Clearly, the University of Utah men’s basketball team feels like it’s never too late to add a guard to the fold – even within a week of classes starting.
Kolbe Caldwell – his first name is spelled with an “L” but pronounced just like Kobe Bryant’s – announced he‘d committed to join the Utes as a junior college transfer via Twitter on Monday. Caldwell, a 6-foot-5, 203-pound combo guard from Bowling Green, Ky., plans to arrive on campus Sunday and enroll in for the first day of classes on Monday. He’ll have three seasons of eligibility remaining.
“One thing that made me very comfortable was Coach K has a rich background, he’s coached in the NBA and Utah has a winning history,” Caldwell said when reached by phone. “I just feel like Utah would be a great fit for me and my future if that’s going to the NBA or playing overseas. They play a pro style offense, and I feel like I fit very well in that.”
Caldwell, 20, first got onto Utah’s radar in late July when he played in a JUCO showcase in Las Vegas where coach Larry Krystkowiak and assistant coach Demarlo Slocumb spotted him. Caldwell said he’d received offers from Tennessee State, Youngstown State, Nicholls State, Arkansas Little Rock and interest from several others.
Caldwell had been an all-region point guard at Warren Central High School in Kentucky. He graduated in 2015, and went to Lewis and Clark Community College in Illinois. He played “out of position” and spent a lot of time off the ball and at forward at Lewis and Clark. In 30 games (20 starts) during the 2015-16 season, he averaged 9.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. He shot 38.2 percent from the floor and 29.4 percent on 3-pointers.
This past winter, he transferred to Shawnee CC in Illinois. He joined the basketball team in January and sat out the season as a redshirt. He also focused on playing point guard and becoming a more consistent 3-point shooter.
Shawnee CC coach John Sparks lauded Caldwell for his work ethic, basketball IQ, adding, “I’m happy for him, but I was hoping to have him [this coming season]. As good as he was, I thought we could get more out of him.”
Sparks said the Shawnee staff primarily focused on Caldwell’s outside shooting. No significant mechanical changes were made, it was just a matter of repetition. Sparks said he expected Caldwell to be a 40-percent shooter from 3-point range had he stayed at Shawnee for his sophomore season.
Krystkowiak said prior to the Utes foreign tour in Europe that they may add to their roster for this coming season.
The news of Caldwell’s commitment came via Twitter on Monday on the heels of Matt Mitchell, a 6-foot-6, 225-pound wing from Riverside, Calif., committed to San Diego State. Utah had also been considered in the running for Mitchell.
