Late addition Caldwell comes up big for Sailors

male athlete of week -- caldwellSophomore center with basketball excellence in his blood has returned from injury to give the team extra scoring punch.If the defensive-minded Newport Harbor High boys’ basketball team is going to make a run in the CIF Southern Section playoffs, it is going to need a little extra offense to help leading scorer Dennis Heenan and company. That’s why the Sailors are glad Kyle Caldwell is back.

Caldwell, a 6-foot-7 sophomore center and grandson of NBA Hall of Famer George Yardley, broke his ankle while playing volleyball at the Olympic Training Center at the end of July. Following surgery, which required putting eight screws in his ankle, Caldwell was back to running and jumping by Thanksgiving.

He said his physical therapist gave him the go-ahead to play to start the new year, giving Newport Harbor Coach Larry Hirst some depth in the middle.

“When he got clearance to play in January, we slowly started incorporating him into the lineup,” Hirst said.

Caldwell has been building up to being the type of weapon he was last week. Caldwell had 16 points in Newport Harbor’s 59-38 win over Irvine on Friday, then tallied 18 points in a victory over Hawthorne on Saturday. He gives the Sailors a much welcomed inside force to complement their outside shooters.

“He’s a big, strong kid,” Hirst said. “He’s going to be a huge addition for us in the playoffs. He’s building stamina and playing longer now.”

Caldwell said he is glad to finally be contributing in games.

“It feels good to be back playing, but at the same time, I don’t want to take away other people’s points,” Caldwell said. “But whatever wins games ... “

Hirst says Caldwell sees the court uncommonly well for a center.

“He has a good feel for the court, that’s his biggest strength,” Hirst said. “His ability as a big man to pass the ball to the open man -- it’s a rare ability for a kid his size.”

Passing is not his only strength.

“He kind of does a little of everything. He can score and he can bang big bodies inside, as well as see the floor and get assists,” Hirst said.

Caldwell said that when he was growing up, he learned a thing or two from his grandfather, a six-time NBA all-star.

“He taught me the basics when I was growing up, like shooting -- especially bank shots,” Caldwell said. “He loved the bank shot.”

What advice did Yardley give the young Caldwell regarding the bank shot?

“Make it in the square, it goes in the hoop,” Caldwell said his grandfather told him.

Yardley went to Newport Harbor High from 1943 to 1946 before playing at Stanford, then professionally for the Fort Wayne Pistons, Detroit Pistons and Syracuse Nationals.

The gymnasium at Newport Harbor High is named after Yardley, who passed away of Lou Gehrig’s disease in August 2004.

With Caldwell back and building up stamina, the Sailors could be tough to beat come playoff time.

“Sometimes we have an off-game, but we’ve never been blown out,” Caldwell said. “All of our losses are by [less than] 10 points. We can take anyone when we’re on our game.”

The Kyle Caldwell File

Hometown: Newport Beach

Height: 6-foot-7

Weight: 220

Sport: Basketball

Position: Center

Coach: Larry Hirst

Favorite food: Steak

Favorite movie: “Wedding Crashers”

Favorite athletic moment: “My first game back playing against Foothill, just because it was my first game back [from an ankle injury suffered in July].”

Week in review: Caldwell, who was eased back into the lineup in January, is coming on strong now. The 6-foot-7 sophomore center had 16 points in Newport Harbor’s 59-38 win over Irvine on Friday, then tallied 18 points in a victory over Hawthorne on Saturday.

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