University of Georgia Athletics
Quick Chat: Maya Caldwell
December 13, 2018 | Women's Basketball, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Maya Caldwell may one day change the world, or at least a part of it. The 5-foot-11 Georgia women's basketball sophomore wants to do good, wants to make a difference, and she's proven to be someone who achieves what she sets out to do.
A year ago, when Caldwell and I first sat down for a Quick Chat (http://www.gado.gs/zt), she was asked what she would be the best in the world at if she could be the best at anything. She said speaking: "I like to try to stay positive and I like to help others, so any kind of specialty where it involves me voicing my opinion to help and inspire others." Not your typical answer from a college freshman.
Caldwell, from Charlotte, is by no means the first gifted basketball player in her family. Her mother, Patricia, played at UNC Charlotte and was an honorable mention All-American after the 1981-82 season. And her mom still holds the school record for career steals with 301.
As Caldwell revealed during our Quick Chat this week, she kind of accidentally found out just how great a player her mother was. Caldwell talked about that and much more during this interesting conversation — here's some of what she had to say:Â
Frierson: You're wrapping up the end of fall semester of your sophomore year, so how would you rate your college experience so far? Has it been about what you expected or harder or easier?
Caldwell: I would say it's a bit harder than I expected, now that I'm getting into classes that are required for my major, like accounting, econ, even risk management. Those classes are a little bit tougher, so they require a lot more focus and buckling down and time management.
It's not impossible, obviously, especially with the great tutors that we have, but it's definitely challenging.
Frierson: We've got the holidays coming up, and you've got a birthday on Saturday, so what's the best present you've ever received?
Caldwell: My brother got me a drone, either last year or the year before that, so that was pretty cool. We were flying it all around the neighborhood and it came with a camera, so that was really cool.
That's the first one that pops up into my head, that drone, even though my cousin kind of dismantled it.
Frierson: What was the coolest thing you shot with the camera?
Caldwell: We never really even got to that point because it didn't even last a week before my cousin killed it (laughs).Â
Frierson: As I get older, I like giving presents better than getting them ...
Caldwell: Same.
Frierson: So what's the best present you've ever given someone, like when you absolutely knew that you'd nailed it?
Caldwell: I actually think that I've been working on my best gift this year. Hopefully [name redacted to protect the surprise], and it's not even that big but I think it's kind of fun, I'm going to give her $50, but it's going to be in ones that she'll pull out of a tissue box one-by-one.
I'm going to decorate the tissue box with pictures of us and her on the basketball court and stuff like that. That's one of the things that I'm working on this Christmas.
Frierson: That's awesome. ... Is there something that you're afraid of even though you know you don't need to be? For me it's snakes, which I've only encountered a few times in hundreds and hundreds of hours hiking all over the country.
Caldwell: There's really two things: One is death, but not just me dying but losing people close to me, like my family. Sometimes my mom says things like, "I'm not going to be here one day, you've got to figure things out on your own." That kind of scares me even though I know that day is going to come, we're not going to live forever.
The other one is, I hate disappointing people. I'm not going to say I don't care what people think about me, but I know who I am. If you have a different opinion about me, I'm not going to worry about your opinion, but at the same time, "first impression, best impression" — I know that, I respect that, I try to live up to that.
My parents taught me that, so when I disappoint someone, especially someone I love, that guys me deep right there.
Frierson: If you could have witnessed any event in history in person, what would it be?
Caldwell: Ooh, I would want to go back and watch one of my mom's games. Oh, yeah, I'd definitely want to see her play.
Frierson: Tell me about your mom as a basketball player. What do you know?
Caldwell: Well, everything I know, she never told me. I had to find out from Judy Rose, the UNC Charlotte head coach, well, not anymore, or from my dad. I found trophies in the garage, some of her records on a plaque, steals, points. I was young when I found all that and I can't remember all of it, but she was legendary.
I found a photo album of her name in so many newspapers, with pictures of her and one of the good friends that she played with. It was like I accidentally did research; I was just messing around and I found a whole bunch of stuff that my mom hadn't told me anything about. I had to go up to her and was like, "So, are you going to tell me about this?"
Frierson: That's awesome, that has to be inspiring for you.
Caldwell: Yeah, that's No. 1 on my list, going back to watch her play.
Frierson: If you could spend an afternoon with Joni Taylor doing anything, what would you like to do?
Caldwell: We'd definitely have to go get something to eat because I love food. If it was in the wintertime, maybe something like snowboarding or skiing; I don't know why, but I want to see that. In the summer, jet skis. That would be fun.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
