Since his Liberty career came to an abrupt end, former Liberty guard Caleb Homesley has been rigorously training for the beginning of his professional basketball career.
He spent about a month in Washington, D.C. training with former Liberty forward and current Washington Wizards assistant coach Alex McLean.
“I went up there and stayed with him for about a month,” McLean said. “There was no gym access when I was with him. It was more training, cardio, all that stuff.”
McLean and Homesley developed a relationship when McLean was a graduate assistant on Liberty’s staff under head coach Ritchie McKay during the 2016-17 season.
“I worked out with him when he was here as a G.A.,” said Homesley. “I just loved his workouts. I loved the way he pushed me.”
Homesley ended his career ranked No. 10 on Liberty’s all-time scoring list with 1,539 career points and No. 8 on the school’s all-time rebounding list with 703 rebounds. He now hopes to take his talents to the NBA and become just the third Liberty graduate to play in the NBA, joining Peter Aluma and Julius Nwosu.
He says he’s been using the past two months to grow and improve his game while continuing to stay in the best shape of his life.
“A lot of people don’t have the access that I have,” he said. “So, me having this access, taking it and using to my best advantage. I’m getting in here with Coach Hen, our strength coach.”
The 6’6″ guard is looking to become the third consecutive ASUN Player of the Year to reach the NBA, joining FGCU’s Brandon Goodwin and Lipscomb’s Garrison Mathews. Homesley helped lead Liberty to the 2019 ASUN Tournament Championship over Mathews and Lipscomb.
“Garrison’s a good player,” Homesley said of the former Lipscomb star. “He’s got one of those niches in his game where he can shoot the ball at a high level. That’s going to stick in the NBA. We’re two different players. He can shoot it really well. He had an NBA skill already. I feel like I have a lot of NBA skills, but for someone to come out of the ASUN like he did, win ASUN Player of the Year, and end up signing a two-way (contract), it’s great to follow what he’s doing and try to pursue what he’s doing.”
Homesley’s biggest strengths are his versatility. He can defend and play multiple positions on the floor from point guard to the wing with his length. He’s also working on his consistency.
“You’ve got to be as consistent as possible,” Homesley said of what the NBA looks for. “That’s what they look for, consistency. Can you come in and do your job and do it at a high level?”
Homesley signed with one of the more prestigious agencies in the country, as he signed with Andrew Morrison of CAA Sports. CAA represents a talented group of NBA stars including Zion Williamson, D’Angelo Russell, Chris Paul, Karl Anthony-Towns, Donovan Mitchell, Paul George, Joel Embiid, and Devin Booker.
“Him and Coach McKay have a relationship, Homesley said of his agent, Andrew Morrison. “Coach McKay was in contact with CAA and he knows them very well. Andrew called my phone, we had conversations for about an hour and a half. I had talked to three other agents previous to him, but no conversation felt like the one me and him had. It was genuine. It was more of a friendship, not like a business. I’ve been in this program for 5 years, thats’ what we build on here at Liberty.”
Morrison represents NBA players such as Andrew Wiggins, Robert Covington, Ish Smith, Kris Dunn, and Jordan Poole.
“Whenever we had that conversation I knew that he believed in me,” Homesley said of Morrison. “He believed that I could play in the NBA. He knew that I had the skill, it was just when and where. I trusted in what he had for me, and I’m glad I signed with him and the agency. I’m blessed to be part of such a great organization.”
The NBA Draft is currently scheduled for June 25, but everything is up in the air due to COVID-19. On March 11, the league announced the suspension of the 2019-20 season following Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert testing positive for the coronavirus disease. The season has been indefinitely suspended and could be resumed this summer.
“There’s no plan right now, it’s all still up in the air,” Homesley said of the pre-draft and draft routine. “I just continue to work out every day. It’s about every day things right now. It’s so up in the air you have to be ready whenever. There’s no telling if in three weeks to a month, if they say, alright, you’re coming in here for a pre-draft workout. You’ve got to be ready. I’m trying to stay as ready as possible. When my time comes, I’m able to succeed in my opportunity.”
Liberty has had two players selected in the NBA Draft and not since 1985. Regardless of whether or not he is selected, Homesley will have his opportunity to make a roster.
“I believe I can play in the NBA.”
Soon, he will have his opportunity.
