Young athletes can and should view what Brent Calhoun endured as a cautionary tale of what the college recruiting experience can evolve into. Fortunately for the Warren Central High School basketball player, all has ended on a positive note, it just took awhile to get there.
Calhoun verbally committed to play for IPFW on Thursday after a stressful summer.
After signing with Detroit in November, Calhoun had every expectation of playing for the Titans as late as last month. However, according to the 6-foot-8 center, the Detroit staff ceased contact with him. Ultimately he was advised, when they did call him June 11, that he would not be academically eligible for admission. That surprised and frustrated Calhoun, especially when four days later the Titans announced the signing of Michigan transfer Carlton Brundidge. Thus, Calhoun was thrust back into a quick odyssey over the past few weeks of being re-recruited.
“It was really about how comfortable I was with the IPFW coaching staff,” Calhoun said. “They told me the truth from the beginning. They were an honest coaching staff.”
Calhoun spent the past few weeks visiting Niagara, Indianapolis and Grand Valley State, and he was recently contacted by Central Michigan but declined to visit there.
“The IPFW coaches have been honest with me about how they'll use me and how I'll be developed there,” he said. “I think that I am a good fit with them and I have a great future.”
IPFW awarded its final scholarship to junior college guard Pierre Bland last month, so Calhoun will spend his first year in Fort Wayne as a walk-on, as well as a redshirt player. He believes that the year of development will prove to be beneficial down the road.
“It's a great setup,” he said. “I'll have the next year to get my body ready and prepared to play the next four years. I'm really excited about it.”
He played this season with a partial tear in his patella tendon but still helped Warren Central finish 14-7. The left-hander was the team's second-leading rebounder (six per game) and top shot-blocker (32). He had his knee repaired through surgery earlier this spring and will be cleared soon to resume workouts.
“I'm going to enroll at IPFW in August,” Calhoun said. “But I'll probably be up there once a week before that just hanging out and getting to know the guys.”
