection. By his junior year, Almonor was a First Team All-NEC honoree.

“The biggest thing was that his confidence increased,” Castleberry said. “That’s two-fold. One, he just really worked at his game and loves basketball. There are a lot of guys who like basketball a lot. He loves it. He lives it. He’s thinking about basketball all the time.”

It’s not just his love for the game that contributed to his growth as a player. It’s also the work he put in.

“He would leave our workouts in the summer and then go directly to his trainer and do another workout,” Castleberry said. “He’s just a guy who loves being in the gym and loves the process of getting better. His commitment to that process towards getting better, coupled with a new system that I believe gave him a lot of freedom. Ansley proved that he could be a pretty good player, combined with the encouragement of, Ansley, you need to shoot that shot when you’re open, really helped him altogether.”

Ansley Almonor Can Make Big Shots in Big Moments

It’s impossible to talk about Ansley Almonor without mentioning his shooting ability. Almonor shot 39.4 percent from three-point range last season on 7.4 attempts per game.

“He doesn’t just make shots; he has the ability to make big-time shots when they matter,” Castleberry said. “Not a lot of guys have that clutch gene. I think he has that.”

Kentucky has a lot of players who can make big shots at the end of games. Almonor is on that list.

“If you need somebody to make that big shot late, he’s going to do it,” Castleberry said. “He’s got an extremely high basketball IQ. He picks up on things very quickly. He can help teach stuff to younger guys.”

That high basketball IQ allows Almonor to be a good teacher in practice. He can explain concepts to teammates and kick around ideas with the coaching staff.

“I could go to Ansley, ask him what the vibe was in the locker room, and feel like I was being shot 100 percent straight whether it was good or bad,” Castleberry said. “Some of that I think was due to our relationship, but I also think that’s who he is.”

The next step for Almonor is becoming a on-the-move shooter. It’s something Castleberry discussed with him throughout the transfer process.

“Ansley is going to be a guy who’s going to stretch the floor and a guy who’s going to make the right decision,” Castleberry said. “As far as where he fits in with the Kentucky program, I don’t necessarily know what that looks like, but he’s going to provide maturity. He’s going to provide the work ethic and leadership and he certainly has the offensive skill set to be effective.”

The Decision to Commit to Kentucky

For many coaches, seeing players leave for the transfer portal can be upsetting. However, Jack Castleberry understands that it’s just the nature of the beast in college sports.

“You can’t, at our level, be upset when guys leave anymore,” Castleberry said. “It’s more about what’s in the best interest of the kid and is the kid making a sound decision. Part of it might be because Ansley and I are so close, but we had those conversations. I knew he was making a sound decision.”

It also helps that Almonor is going to a blue-blood program like Kentucky. After all, it’s the winningest program in college basketball history.

“It’s the University of Kentucky,” Castleberry said. “It’s not like he was just going to some bottom-tier Power Five school. This is an experience that people dream of. Why would he not go there? I felt true happiness and excitement for him.”

Some players might decide to go to a Power Five program just for the sake of playing at a Power Five program. Castleberry didn’t see it that way for Almonor.

“Ansley was a guy who was smart enough to wait, grow where he needed to grow, and was prepared to make that jump when he made it,” he said. “It paid off a boatload for him. I’m really happy for him.”

The Purdue Upset

When Jack Castleberry looks back on his time coaching Ansley Almonor, there’s a clear favorite memory. It’s when he was an assistant on the 2023 Farleigh Dickinson team that pulled off one of the greatest upsets in college basketball history, upsetting No. 1-seed Purdue as a No. 16-seed.

“They went from winning four games to winning 21 games and beating Purdue in the NCAA Tournament,” Castleberry said. “That thrill of going through the struggle they went through to seeing the pure exuberance they had on their faces, it was unbelievable. Nobody who was part of that team or program is ever going to forget that.”

With Almonor moving on in his college career, Big Blue Nation is getting a taste of what made him such a beloved player in Teaneck, New Jersey. Castleberry said he has the ability to make a positive impact on and off the floor.

“You’re getting an unbelievable human being, who’s going to value being at the University of Kentucky and playing in that program,” Castleberry said. “In today’s day of college basketball, finding people who have real gratitude and appreciation for the situations they’re in is unique. He’s a kid who’s completely grateful for it and has completely earned it. He’s only going to make the University of Kentucky’s basketball program better when he left it than when he found it.”