While taking his first steps toward becoming a professional basketball player, after five years and three NCAA Tournament appearances at Seton Hall, something unexpected happened for Myles Cale.
He hit it off with Rutgers’ Caleb McConnell.
They wound up playing together in Orlando this spring as they explored the next level. McConnell ultimately opted to pursue his fifth year of collegiate eligibility, but the two defensive-minded guards struck a chord.
“It’s ironic that we ended up in the same spot,” Cale said. “We talked about how Seton Hall and Rutgers is such a big rivalry — we’re supposed to be enemies, supposed to be these people that hate each other, but I ended up liking him a lot. He’s actually a really cool guy.”
They laughed about how their college teammates, Seton Hall’s Jared Rhoden and Rutgers’ Ron Harper Jr., ended up on the same team at last month’s NBA Draft Combine — and played well together.
“It’s funny how that stuff happens,” Cale said.
While Harper and Rhoden are looking to hear their names called during Thursday’s draft, or at the very least sign a two-way free-agent contract, Cale represents the majority of pro-ball hopefuls coming out of the collegiate ranks: He’s hoping to get someone’s attention. An Exhibit 10 contract would give him a foot in the door, a more extended chance to impress a team than the one-day, pre-draft workouts that have been taking place.
“Just trying to get on a summer-league team or a training-camp deal, anything of that nature,” he said.
On the Knicks’ radar
Since signing with Outwork Sports Advisory, a nascent player agency, Cale has worked out with multiple NBA teams, including the New York Knicks and Orlando Magic. These workouts typically take place six prospects at a time and include shooting drills, 1-on-1 and 3-on-3 action, and an individual interview session with team representatives.
Cale was a well-regarded starter at Seton Hall — the 6-foot-6 Delaware native (he played four years of varsity basketball at Appoquinimink High School in Middletown) owns the Hall record for games played and averaged 10 points while shooting 36 percent from 3-point range over his final two seasons — but his calling cards were intangibles like defense, unselfishness and hustle plays.
“They definitely let you show that,” he said. “When we play 1-on-1 and 3-on-3, they want to see how smart you are, how you work with other players, if you can communicate. They put in plays to see if you can execute them the right way. You get a chance to show what you know.”
Most days Cale works out with trainer and player development coach James Clark as well as former Wake Forest forward Isaiah Mucius, who also signed with Outwork Sports Advisory. They focus on shooting, ball-handling and decision making.
What kind of feedback has he received from NBA personnel?
“They’ve said I’m a very strong competitor, and they can tell I’ve been working on my ball-handling,” Cale.
In the interviews, he said, “they like how I was really committed to Seton Hall for all five years.”
Support from the Seton Hall family
Cale has been working his Seton Hall connections over the past couple of months, speaking with alums Khadeen Carrington, Desi Rodriguez, Myles Powell, Ismael Sanogo, Quincy McKnight and his good friend Sandro Mamukelashvili about the pre-draft process.
“That really helps,” Cale said. “That’s where the family part of Seton Hall is really big.”
He’s also heard from new Pirates head coach Shaheen Holloway, who coached him for two years as an assistant under Kevin Willard.
“Shaheen reaches out to me and checks up on me a lot,” Cale said. “He said ‘Anytime you want to come back and work out, you’re invited.’ He’s been very good over the years about doing that, even when he was at Saint Peter’s. That surprised me because he had his own program, but he was still checking up on me.”
Cale has some advice — you might call it a warning — for current Pirates adjusting to Holloway’s style.
“You’ll have no problem being able to talk to him, creating a relationship with him, but be ready to work,” he said. “He’s not going to play when it comes to work on the basketball court. He’s not going to want to see people taking plays off, just walking around on the practice court.”
Cale is a worker, and he’s hoping it pays off when free-agent calls go out next week.
“You hear stories about underground G League players that just blow up,” he said. “I feel like there’s a chance for me to be one of them.”
Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996 and the college basketball beat since 2003. He is an Associated Press Top 25 voter. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.
