Receé Caldwell is in her first and final season as a Golden Bear.
Cal’s first-ever grad transfer, Caldwell arrived in Berkeley this fall after playing at UCLA and at Texas Tech, where she earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention and Academic All Big 12. A highly recruited player out of high school (Top 10 ranking and McDonald’s All American), Caldwell has twice won gold with USA Basketball (Under 16 and Under 18, FIBA World Championships).
Caldwell has provided leadership to the Bears this season, both on and off the court. The 5’9 guard has started all 31 games in this season, averaging 10 points and 2.58 rebounds per game.
As the season progressed, Caldwell has taken over facilitating Cal’s offense, collecting a team-high 134 assists (4.32 apg). She leads the team in three-point shooting, making 58 on the season (at a 36.7% clip). The Bears as a team has hit 223 threes so far this year, as school record.
Caldwell looks forward to leading the Bears into this year’s NCAA Tournament, as Cal (19-12) is expected to make the field. It would be Caldwell’s first opportunity to play in the postseason.
Prior to Selection Monday, Caldwell sat down for an extended conversation with the Bear Insider. Some highlights:
- Preparing for the NCAA Tournament: “We’re using this as grind time right now. Since we had about a week and five days, personally for me, it’s my week to be sore. I’ve lifted a lot heavier--four out of four days. I’ve run a lot harder. It’s a mental edge, too, but really a physical edge. You can get ready in a week and five days.”
- Playing in her first postseason: “I have a lot of gratitude. Like, wow, this is my first post-season, and to be able to do it with this group that I believe in so much... I’m so thankful.”
- Making adjustments throughout the season in figuring out what the team needed from her: “Personally, obviously, I struggled at the beginning, and it took me longer than I would have liked to get into the flow with the team. I think I’m a totally different player than I was at the beginning--I think everybody would agree. I think I forgot who I was at the beginning of the season.”
- Being a vocal leader: “Growing up, I don’t say I was a vocal leader. I was always a pretty shy kid. I don’t know what flipped, but it literally turned out to be the opposite. With basketball, I’ve always been loud. I think it goes back to that I’ve studied the game so much, like it’s literally my life. Whenever I’m not in the gym or working on my Masters classes, I’m breaking down film and just learning from the people around me. So when I’m confident and know what I’m doing, it’s a lot easier for you to talk.”
- Growing up as a coach’s kid: “It’s not the most fun. But it’s one of those things that you look back and you’re so grateful that you had to go through it. You grow up in gyms all the time. You skip a lot of school dances and Friday night movies to be in the gym, and I was in the gym with my dad. My dad did such a good job with me, in teaching the IQ part of the game. I’m not the most athletic, that’s not a secret. But I think. And that makes up for a lot of it. I don’t have to be super quick if I know how to beat you a different way.”
- Growing up learning Spanish from her Mexican grandmother: “My mom and dad had me really really young, so my dad was in college, my mom would work, and I would spend my days with my grandma. My grandma lived literally across the street from me. When I was a baby, my grandma would take care of me. So I was fluent in Spanish until I was four or five years old. The reason we spoke Spanish in my grandmother’s house is because that’s the only language she knows, her and my grandpa.”
- Being thankful for this year at Cal: “I’m thankful for Coach G, Kai, Charm, Delly, and all my teammates. They’re family to me. The community of Berkeley is amazing. I don’t know if you’ll find another place like this, in how culturally diverse it is here. You see all walks of life. You get to be yourself here. You get to find yourself if you really try.”
For more, including thoughts about her mom’s role in her life, overcoming her injury from last year, how she became an intern for the Golden State Warriors and her dream of being an NBA GM, listen to the entire podcast here:
Bear Insider Podcast: Receé Caldwell
