Kankakee native Caldwell returns home, reunites with former coach Renchen

It’s been a few decades, but Alex Renchen still remembers the type of player Troy Caldwell was on his late 1988 Kankakee Junior High eighth grade team that made a run to the IESA State Finals.

“He was a really hard worker and a defensive guy,” Renchen recalled. “A real hard worker and a real good kid.”

Caldwell played for Renchen and then Keith Decker at Kankakee High School, where he graduated from in 1992. Now the head coach of the boys basketball team at Christ the King Jesuit College Preparatory School in Chicago’s Beverly neighborhood, Caldwell returned to his hometown on Friday when the Gladiators visited Bishop McNamara Friday, leaving town with a 67-49 victory.

And in that game, Caldwell got to see his former coach, Renchen, who’s now an assistant at McNamara. Not only did Caldwell play for Renchen in junior high, but it’s also Renchen who gave him his start in coaching as the sixth grade coach at Kankakee’s King Middle School.

“I owe my coaching career and the start of my coaching career to coach Alex Renchen,” Caldwell said. “What I do defensively, what I do from a philosophical standpoint, from a programmatic standpoint of running I program, I learned that being under a good head coach like him, playing underneath him and coaching underneath him.

" ... That’s my mentor. It’s always good to see him personally," he added. “We communicate a lot via text, via social media, but to see him is always a delight for me.”

Caldwell began his high school coaching career under Ron Ashlaw at Chicago Laboratory Prep (now Chicago University Prep) for a year before taking over in 2006-07, leading the program to its first-ever iHSA Regional plaque in 2009-10. He went to Robeson, Carver and Julian in the Chicago Public Schools until he took over at Christ the King ahead of the 2018-19 school year.

Since then, the Gladiators have had winning seasons every season, with Caldwell boasting a 138-65 record at Christ the King. They won their first regional in eight years last year, when they went 30-5.

Renchen was honored that Caldwell gives him so much credit for his success as a head coach, and after seeing the Gladiators up close Friday, has confidence a regional plaque is one of a few that they’ll end up winning this year.

“It’s great to see him do well,” Renchen said. “I’m looking forward to watching him at state.”

Caldwell is far from the only member of his family to be involved in education. His twin sister, Tracy Verrett, serves on the Kankakee School Board. His sister, Leslee Caldwell, teaches at King and his niece, Bryanna Caldwell, is a nurse at Avis Huff Student Support Services.

He had several family members on hand Friday, as well as friends and his family at Second Baptist Church and Pastor Tyler J. Prude, come out to see him and his team in action Friday, a true blessing.

“I’m thankful for my community, my church community,” Caldwell said. “I’m just happy to be here, be around family, be around friends, and it’s just a blessing to be here.”

https://daily-journal.com/sports/boys-basketball-kankakee-native-caldwell-returns-home-reunites-with-former-coach-renchen/article_91e02266-dae3-11ef-991c-0b021af75b18.html