Courtesy of FGCU Athletics
FORT MYERS, Fla. — When Caleb Catto started draining free throws at the end of a Southwest Florida Christian Academy practice, his father Bill would come up to him and whisper in his ear, “You’re gonna miss.”
They both knew that practice couldn’t end unless Caleb made 10 in a row.
Some days, practices ended quickly. Some days they didn’t. Mother Libby’s meals often needed to be warmed up.
“One time, he made 100 in a row,” Bill Catto said proudly. “Never missed.”
Other days …, seven, eight, nine, then the ball rolls around the rim – and out.
“A lot of times when he was missing, he’d feel the pressure, get frustrated,” the father recalled. “I’d say, ‘You missed, you go back to one. Who cares? It doesn’t matter. Take a shot.”
On Monday night, Caleb Catto took a shot. Made it.
Then he knocked down the free throw.
The unlikely sequence turned a four-point deficit into a tie game with 13 seconds left, then overtime, then an 84-79 FGCU victory over Central Arkansas.
The Eagles (12-4 overall) are 2-1 in ASUN Conference play, and return home to take on North Florida at 7 p.m. Saturday at Alico Arena. Tickets are available HERE.
Helped by a Central Arkansas’ missed 1-on-1 at the free-throw line, Catto hustled down to his spot and took a perfectly-timed pass from senior guard Dahmir Bishop (Philadelphia, Pa./Imhotep Charter/Xavier/St. Joseph’s), where he made a 3-pointer, then drew a foul from Central Arkansas’ Johan Crafoord.
“He got me on the elbow, right arm,” Catto said. “I thought there was enough contact. I got the shot off before he hit me. After the ball went into the basket, I thought, ‘Oh, shoot, we have a chance to tie this up.’ “
While Bill Catto was on pins and needles as his son stepped to the free-throw line, he felt much better when he saw his son’s body language.
“Says a lot of the coaching,” Catto said, referring to the Eagles’ Pat Chambers, his assistants and support staff.
But dad played a role, too. Sometimes, fathers/coaches wonder if they’re too hard on their sons but the last thing they want is to be accused of being too easy.
Catto also coached another son, Colton. Beforehand, he would tell them he was going to scream at them to make a point with other players.
“It would demoralize other players,” Bill Catto said. “I yelled at Caleb, had him walk out of the gym. I pushed him as hard as we could. After a game, we’d talk it out. Sometimes, feelings would be hurt. But I wouldn’t trade it. Those were special, special times.”
Caleb’s toughness showed itself against competition like Zion Williamson – yes the guy playing for the New Orleans Pelicans – in showcases for college basketball recruiters in places like Spartanburg, S.C. Caleb not only held his own but once stole the ball from 6-foot-6, 284-pound brute just before he dunked it.
Such play earned Caleb 19 scholarship offers, including two from Florida and Clemson. Unfortunately, a sprained ankle left Caleb at 50 percent before a recruiting event in Las Vegas. Florida and Clemson backed off.
FGCU didn’t. “We are so happy Michael Fly and his staff kept recruiting Caleb,” Bill Catto said. “Watching him play has been a blessing.”
When asked if there’s any similarities between his dad and Chambers, Caleb said they’re both hard on players.
“But I love that,” he said. “I see that as tough love. When they were yelling at me, I didn’t see it as them attacking me. They wanted the best for me.”
Shortly after Chambers became the Eagles coach on March 15, he made a call to Caleb.
At the time, he, his dad and Colton were on their way to Orlando. “You’re my first recruit,” Chambers told Caleb during a 10-minute call.
While he had no interest in entering the transfer portal, Caleb also wasn’t sure if he wanted to return for a fifth season of eligibility because of COVID.
But a second conversation with the coach changed that.
“He said he just wanted to meet and grow the relationship,” Caleb said. “He said he wanted to coach me and he wanted me to play for him. He didn’t promise anything, what would benefit me. It was more so him expressing who he was, what his vision was, the goals he had in sight.
“I told him I wanted the opportunity to play one more year for him and his coaching staff; and he said if I was gonna come back, I had to come back and play with passion.”
Whether it be from opposing coaches, announcers or players, Bill Catto said he’s been told his son could play in Europe because his game translates well to that style of play. Besides his late-game heroics, Caleb also had 10 assists to go with 11 points.
“He’s a glue guy,” his father said.
A glue guy who can stick a 3-pointer and free throw when the pressure is on.Read More
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