Mo' Better Views
Adapting to high-level JUCO ball as a freshman hailing from north of the border, guard Monique Calliste reflects on her season as an Eagle
By Ariel Bedford
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (March 30, 2016) – Making the leap from high school to college can be arduous for many young people just entering the beginning stages of adulthood. How someone handles changes in social environments and culture are very much a large part in determining success. TCC has an extensive pool of international student-athletes who are taking on the daunting task of balancing school with sports in a place far from their home country. One of them is Monique Calliste-a freshman from Scarborough, or “The 6,” one of six boroughs in the greater Toronto area.
Socially unassuming and highly reserved, Calliste doesn’t command your attention observing from afar like some of her teammates with bigger personalities might. That doesn’t mean her game is lesser in size or importance to what the Eagles accomplished this past season. Arguably, she was the most accurate shooter from distance on the team. Her 38% 3-PT field goal clip was matched only by fellow freshman guard Janessa Murphy. However, though the Georgia native took 103 attempts at three and made 40, Calliste was able to down 33 while only shooting 86.
Having a hoop dreams lifestyle runs in Monique’s family. Her brother Jason played with the Detroit-Mercy Titans for three years (eventually becoming team captain) before playing his final year as an Oregon Duck. He was selected as Pac-12 Sixth Man of the Year by collegehoopsdaily.com after shooting a school record and conference leading 50.4% from three-point land in 2013-14.
The up-and-down play of the younger Calliste baller in many ways was indicative of an ebb-and-flow season that ended with TCC amassing exactly as many wins (15) as losses in 2015-16. There were high notes that at times made the Eagles’ offensive attack appear unstoppable, such as a 26-point effort which helped Tallahassee roll over Atlanta Metropolitan College 90-54 on November 20. There were also games where Monique seemed overwhelmed, like during a January 26 drubbing on the road versus nationally-ranked Chipola where as a starter she scored just four points and played only 18 minutes due to her ineffectiveness dealing with the Lady Indians’ athletic wings. Despite her up-and-down play (and slight feistiness) on the court, off the court she always appears calm, never overly affected by anything. During a recent sit-down with the Canadian import, Calliste shared thoughts on the year, new surroundings, and what gets her charged up:
Ariel Bedford: What is your favorite scene from the movie “Love and Basketball?”
Monique Calliste: My favorite scene from “Love and Basketball” would have to be when she's in high school and she goes up...
AB: (Lead actress in the film as character Monica Wright) Sanaa Lathan?
MC: Yeah-she goes up and she blocks the girl and she's taunting her and she gets a technical foul. [Laughs] that would be my favorite scene.
AB: Actually that was a good one-is that your favorite scene because of her facial expressions or because how her coach gets on her afterwards?
MC: It kinda reminds me of myself when I was in high school... growing up playing basketball I used to get alot of technical fouls-I had a little temper-but just seeing that scene kinda gives me a flashback of me.
AB: That’s cool. Give me some background on your high school athletic endeavors, and when did basketball become more of a priority for you than track & field?
MC: When I was in high school my 9th grade year, my first year, we didn't have a basketball team. I was upset about that. But the following year we did have a team, and I was the only one that could play. And it was like that all throughout high school. My 11th grade year we were so close to making it to the city championship game, but we lost in the playoffs. So I did not want that to happen again my 12th grade year. So I worked really hard in the summer and that's when I took my team to the city championship game. But I fouled out and we lost in overtime by ten.
AB: Ooooh.
MC: Yeah.
AB: Sooo, physical defense is nothing new to you…
MC: Yeah. [Laughs] When I was, I think I was in 10th grade, is when I started to take basketball more serious. I love track and field. If I didn't get a scholarship to play basketball I would have gotten it in track but I decided to take it more seriously because my family is more basketball-oriented so that's when I took it more serious. I trained hard and worked really hard to follow in my brother's footsteps because my brother got a scholarship so I felt like I had to get a scholarship too.
AB: You said your brother played for Oregon?
MC: Yeah.
AB: That’s pretty awesome.
MC: He went to the University of Detroit-Mercy for his first three years and then he finished his last year at Oregon.
