University of Georgia Athletics
Caldwell Living Her Dream In WNBA
July 17, 2024 | Women's Basketball, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Maya Caldwell knew she was speaking from the Central Time Zone, and she knew the opponent Wednesday afternoon was the Minnesota Lynx. Still, some other details were admittedly hazy.
"I don't know what day it is, I'm going to be honest with you," the former Georgia women's basketball player and current starter for the Atlanta Dream said with a laugh during a phone interview Tuesday afternoon.
Life in the WNBA has been good of late for Caldwell, who was signed as a free agent by the Dream on June 26. But the grind of life on the road is real and arduous, especially in a season with a condensed schedule due to the upcoming month-long break for the Olympics. Atlanta's game Wednesday was its last until Aug. 16.
"You lose track of time. It's like, are we playing today, or is this a travel day?" said Caldwell, 25, who was a valuable contributor throughout her Georgia career (2017-21) and made the 2021 SEC All-Tournament team as a senior.
Every minute in the WNBA is one Caldwell appreciates — because she didn't expect any of this to happen.
"It's a surprise every time because I did not think I was going to be here," she said.
Originally drafted in the second round in 2021 by the Indiana Fever, Caldwell signed with the Dream the following year and averaged 10.9 points, 2.2 assists and 23.7 minutes in nine appearances. Last season, Caldwell, from Charlotte, N.C., played in 30 games for the Fever, averaging 10.1 minutes and 1.9 points per game.
Since signing with the Dream last month, the 5-foot-11 guard has started six of nine games, and she scored a career-high 19 last Sunday against Seattle. The Dream head into the Olympic break having dropped eight straight and with a record of 7-17.
"The game is different (from college), it's a lot faster, everyone's a lot stronger, and you're playing with the best across the board," Caldwell said, adding, "You almost have to be in it to really understand it. It just moves quicker, and the expectations and the standards are a lot higher than what they are in college."
Caldwell was a starter from the end of her sophomore year through the rest of her career at Georgia, but she was never one to fill up a box score the way teammates like Gabby Connally, Jenna Staiti and Que Morrison were. She had her moments, like scoring 27 against Florida in her final regular-season game, but always seemed like a player with untapped potential. Caldwell averaged 8.3 points and 3.6 rebounds a game as a senior.
So was she maybe better suited to the WNBA game?
"That's a great question because I'm the kind of student that I do exactly what you say. But I would also really appreciate it if you would show me exactly what you wanted, and then I will go do exactly that. It was definitely a learning curve for me," she said of going to the WNBA. "I was able to adjust to it, and I can say that I have gotten better because of it."
On Wednesday, in the Dream's 86-79 loss at Minnesota, Caldwell started her sixth game of the season. She had a quiet outing offensively with 2 points on 1-of-6 shooting, but it potentially says something about her place on the team and in the rotation that Caldwell re-entered a tight game with 4:11 remaining.
In the previous game, at Seattle on Sunday, Caldwell scored a career-high 19 points on 8 of 14 shooting, with four 3-pointers and five rebounds. And the game before that, she scored 13. Compared to college, Caldwell said, she's improved "across the board."
Along with her time in the WNBA, Caldwell has played professionally in Spain, Israel and Turkey. The experiences have been mixed, she said, for a variety of reasons. Some clubs are better run than others, she fractured her foot during her first stint playing in Israel, and then during her second, the Israel-Palestine war began.
"You learn a lot playing overseas, but I've only had one full season since I left Georgia," she said. "I definitely am going back, for the experience, the free travel [laughs], and then the money is better overseas than it is in the WNBA for some people.
"I'm definitely going back. You're not going to be able to play basketball forever, so I have to take advantage of these opportunities when they come."
Caldwell is definitely taking advantage of the opportunity the Dream gave her in late June. What the future holds is anybody's guess, but Caldwell is proving she belongs in the WNBA.
"When I left college, I really just thought I would play overseas for a couple of years, make some money, and then start a new life, or something like that," she said. "Even though I'm not in the league consistently, just being here now, God could not have painted a prettier picture for my life. I wouldn't have wanted it any other way."
