Desiree Caldwell
Desiree Caldwell points to communication and leadership as keys to players making the USA Basketball youth developmental teams. *Photo by Chris Hansen.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Anyone who has spent any time around Desiree Caldwell knows she has a genuine passion for the game. And while the on-court chatterbox can oft be heard having fun and even talking a little competitive junk, the fun she has on the court doesn’t diminish her focus on the task at hand. For Caldwell that includes defending one of 12 roster spots on the USA Basketball youth developmental team that will be named on June 3.
The USA Basketball U17 national team will practice together at the team training camp from June 7-15 before heading to Spain for the FIBA World Championships. And this group in particular has a lot of pressure on it after falling to Brazil in the Americas U16 qualifier last summer, the first USA team in the U16 or U17 levels to not bring home gold.
Desiree Caldwell of Lubbock, Texas.
*Photo by Chris Hansen.But the other pressure is that there are nearly 140 players trying to take one of those spots and what better measuring stick for them than the players that made it last year?
“Since you already made it you have an automatic target on your back so you have to do whatever you can to protect yourself,” Caldwell said.
Part of that protection is smart preparation since the 12 returning players have the experience to know what it’s about, what’s expected versus those whose journeys ended on Memorial Weekend last year.
“Last year I don’t think I prepared enough for the altitude so this year there was a lot more running and a lot more keeping my shoulders closed when I play because I think I got the ball stolen from me too much last year,” Caldwell said. “So just emphasizing the little things.”
Perhaps an unplanned addition to her spring training regiment was adding some elevation. Her family moved to Lubbock, Texas, when her father, Ray, took a coaching position at Texas Tech University. Lubbock’s official elevation is 3,256 feet, which is a lot closer to the 6,035 feet the U.S. Olympic Training Center sits at than her prior home in San Antonio, which is at 772 feet above sea level.
But the team also got some direct feedback in the process of preparing and competing for last summer’s FIBA Americas Championships.
“My feedback was very detailed, especially since I made the team,” Caldwell added. “We got one-on-one conferences. I got to talk to the coaches. So actually I got to write down, I got to work on it as went.”
At this level making the most of your opportunities is something that is a must and something Caldwell does instinctively. Last summer, after returning from Mexico and competing on the summer circuit with her San Antonio’s Finest club team, she made a trip Seattle to compete in the Check Me Out Showcase. It was cut short because of a nagging injury but she took inventory of seemingly every possession and locked it in her vault for the next time she would compete against those kids.
Caldwell cites better preparation heading
into the 2016 USA Trials. *Photo by
Chris Hansen.Caldwell has a firm handle on how she intends to close out the last day of competition here as well.
“I think to be successful I’m going to have to keep being consistent,” Caldwell said. “I have to make my tough shots. I have to make my layups and keep being a good leader. I have to communicate with my teammates.”
She also has advice for future trials competitors.
“Don’t overthink it,” Caldwell advised. “You came here, play your game. If you didn’t make it, take their feedback and be ready for it next year.”
Whether she ultimately reclaims a spot on the squad this summer or not, her approach has her positioned to keep taking strides forward before the top 10 ranked 2018 prospect reaches her college home at Texas Tech.
Chris Hansen is managing editor of ProspectsNation.com and serves on the McDonald’s All-American and Naismith Trophy selection committees. He was the national director of scouting for ESPN HoopGurlz from 2005 until 2012 and is the director of the Check Me Out Showcase. He can be reached at chris@prospectsnation.com.