AB: What do you think of the rule that allows graduate transfers in the NCAA to play right away, even if they're transferring from one D-1 school to another under certain circumstances?
MC: Well, I think it's a pretty good rule because my brother-not to say he didn't like where he was at, but his experience at Oregon was amazing from what he told me. He said he wish he could have played all four years there. So I think it's a pretty good rule.
AB: Talk to me about what it was like growing up in “The 6?”
MC: [Shyly sighs] Well, I was born and raised there. Me, my brothers, we would just... I don't know how to like-you just have to be there! There's so much to do in the city, especially downtown. Like-it's crazy at night-especially in the summertime. We have 3-on-3 tournaments downtown. We have barbecues for 3-point shootout contests, we would do that. There's just so much to do there, like, I don't think I would want to live anywhere else but “The 6”... [Giggles] “The 6” tops everything! It's amazing-I love it there.
AB: How has it been adapting to life in the states as a college student coming all the way from Canada, and what have you enjoyed about living in Florida?
MC: When I first came here and I had my orientation the way they explained the courses and stuff it's different from Canada. You need a certain amount of credits for time and hours or something like that-so that was different. Adapting to the weather was definitely different because in Canada it snows. It's snowing there right now. And here it's pretty much warm like, 24/7. I mean it gets a little cold but it's nothing compared to Canada. I love the warm weather. I definitely don't miss the cold weather in Toronto.
AB: Take me back to your first practice with TCC officially as an Eagle. What do you remember about the first few experiences with the team?
MC: Our first practice was pretty easy. Coach Q went light on us because we had just finished conditioning, and I also hurt my hamstring that day. So it was pretty light-we just did regular lay-up drills and all that. It was nothing hard...
AB: So he was kinda setting you guys up?
MC: Yeah. [Laughs] For the first couple weeks-it was definitely hard for me because I'm a very shy person and it takes alot for me to come out of my shell. But being a basketball player I know that I have to come out of my shell and, like, try to be a leader. Being a leader is something I dealt with in high school. My coach was always getting on me in high school telling me about how I had to be a better leader and open my mouth more. But, as time went on, I’ve come out of my shell and me and my teammates, we're all close. We all love each other. Those are my sisters.
AB: You arguably played some of your best ball during the Capital Courtyard Classic here in Tallahassee. When you think back, what was it that was working for you during that part of the season?
MC: Well, I think I was just making the right decisions. Right shot selection-I wasn't doing anything crazy, you know? I was just going with the flow. Does that make sense?
AB: Yeah. As you all got deep into conference play, it appeared that you had some struggles with consistency. Where do you think that stemmed from?
MC: Ummm, I would say that I kinda got in my feelings because Coach was getting on me.
AB: Coach Q?
MC: Yeah. I just didn't know how to deal with it. So that's why my stats were inconsistent.
AB: You closed out the season in Marianna with 14 points, shooting 50% from the field. Though the overall outcome wasn't what you all wanted, how did it feel knowing you contributed and gave your team a fighting chance at a post-season berth against NW Florida State?
MC: I felt I was happy with my performance, because throughout [the conference schedule of the regular season] I wasn't playing so well. And I know my team needed me, and I wasn't gonna go out like that. I couldn't go out like that, so I knew I had to step up in the last game and give my team the 14 to 15 points Coach [had been talking about that was missing] from other players.
AB: What are some of the lessons that you learned from this season as an Eagle basketball player?
MC: I learned that Coach Q wants perfection. And the little things matter. The little details matter-all that matters in order for a team to be great and to win games. I also learned that I need to-well, everybody needs to-communicate better. That's also one of the main reasons why we didn't do so well this season.
AB: And to end it on a high note, what does Monique like to do for fun?
MC: I really just like to chill and just watch a movie. Or watch a basketball game. Nothing crazy…
Monique’s level-headedness during the majority of the 2015-16 campaign, despite not always performing highly, displays an inner maturity well beyond her age-something that hopefully will rub off on her teammates whom are mostly still freshman also. If a sturdier voice and more consistent floor game is added into the mix, nothing may indeed be the same next season for the Eagles’ basketball team and their recent post-season hiatus.