UCC athlete headed to Ridley College
Caleb Roberts is headed to Ridley College
Ridley College coach Victor Raso has confirmed that Caleb will be leaving UCC to join Ridley in the fall.
This past season, Raso coached Stoney Creek (his team played against Ursuline College once) and Raso was shocked that Caleb was only in Grade 10.
At OFSAA, Raso saw Caleb play again. As soon as Raso took over the coaching responsibilities, he contacted Caleb’s family. The family came to the school for a visit to consider the move and later accepted the offer to attend Ridley.
Caleb will be one of five new players joining the team this year.
Raso said Caleb fit the mold of players they are looking for.
“I am looking for a specific type of person to attend Ridley College, as we are unique,” said Roso. “We are looking for talented and athletic basketball players, but also players who understand the importance of their education, who are open to learning how to compete, and who are open to learning the value of impacting winning and impacting others.”
Raso added that Caleb will be a good fit for the team.
“I think Caleb is an incredible athlete – he is strong, explosive, balanced and has excellent body control. He’s aggressive and he’s got a competitive edge. He can take over games physically, and he can really score. My goal for him is to improve as a point guard and become a complete point guard who can run a team, execute a plan, and get the most out of his teammates.”
Raso said the decision was a difficult one for Caleb to leave Ursuline College:
“I think it was difficult for Caleb because of how invested he was to Ursuline, and them to him. They have a good program there, and I know they did everything they could for Caleb. The ever-changing landscape of high school basketball in this country makes it really difficult to play in the top leagues, with the top competition, if you’re not at a prep school. So making that jump I’m sure was not easy.”
Caleb will be joining Quinten Ethier on the team. The two players were on Team Canada together so Caleb will be familiar with some of the players on the team.
Fans and former classmates of Caleb will have to travel to see him play this year, as Ridley does not have any games planned at the time in the Chatham-Kent area.