April 17, 2008
New coach brings recruit to USF
"I’m excited to be a Don" hasn’t exactly been an oft-uttered phrase the past few years at a certain basketball location in San Francisco but ‘change’ is now the password for the men’s basketball program at USF and,
Caloiaro is excited to play for Rex Walters close to home at USF
Angelo Caloiaro, he of the six-inch growth spurt over last summer, literally burst on the scene for Coach Kevin Eagleson and Archbishop Mitty this recently concluded season. So much so that he went from a little used but wily backcourter to a 6-foot-7 San Jose Mercury News first team selection and a West Catholic Athletic League second team honoree, one whose versatility saw him positioned at every position for Mitty this year.
And now he will be attending USF come the fall after accepting a basketball scholarship offer from newly-appointed USF Coach Rex Walters.
It all came about with a peculiar twist, some might say a harmonic convergence. After hearing about Caloiaro from a third-party, Walters became enamored. Enough so that he contacted Caloiaro and recently brought him in on an official recruiting visit to Florida Atlantic, which is based in Boca Raton.
The school was impressive as was the weather -- beaches were nearby -- but it was Walters himself who was the selling point for Caloiaro: "He is one of the better coaches in the country and he’s played for Roy Williams and Pat Riley." After two seasons at Kansas under Williams, Walters became the 16th pick in the 1993 NBA draft. He also played in the NBA for Larry Brown and Chuck Daley, two giants in the basketball coaching profession.
But then Walters, who played high school basketball at Piedmont Hills High and Independence High in San Jose, became the choice to rebuild the program at USF. He accepted and the 3,000 mile transition began.
One of the first things Walters did as USF’s new mentor was call Caloiaro and tender him a scholarship. The offer was quickly accepted.
"I couldn’t ask for a better combination of coach and school," Caloiaro said, "this is phenomenal and now my family can come and see me play."
After averaging nearly 16 points per game and leading the Monarchs in rebounding with just under nine a contest this season, Caloiaro’s long held dream has become a reality. In an earlier interview, he said "playing college basketball has always been a goal of mine but everyone else grew before I did." He also wasn’t being particularly choosy in the next destination of his fervent hope saying "I just really want to play."
Now he will be part of the crew that has the task of rebuilding USF men&rquo;s basketball while benefitting from the Jesuit Catholic education he’ll receive.
Caloiaro also said, "I want to thank Coach Eagleson for helping me during this process and with my development and also want to thank my dad for taking me to the gym all the time."
Walters may also be the one doing the thanking -- quite profusely -- if Caloiaro grows the 3-4 inches further as has been predicted.