The unlikely journey of how Caleb Reese became the Rambler he is today.
The unlikely journey of how Caleb Reese became the Rambler he is today.
When fourth-year guard Caleb Reese entered his final season as a walk-on with the Loyola men’s basketball team, he was expecting business as usual — checking into games in the last couple minutes and not seeing much playing time unless the Ramblers were blowing out their opponents.
Nonetheless, Reese continued putting everything he had into practices and worked to build his confidence on the court, despite not expecting any significant time to show it.
This season, with six of Loyola’s top players injured, Reese stepped up to the plate. Starting in the past four games for the Ramblers and receiving his first athletic scholarship, Reese has proved himself on the court as a key member of the Loyola squad.
Since the start of conference play, Reese has averaged 27 minutes per game. His longest time on the court was 34 minutes against St. Bonaventure University. It was also against the Bonnies where Reese recorded a career-high in points, assists and rebounds.
The predominantly injured Rambler roster has been struggling, picking up their eighth loss in a row to Saint Joseph’s University at home. Reese has been a key player during this time, maintaining control of the ball in the point guard position.
Reese said he appreciates the trust the coaching staff has given him to take on this role and their help boosting his confidence, especially while he’s growing his minutes on the court.
Men’s basketball head coach Drew Valentine’s trust in Reese has grown over the years because of the hard work he puts into the game to be prepared for anything.
“He was prepared for the role,” Valentine said. “He’s a guy that, no matter the situation, if I need him to [do] whatever in practice. Over the course of his four years here, he’s just prepared for whatever I ask him to do. I don’t have to worry about him. Whatever role that he’s given, whatever it is, he’s prepared for the moment.”
Before Loyola, standing at 5’ 11”, Reese, a native of Warren, Mich., wasn’t highly scouted talent. He had offers to play at Division II, III and NAIA schools across Michigan, but he decided they weren’t the right fit.
His impact on the program started almost immediately, according to Valentine, who said in practice Reese is always working hard on the court and giving his all.
It was this work and dedication to the program that Valentine has always noticed. In the beginning of this season, when NCAA rules changed regarding roster sizes and a full scholarship was available, he knew Reese was the perfect candidate.
Reese wasn’t expecting a scholarship from the team and said he was fine with being a walk-on, helping out the team wherever he could.
“I was just content with being a walk-on on the basketball team,” Reese said. “Just working hard and being able to practice with the team, I was content with that.”
The day Reese got the scholarship, he said he broke down crying, thanking God for the opportunity, and immediately called his family to share the good news.
“After [Valentine] told me, I’m almost about to cry in the meeting room, I’m trying to hold it in,” Reese said. “I went downstairs. I called my mom and my dad. My mom did not believe me at all. She was on the phone, full waterworks, full crying. My dad is up screaming, jumping around and stuff. It was just an amazing experience.”
Reese’s basketball journey started when he was 3 or 4-years-old. As he grew up, he started playing Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball for his dad and throughout high school at De La Salle Collegiate High School in Warren, Mich.
With the Pilots, Reese won the Michigan High School Athletic Association Division I State Championship in 2022. His coach, Gjon Djokaj, knew Valentine and former associate head coach Sean Dwyer through living and coaching basketball in Michigan. It was Djokaj who helped introduce the staff to Reese and pushed for him to be a walk-on for the Ramblers.
Reese said he decided to come to Loyola after receiving a full tuition scholarship. He was motivated by the fame Loyola reached during their 2018 Final Four run and the educational excellence of the university.
Reese said his intentions weren’t to play basketball at Loyola, but when the opportunity presented itself, he couldn’t say no.
“I just applied here to apply here,” Reese said. “[My coaches] kind of reached out to [Valentine], and I got in contact with him and one of the assistant coaches, and I had to send some of my film and stuff, and I ended up being able to walk on. Thank God because I ended up here.”
After watching his tapes and conversing with people within the Michigan basketball community, Valentine said no one had a negative thing to say about the addition of Reese to the roster.
“I watched his tape and talked to his high school coach about him, who’s a guy I can trust, and talked to a couple other people that are from Michigan — whether they’re talent evaluators or just other high school coaches and whatnot,” Valentine said. “Everybody talked glowingly about him. Like, if you got an opportunity to have him be a part of your program, he’d be a great fit.”
From being a bench player to racking up minutes, Reese said the toughest challenge has been on his body and having to adjust to playing more, but it’s a challenge he’s thankful to have.
Throughout his time at Loyola, Reese has been a fan favorite. Multiple times, the Gentile Arena crowd has started chanting, “We want Caleb” towards the end of a basketball game, when they see Reese make his way to the scoring table to check in.
Reese said hearing people chant his name as a player means everything and helps motivate him to be his best and show gratitude for their support.
“I’m not gonna lie, that’s one of the most amazing feelings that I have experienced personally,” Reese said. “To hear people that have never met me in their entire lives and being so genuinely happy to see me get in and succeed is an amazing feeling.”
As his time as a Rambler ends in May, Reese said his favorite part of being on the basketball team was when the Ramblers defeated the University of Dayton his second year.
After graduation, Reese plans to become a financial analyst in Michigan because he wants to return back home.
Reese’s growth throughout the program and effort on the court and in practice has set a standard for future Ramblers. Even Valentine knows that Reese is leaving a legacy at Loyola.
“He’s getting a chance to show everybody else in the public how he’s impacted the program.” Valentine said.
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