Staff Writer
Maya Caldwell knew she was speaking from the Central Time Zone, and she knew the opponent Wednesday afternoon was the Minnesota Lynx. Still, some other details were admittedly hazy.
"I don't know what day it is, I'm going to be honest with you," the former Georgia women's basketball player and current starter for the Atlanta Dream said with a laugh during a phone interview Tuesday afternoon.
Life in the WNBA has been good of late for Caldwell, who was signed as a free agent by the Dream on June 26. But the grind of life on the road is real and arduous, especially in a season with a condensed schedule due to the upcoming month-long break for the Olympics. Atlanta's game Wednesday was its last until Aug. 16.
"You lose track of time. It's like, are we playing today, or is this a travel day?" said Caldwell, 25, who was a valuable contributor throughout her Georgia career (2017-21) and made the 2021 SEC All-Tournament team as a senior.
Every minute in the WNBA is one Caldwell appreciates — because she didn't expect any of this to happen.
"It's a surprise every time because I did not think I was going to be here," she said.
Originally drafted in the second round in 2021 by the Indiana Fever, Caldwell signed with the Dream the following year and averaged 10.9 points, 2.2 assists and 23.7 minutes in nine appearances. Last season, Caldwell, from Charlotte, N.C., played in 30 games for the Fever, averaging 10.1 minutes and 1.9 points per game.
Since signing with the Dream last month, the 5-foot-11 guard has started six of nine games, and she scored a career-high 19 last Sunday against Seattle. The Dream head into the Olympic break having dropped eight straight and with a record of 7-17.
"The game is different (from college), it's a lot faster, everyone's a lot stronger, and you're playing with the best across the board," Caldwell said, adding, "You almost have to be in it to really understand it. It just moves quicker, and the expectations and the standards are a lot higher than what they are in college."
Caldwell was a starter from the end of her sophomore year through the rest of her career at Georgia, but she was never one to fill up a box score the way teammates like Gabby Connally, Jenna Staiti and Que Morrison were. She had her moments, like scoring 27 against Florida in her final regular-season game, but always seemed like a player with untapped potential. Caldwell averaged 8.3 points and 3.6 rebounds a game as a senior.
So was she maybe better suited to the WNBA game?
"That's a great question because I'm the kind of student that I do exactly what you say. But I would also really appreciate it if you would show me exactly what you wanted, and then I will go do exactly that. It was definitely a learning curve for me," she said of going to the WNBA. "I was able to adjust to it, and I can say that I have gotten better because of it."
On Wednesday, in the Dream's 86-79 loss at Minnesota, Caldwell started her sixth game of the season. She had a quiet outing offensively with 2 points on 1-of-6 shooting, but it potentially says something about her place on the team and in the rotation that Caldwell re-entered a tight game with 4:11 remaining.
In the previous game, at Seattle on Sunday, Caldwell scored a career-high 19 points on 8 of 14 shooting, with four 3-pointers and five rebounds. And the game before that, she scored 13. Compared to college, Caldwell said, she's improved "across the board."
Along with her time in the WNBA, Caldwell has played professionally in Spain, Israel and Turkey. The experiences have been mixed, she said, for a variety of reasons. Some clubs are better run than others, she fractured her foot during her first stint playing in Israel, and then during her second, the Israel-Palestine war began.
"You learn a lot playing overseas, but I've only had one full season since I left Georgia," she said. "I definitely am going back, for the experience, the free travel [laughs], and then the money is better overseas than it is in the WNBA for some people.
"I'm definitely going back. You're not going to be able to play basketball forever, so I have to take advantage of these opportunities when they come."
Caldwell is definitely taking advantage of the opportunity the Dream gave her in late June. What the future holds is anybody's guess, but Caldwell is proving she belongs in the WNBA.
"When I left college, I really just thought I would play overseas for a couple of years, make some money, and then start a new life, or something like that," she said. "Even though I'm not in the league consistently, just being here now, God could not have painted a prettier picture for my life. I wouldn't have wanted it any other way."
Assistant Sports Communications Director 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.
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