This week’s spotlight is on John Caldwell the new head coach for the boys basketball team at Colleton Preparatory Academy.
Caldwell, while born in Houston, Texas, was raised in Spartanburg. He attended Oakbrook Preparatory School and started playing basketball in the 8th grade and that’s where the love affair with basketball began. John relates he started playing on the team while attending Oakbrook and they would regularly get beat, but they kept at it and in three years the team won a state championship. John continued to play basketball at the college level at Roanoke College a Division III school in Salem, Virginia. He then transferred to Radford College a Division I school in Radford, Virginia. He mostly played guard. He did play some at the post position, but while he is not short, Caldwell comments that once you get to Division I and play against guys that are 6’9, 6’10, and 6’11 under the basket isn’t your primary position.
He had been getting the itch to coach and when the opportunity at Colleton Prep came up, he took it. After playing basketball at every level, John is hoping to bring his knowledge of the game and experience in the collegiate arena, he wants to bring a smaller version of that to CPA. As far as his plans for the team, Coach Caldwell wants the players to be fundamentally sound and learn how to work together as a team. His goal is to teach them to play the game “the right way” such as learning the proper defensive stance and being in the right spot on the court when running plays.
He will also be teaching government at CPA as a first year teacher. He laughs when he says “I’ll be the best first year teacher they’ve ever seen” since he’s an all-in kind of guy. Just like he wants to help the players on the court reach their full potential, and he also plans to bring that into his classroom.
When he is not Coach Caldwell in the gym and not working on his lesson plans for the upcoming school year, John loves to cook. He only lived in Texas for six years, but it doesn’t take long to be indoctrinated in the ways of Texas Barbeque, and they do some really tasty things with brisket. He started out with just a small grill but has worked his way up to a 100 gallon woodfire smoker. John gets immersed in the whole process; chopping the wood, preparing the meats, and cooking all day. He comments that the day after he feels like he went through a full work out, but it’s worth it.
He gets to share the spoils of his labor with his fiancée, Adeline (Addie) Hernandez who hails from Kingsport, Tennessee. John’s face lights up when he talks about his fiancée. He relates that he has told his CPA team that she is Ms. Coach Caldwell. She loves basketball too, and as he shares, “she supports me in everything that I do. She’s the love of my life, and I wouldn’t be able to do anything without her.” He is equally as proud of her and her accomplishments as well and comments with a laugh he’s told her “you don’t need me.” John and Addie share their home in Charleston with their two dogs Hudson and Peyton. Between going back and forth to Walterboro, and both of them having full time jobs, and also fitting in spending time with their respective families and just life in general, Caldwell makes sure he finds the time to devote to Addie.
John Caldwell is enthusiastic, driven, and willing to give 100% to whatever he is doing. So, if you see him at Food Lion or down at Westbury ACE Hardware say hello, shake his hand, and welcome him to the community.
If you have anyone you would like to nominate for a personal spotlight please email sgrooms@lowcountry.com, editor@lowcountry.com, or call 843-549-2586.
