As he signs deal with Lakers G-League team, UConn’s Joey Calcaterra says he’s got plenty left in the tank

There were a few celebration barbecues around Marin County, California, when former UConn guard Joey Calcaterra returned home last spring.

His one-year mission, to go play basketball on the opposite side of the country, to prove himself capable of competing at college’s highest level, couldn’t have been more successful. In the months since cutting down the nets in Houston he’s spent time hanging at home with his family, hosting camps for local kids and getting back to his former high school, Marin Catholic, to work out.

“You could tell within the community how much it meant and I was just so happy to be able to put Marin County on the map like that and just bring the national championship home,” he told The Courant. “We’ve been enjoying the season and reminiscing but I’ve been staying active, staying ready, working out every day. Just staying prepared for whatever opportunity comes next for me.”

Calcaterra had been in talks with a few G League teams – one of which was the Santa Cruz Warriors, Golden State’s affiliate, who he worked out with five times over a span of two weeks this summer.

He finalized a deal with the South Bay Lakers, the Los Angeles Lakers’ G League team, on Friday.

“A lot of people would think that I’d give it up right now but I’ve still got a lot left in the tank,” he said. “I’ve got a lot more to prove myself and it’s always been a dream of mine to play in the NBA, so we’ll see. I’ve still got the dream and I’m still chasing it.”

That was part of the goal in transferring to spend his graduate year at UConn – to join one of college basketball’s biggest brands and put himself in the best position to get to the next level.

“It definitely gave me that higher platform to showcase my game and prove to these teams that I could compete, hang at that level. But I definitely think my (four years) at San Diego really helped a lot too,” he said. “I think I had a pretty solid college career, obviously winning a national championship at UConn is only going to help. But I’m grateful for both situations and wouldn’t be the player I am today without San Diego or UConn.”

Calcaterra’s cool, confident, West Coast vibe made him one of the greatest connectors in the locker room and, with the nickname “Joey California” coined by coach Dan Hurley, quickly extended outside of it as well.

His minutes nearly cut in half when he made the move from San Diego, Calcaterra averaged 5.8 points in 14.5 minutes per game off the bench with the Huskies. He took about three 3-pointers per game, converting on a career-high (and a team-high) 44.6% of them.

Perhaps the most memorable moment, aside from the nine 3s he hit throughout the NCAA Tournament, came when he rocked Gampel Pavilion just before the December holiday break.

UConn, 13-0 at the time and ranked No. 2 in the country, trailed Georgetown midway through the second half and was at risk of being on the wrong end of the Hoyas’ first Big East win in 21 games. But Hurley called on Calcaterra, who went off for 14 points in the final 11 minutes and added a no-look, behind-the-back pass to Donovan Clingan that landed on the next day’s Sportscenter Top 10.

The game was a launching pad for his “Joey California” NIL merchandise, which soon became a bicoastal brand.

“I was just very grateful that the UConn fanbase supported me like that. I do have a personality that’s outgoing, especially on the basketball court I play with a lot of emotion. Over the years I have seen a good amount of people appreciate that aspect of my game,” Calcaterra said. “It’s just what I do, I just try to go out there and provide a spark of energy and just do what I can to positively impact the team.”

As Hurley reflected on what made last year’s team a champion he realized how important those relationships and the mix of personalities was.

“What you learn from a negative standpoint is how great of leaders Andre (Jackson) and Adama (Sanogo) were and how important Joey’s personality was and Jordan (Hawkins’) confidence and approach,” Hurley said in September. “Now we’ve got to kind of replace those tangible and intangible things.”

Calcaterra returned to Connecticut last month with Jackson and Sanogo for a championship dinner hosted by the Bleeding Blue for Good NIL collective and the UConn Club. The trio extended their stay to watch practice and speak with this year’s team, which Calcaterra says is “going to be a fun one.”

“There was an Instagram post put out that said ‘best coaching staff in the country’ and that’s 100% true. Those dudes, their work ethic – we had all those transfers come in last year and they just got all our pieces and put those pieces to the puzzle. They’re gonna make it work and they’re gonna do whatever it takes to be successful,” he said. “So I’m very excited. The freshmen were looking good when I was out there, obviously Cam Spencer was looking good and all the returners.”

He and Jackson each had waivers signed and were itching to get back on the practice floor, to get some shots up in Gampel one last time, but Hurley wouldn’t allow any risk for injury.

“I just wish we had more time,” Calcaterra said, thinking back to his single season in Storrs. “One season, it was short-lived but obviously it was as special as it gets. I look back and I didn’t really know what to expect when I was going out there. I was obviously going out there with a lot of excitement and thought that we had a really good shot and it was gonna be a great year for me personally, but in just no way did I think it was gonna be as special as it turned out to be.

“You know, it’s hard to say something’s perfect, but it really felt like it was just a perfect year all-around.”