New York – The suspense ended fairly quickly for Stephon Castle on NBA Draft night.

His UConn teammate Donovan Clingan had to wait a bit longer.

In the end, the two former Huskies fulfilled their NBA dreams.

Castle, a 6-foot-6 guard, went No. 4 to San Antonio. He worked out for the Spurs during the pre-draft process.

“They always told me that they were super high on me,” Castle said. “But of course it’s the NBA Draft, so you can’t make any promises to anybody. I just can’t wait to get out there and show my versatility, especially with the kind of talent that we already have on that team.”

The 7-foot-2 Clingan went at No. 7 to Portland, which showed great interest in the UConn center prior to the draft.

“It’s a great feeling,” Clingan said. “You dream of this moment your whole life. You watch it on TV every single year. To have that moment here in front of you today and to hear my name called is something that I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”

Perhaps the only person in the Barclays Center in Brooklyn as happy as the UConn duo was coach Dan Hurley.

“Awesome,” Hurley said. “That was a blast. To get the two guys there that quickly was fun. … Today is a dream come true for all of us.”

Both Castle and Clingan were projected to be top 10 picks.

They’re the first pair of Huskies to achieve lottery pick status and the fourth overall in the same draft since 2012, when Andre Drummond went at No. 9 (Detroit) and Jeremy Lamb at No. 12 (Houston). They’re also the 16th and 17th top 14 picks for the program since 1994.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver started Wednesday’s NBA Draft by announcing Atlanta chose Zaccharie Risacher at No. 1. Alex Sarr, who’s also from France, went to No. 2 to Washington.

There was potential for Clingan to go to Houston at No. 3, but the Rockets picked Kentucky’s Reed Sheppard.

Then Castle, who’s from Covington, Ga., finally heard his name called. He hugged his parents, Stacey and Quannette, before slowly walking to the stage.

San Antonio front office people visited the Storrs campus for practices during the season and attended a game.

“The Spurs were around quite a bit…,” Hurley said. “They were really, really dialed in on Steph.”

About 22 minutes after Castle received the good news, Clingan broke into a big smile when Portland’s pick was announced. He pointed to the sky and then embraced his father, Bill. He also hugged Hurley, who sat at Clingan’s table in the Green Room.

Clingan, a Bristol Central graduate, wore pictures inside his dark suit jacket, including one side that paid tribute to his mother Stacey, who passed away in 2018 from cancer.

“That was a really special moment,” Clingan said. “I’m extremely blessed and grateful for everyone that has helped me to get to this point.”

It’s been a magical few months for Clingan and Castle, who helped lead UConn to the program-best second straight national championship and Big East regular season and league tournament titles during a dominating run.

Both players left UConn early to enter the draft, Castle after his freshman season and Clingan following his sophomore year.

Castle earned Big East freshman of the year honors, averaging 11.1 pts, 4.7 rebs and 2.9 assists.

Humble and hard-working, Castle plans to stick to the same plan that earned him McDonald’s All-American honors in high school, helped him become a high level recruit and then play a vital two-way role at UConn.

And now Castle is UConn’s highest draft pick since Hasheem Thabeet went No. 2 (Memphis) in 2009 and the sixth top five selection in UConn history. He talked to San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama, the No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft, on the phone after his selection.

“It’s just a lot of emotions running through your head, especially when you hear your name being called,” Castle said. “But on the basketball side of things, just always keep your head down, always working, just staying humble and just having all that self-confidence in myself that everything is going to work out.”

Clingan had one of the best two year careers in UConn history, winning two national championships. The Huskies went 68-11 with Clingan on the team. Last season, he averaged 13 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocks.

He’s ready to make his mark in the NBA.

“A lot of winning, a lot of succeeding the past two years,” Clingan said. “I’m going to keep that chip on my shoulder and go into Portland with just a lot of confidence, with a willingness to learn and get better every single day.”

Clingan has been on Portland’s radar for awhile. He also played in the city as a freshman when UConn competed in the Phil Knight Invitational in November 2022.

“Portland has loved Donovan for a long time,” Hurley said. “Going back to the way he played at the PK (Invitational).”

The NBA Draft continues on Thursday with the second round. UConn’s Tristen Newton and Cam Spencer could possibly be drafted.

“It’s a beautiful night,” Hurley said. “You just want to see it culminate with the two guys tomorrow being drafted into the right spots. You want to see winning rewarded in terms of what these organizations value.

“So it was great to see our guys picked high, but you’re also waiting to see what happens with Cam and Tristen, because they deserve to be in some great places.”

UConn had two players drafted last season, with Hawkins going 14th (New Orleans) and Andre Jackson Jr. checking in at 36th overall.

g.keefe@theday.com