Caleb Asante Makes His Call

Facing his final college recruitment process, 6-foot-5, 210 Caleb Asante's sense tilted heavily towards remaining in California for his upperclassmen years, and that was fine with him, a continuation after four years at Leigh High in San Jose and two attending Saratoga's West Valley College.

But a call from the NCAA D2 Southern Nazarene University (SNU) coaching staff last September after he participated in JUCO showcase, morphed into a visit to SNU in Bethany, Oklahoma (a city of 20,000 and part of the Oklahoma City metro area).

That trip broadened Asante's horizons. "I visited and the people at the school were so nice and welcoming," Asante recalled. "I also got to see the athletic facilities, they told me about their future plans and I saw the city."

Combining that with being told what the coaching staff liked about his game plus what he could add to their program, and Asante was sold. Now he will be part of the Southern Nazarene Crimson Storm basketball team this coming school year.

Asante averaged 11.4 points per game in 26 contests/24 starts this past season at West Valley while shooting a team best 57% from the floor, 44% on three-point attempts and 66% at the foul line. He grabbed 4.4 rebounds nightly alongside dishing out 1.4 assists and this production earned him All Coast Conference South honors. He also nabbed that status as a freshman.

Regarding what Asante does best on the basketball court, he explained, "my ability to get to the basket, to create for others, my rebounding and leadership." Regarding the latter, "I lead more by example but I'm working on getting more verbal like pulling teammates aside and giving them tips I learned when I was in their position."

Asked if he had a West Valley College best basketball moment in mind, Asante offered, "I would say winning the NorCal (Regional Final) championship this year (against Yuba College) when we were spraying our coaches with water afterwards in the locker room." It was a 75-58 victory for the Vikings.

Asante as a freshman

What's fascinating is that coming out of high school, Asante initially preferred to attend a community college out of the Bay Area in order to gain a different experience. But once he talked with the West Valley College coaches, he was all in for heading the five miles to Saratoga.

After posting a 3.8 grade point average while at Leigh High and repeating that mark during his two-year tenure at West Valley College, Asante is looking to major in economics at SNU with the idea of possibly entering the real estate field upon graduation.

He expressed gratitude to the multitude of those who have aided his hoops journey thus far. "I want to thank Coach Yosh (WV Head Coach Danny Yoshikawa), (his assistants) Coach Trent, Coach Dustin, Coach Patrick, Coach Jackson and Coach Sean as well as (the West Valley trainers) Gianluca, Steven, and Katie." He also thanked "my parents, my brothers, my (personal) trainers Coach Ameer Shamsud-din (Elite Basketball Performance) and Coach Ant (Anthony Gardner), my teammates and my friends for all their help and support."

Asante back in his Leigh High days

Asante's goals over the remainder of the summer include "getting better by (practicing) shooting a lot, working on my speed and my weight. I've got to get my body into tip top shape because it's going to be a long season. I'm working as hard as I can." His sense is "I’ll still be playing wing/forward but playing more like a 3 guard" and that the opportunity for court time is available to be earned as the team has graduated a number of seniors.

Once he arrives in Oklahoma, it's going to be "I just want to win and be a leader." But also with these challenging additions: "Being named to the conference first team and the most valuable player because our team wins the conference and the national championship."

In Caleb Asante We Trust

6-foot-4, 185 Caleb Asante earned co-Junior Most Valuable Player honors for his exceptional play in his league this past season. He plays for Leigh High which is located in Silicon Valley, home of more different types of engineers than any other piece of territory in the world but not exactly a basketball hotbed. Coaches and assistant coaches do not necessarily flock to the area looking for new talent to fill their respective rosters. But they should be checking out Asante, a lefty who can play inside and out and sports a 3.8 grade point average--"I take my studies seriously"-- so he won't be creating any worry at all about his eligibility for the next four years.

Asked to detail his strengths on the court, Asante said, "I'm crafty with my ability to get to the rim and I've also improved my outside shooting. I'm creative offensively and also a good rebounder." Regarding leadership, he offered, "I'm definitely a leader, being a captain, and I look to help my teammates with different aspects of the game." He's strong and aggressive inside the paint.

What has aided the development of Asante's overall game is the different styles he plays during school and summer. At Leigh High, he plays for Coach Joe Goydish, and the team runs disciplined sets with him generally playing in and around the paint. Come summer, it's with West Coast Elite Coach Frank Saric, an acclaimed shooting coach, "I have more freedom and can move out to the wing. He has really helped me with both my shooting and my recruitment by making contact with college coaches." The dual styles "have increased my basketball knowledge and awareness. I've definitely improved and gotten better."

West Coast Elite Coach Saric on Asante

Here is Coach Saric talking about Asante: "One word that comes to my mind when I think of Caleb is consistency. We played 40 games during the summer and he never had a bad game and averaged a double double every single time. Players are under a lot of pressure during the summer period to perform in front of college coaches but Caleb never showed any weaknesses is his game. I remember coaching against Team Curry which is one of the best teams in the country and every time we needed to score I trusted in Caleb to deliver. We worked countless hours in practice on shooting and making shots under pressure and he delivered every single time. Sometimes during the games when he had to play extended minutes and preform at a high level on both ends of the floor I was thinking to myself is this guy even human. Ultimately he earned my trust in practice as he never missed any of the 5 practices a week we had. A Leader and Warrior who never quits!"

Asante also credits his longtime trainer Ameer Shamsud-din of Elite Basketball Performance (Menlo Park) and trainer/coach Anthony Gardner for his skills development. Plus, "I have a great appreciation of my parents for supporting me and giving me the opportunity to play basketball."

This Season

It's early but in two games thus far this season, Asante is averaging 24.0 points and 12.0 rebounds while shooting 68%.

As for his college position, "I'll probably be a wing, like a two guard and a small forward.

Asked for what he feels is his best basketball memory, Asante offered, "last year at home against Branham, our rival school, our team played really well and I had 29 points and a monster dunk." Leigh won 52-51.

Regarding recruiting, his visits are in the planning stage but he did attend five college camps last summer. First came Stanford and then USF in June, followed by Cal Poly in late July and then Menlo College in August and finally Cal State Fullerton also in August. "I wanted to see how I compare and get myself on the radar."

Asante is looking to major in marketing and entrepreneurship. If he approaches these goals as he does basketball (which is likely), expect him to appear on the television show "Shark Tank" sooner rather than later.