A week after her official visit to Berkeley, talented 5'10" Mater Dei combo guard Cailyn Crocker made the decision to commit to Cal.
"Cal's been recruiting me since 8th grade," said Crocker. "At some point in time, I'd say every coach on staff has been my lead recruiter, so I have a great relationship with all of them."
Crocker came into the visit with high expectations and the time spent on campus only confirmed that Cal was the right spot for her.
"I would say the family aspect was really attractive to me," said Crocker. "My family's really close, so wherever I decided to go, I wanted to be comfortable and know that everybody would have my back. So for them to be so close to their players and with each other as a staff and to be so personable, I was really attracted to that. They just want the best for anybody and everybody. They're so genuine and just real people."
The player on the Cal roster that Crocker had the most familiarity with coming into her trip was an old AAU opponent from her middle school days in soph guard Kianna Smith.
"I've played against Kianna," said Crocker. "She's really good. It was actually when I was in 8th grade, we played against her team. It was a battle. I was on a pretty good 8th grade team but she killed us. We went to overtime and just took over. it's just crazy to think now that we're going to be teammates. It's going to be a lot of fun. She's definitely someone I've looked up to over the years, with both of us being from Southern California and same area. She's definitely very versatile."
On her late September visit, Crocker also connected with several of her future teammates on a personal level.
"Kenzie Forbes is someone else I've connected with," said Crocker. "I was really happy when she committed there.
"There are a lot of girls from Southern California that I was familiar with and I really clicked with all of them. They're all very personable."
Crocker's decision to commit to Cal extended far beyond the hardcourt as her visit affirmed that the university also had all that she was looking for and more.
"I definitely love, love Cal," said Crocker. "It's just crazy to be able to go to such a great institution academically. And I love that Cal's just different. They try and groom leaders who are ready to go out and take on the world. Being on campus, you just felt that energy. I was really attracted to that and felt like that was a great place for me to try and learn all I can -not just from the coaches and the players but just the regular students and people on campus going to school there. I'm really excited to see everybody there and make that happen."
Crocker comes from an academically-oriented family, so her commitment to the #1 public university in the country now gives her bragging rights of her own with her siblings.
"My brother went to the University of Pennsylvania and my sister goes to UCLA, so I had a lot to live up to," said Crocker, with a laugh. "Me and my sister are already going a little head to head about Cal and UCLA but it's all love."
The senior guard's coach also feels that Crocker made a good decision to commit to Cal, seeing a good fit between his star player and her future program.
"Cailyn is a great kid. A very mature young person who made a thoughtful decision (picking Cal)," said Mater Dei head coach Kevin Kiernan.
"She's a tremendous leader. Cailyn can play point or shooting guard and she sees the floor well She'll fit in really well at Cal, both on the floor and on campus and in the classroom."
After coming back late in the season after recovering from a foot injury, Crocker averaged 10 points, four rebounds and three assists per game on Mater Dei's talented squad.
"Cailyn is always on the attack offensively," said Kiernan. "She's a great finisher at the rim and can score off the bounce. She's a good three point shooter and her style will fit in perfectly with the other Cal guards.
"We expect her to have a huge senior season."
Cal's latest signee is also excited to join many of her old classmates and Mater Dei alums on campus, though most of them play on the gridiron for Cal's football program, including six former Mater Dei football players and Cal soph wing Justice Sueing.
"Mater Dei football has a lot of great things to say about Cal and I know a lot of the guys have a lot of interest in Cal," noted Crocker. "Coach Rollinson's an amazing man who prides himself and his team with their character. I'm excited to continue that on with the women's basketball program at Cal."
