The former San Diego Torrero will be leaving the West Coast Conference and heading to the East Coast for his sixth and final college season. Calcaterra, a ‘6-3’ shooting guard, played four seasons for USD and averaged 8.5 points and shot 34.4% from three as a regular starter last season. Calcaterra struggled with injuries at times, missing two games, and had a shooting slump in the middle of the season that caused his rate states to go down in comparison to his sophomore and junior seasons, when he averaged double figures.
If one just briefly looks at Calcaterra’s stats from last season, they can be forgiven for wondering why the Huskies would want to bring in a super senior transfer from a mid-major conference that isn’t elite in any one area, especially as the program’s likely final transfer portal acquisition. But looking closer, you recognize that Calcaterra’s perimeter and free throw shooting, passing and experience makes him a great fit for the Huskies as a rotational guard, especially considering Dan Hurley’s stated desire to play a 4-out offense.
In addition to his injury issues, part of Calcaterra’s offensive inconsistency last season was due to the lack of help his teammates gave him. San Diego’s offensive efficiency was ranked 298th on KenPom, and players assisted on just over 39% of field goals, the fourth-worst mark in the nation. Calcaterra is much more suited to playing a catch-and shoot game than creating off the dribble, and it’s easy to see how having to constantly create his own scoring opportunities as well as for others could depress both the sharpshooter’s overall stats and efficiency. With UConn, Calcaterra will benefit from open, high-quality shots and be pressured into turnovers less.
In Storrs, Calcaterra should be an effective off the bench sniper who can consistently provide 10-20 quality minutes on offense, especially against defenders he matches up well with physically that he can shoot over. Calcaterra should be able to get good looks both when set and on the move off of screens. While his shooting splits were mostly down across the board as a fifth-year senior (41/.2/34.4/86.8), they were much more efficient during his pandemic-shortened junior year (44.6/37.7/867), when his true shooting was at 62.3%, and even Calcaterra’s sophomore campaign. When you go back and look at videos of his shooting stroke from last season it appears to be as technically sound as ever, even if the ball didn’t go in the basket as much. With UConn, I expect Calcaterra to improve on his shooting percentage from three as he’s given more space to operate. Even if he doesn’t, similar shooting numbers should be more than acceptable with the other perimeter threats joining the Huskies both through the portal and as freshman.
The feedback fans have gotten back about Calcaterra’s performance in practice and scrimmage since he arrived should make them even more confident about his ability to be a “microwave scorer” off the bench. Associate head coach Kimani Young called him “the best shooter by far” in the summer sessions in early August, and both Andre Jackson and Jordan Hawkins testified to Calcaterra’s shooting prowess as well as his leadership ability.
Calcaterra’s ability to contribute in areas other than perimeter shooting are a little more up in the air. White he could act as a secondary ball handler for brief stretches of time against certain opponents, he was an unspectacular ball handler and passer with the Toreros and did not show the ability to create plays off the dribble for others. This is borne out by both video and Calcaterra’s stats, as he has averaged more turnovers than assists every year of his college career (his rates were 10.8% to 19.5% last season). UConn fans know after last season that its team needs as many spare ball handlers as possible, but don’t expect Calcaterra to soundly develop a great handle or playmaking skills anytime soon. Hurley and the Huskies didn’t recruit him for that role, and it’s mostly fine.
Calcaterra’s ability to be an effective defender is also up in the air. While he is widely seen as a hard worker on that end, Calcaterra may struggle to cover more quicker and more athletic perimeter players who he doesn’t have a size advantage on. At the same time, what was considered strong defense against WCC opponents will definitely not carry over against top Big East and additional power conference foes. Calcaterra’s overall box plus-minus was -2.4 last season. Dan Hurley has shown the ability to especially coach up and help improve players on the defensive end however, and I expect him to be able to do the same for Calcaterra. And again, the transfer is at UConn to provide depth and versatility on offense in likely limited minutes.
While Calcaterra’s defense and ball-handling may not make a positive impact in his final college season, it is heartening to see how eager he was to play for a prestigious program like UConn and willing to take a reduced role to play for a winner. When he officially transferred, Calcaterra told the media that “It’s just an exciting time to be a part of such a historic program and successful program and the opportunity itself is just really a blessing,” and “I know nothing’s gonna be given to me. Obviously, they have a great roster already, so I’m just excited to get out there and play with the guys that are on the roster.” Every program needs experienced guys who take that mentality, especially as the transfer portal becomes a much bigger part of the game. The Huskies need experienced starters to set an example for such a young team, and Calcaterra’s ability to do so is just as important as the stats he will put up.
After becoming more familiar with Calcaterra over the past few weeks, I think he was a great pickup as a reliable and heavily experienced shooting guard who should be able to regularly play 10-15 minutes and have a few standout performances when his 3-pointers are following. You can’t do much better for a sixth backcourt option, especially now that Hurley has committed to regularly playing a 4-out offense. I can immediately see Calcaterra becoming a favorite of myself and many other loyal fans. One thing is for certain: Hurley’s quartet of transfer pickups (Calcaterra, Tristen Newton, Hassan Diara and Nahiem Alleyne) has to be one of the most impressive of any power conference team and bodes well for their chance of improvement.
HUSKY NATION 