‘I just empty the fridge.’ Biloxi star hits weights, dinner table to chase D1 dream.
Biloxi center Caleb McCarty is eating everything in sight as he works to pack on the pounds, and those extra burritos paid off in the post Friday night against rival Gulfport.
The 6-7 senior provided the game-winning points in a 39-38 victory over the Admirals, pushing the Indians’ record to 9-1.
With Biloxi trailing 38-36 with 12 seconds remaining, senior point guard Keontae Beasley drove to the basket and found McCarty, who converted a short jumper and took a foul in the process.
When his shot was followed by the officials’ whistle to set up the three-point play, the typically reserved McCarty let out a primal scream and then calmly stepped to the line to make the free throw.
“It felt awesome,” a grinning McCarty said. “To beat Gulfport, our rival, on our home floor, it was awesome.”
McCarty was the the MVP for the Indians Friday night, putting up 20 points and 15 rebounds. This season, he is averaging 15 points, 12 rebounds, four blocks and three steals.
Those numbers should draw the attention of Division I coaches, but McCarty’s slight frame continues to work against him in the recruiting process. He has packed on significant weight since his junior season, but he still only checks in at 165 pounds.
“McCarty is a special kid,” Windham. “One day, he’ll play Division I basketball, but we don’t know where. He’s got such a work ethic. Whenever his weight catches up to his play … the only thing missing is his weight. If he weighed 220 pounds, Oklahoma and Nebraska and everybody would be in the stands.
“It’s going to come. He’s got a 3.6 GPA, a 29 ACT. Cornell, an Ivy League school, is starting to recruit him. That tells you right there that he’s special. Everybody around here loves him. Tonight, he showed a lot of heart and fight for this basketball team. That’s what we need out of him.”
Cornell, Southern Miss have shown interest
There are several junior college offers on the table for McCarty, but the only Division I programs that have shown interest are Cornell and Southern Miss.
McCarty is well aware that his lanky build is the main obstacle keeping him from drawing major offers, but he’s determined to overcome that through hard work and diet.
“Every morning, my dad comes and picks me up at 5 and we go to Planet Fitness and work out for an hour,” McCarty said.
After he’s done with his morning workout, the feasting begins.
“I drink a protein shake and I eat two enormous burritos from Burger King. Those things are gigantic,” McCarty said. “Then, I come to school and eat the school breakfast.”
McCarty estimates that he eats about six meals a day, and that includes a supper that few grown men could endure.
“Dinner is probably two hours. I just eat everything I can,” he said. “I just empty the fridge. My mom makes salmon patties and I eat those. My stepmom, she is an awesome cook. Anything from lasagna, enchiladas, you name it … peanut butter, Nature Valley bars.
“I’m trudging through, but I’m enjoying it. There’s nothing like food, ya know.”
With all the hard work in the gym, the weight room and at the dinner table, Windham and McCarty can see the effort paying off. It’s just a matter of showing college coaches that he can do everything that will be asked of him on the next level.
“I think I’ve got to prove I’m versatile, that I can guard inside and out and show that I’ve gotten stronger,” he said.
Caleb McCarty ‘a leader’
Windham points to McCarty’s leadership as reason to believe that he will develop into something special in college.
“When a younger kid does something wrong (in practice), he walks over to the younger kid and tells them in a polite manner, not a screaming manner, this is what you can do. You can do something different,” said. “That’s a leader. You don’t hardly see that, especially when things are not going the right way. He has so much character. When things aren’t going the right way, it’s easy to scream. When you have character within yourself and something goes wrong, you go over there and encourage them. It’s nothing but character, and that’s what Caleb has.”
After playing a key role on the 2018-19 Biloxi squad that finished 30-2 behind a wide array of sharp shooters, McCarty has proven up to the task as the centerpiece.
“He’s the first option and our kids know that, especially with him being the lone starter back from last year. He’s thriving on that,” Windham said. “He knows he’ll get the basketball. One year, we’re shooting three’s and playing outside-in. We’re totally the opposite now. I told them don’t even watch the Golden State Warriors. We’re going to throw it to him and make something good happen off him. Right now, it’s paying dividends.”
This story was originally published December 13, 2019 at 11:11 PM.
