Mike Caffey’s journey from promising prospect to one of the best players in Long Beach State basketball history began like many others – in the backyard, shooting hoops with one of his biggest influences.
Caffey was three when he started following his older brother, Mitch Jr., everywhere. Mike’s love of basketball solidified with the release of Space Jam in 1996, a year before he began playing organized ball.
“My grandma had a court in the front and the back [yard],” Caffey said. “[My brother and I] used to always play. Then I got involved in the YMCA team when I was five years old; that’s when I started playing with an organization.”
Caffey finished his junior year of high school as a relatively unknown. That all changed when he started playing for the Compton Magic the summer going into his senior year.
The Compton Magic is part of the Amateur Athletic Union, one of the largest non-profit volunteer sports organizations in the United States.
“[I was] playing with the top guys [in the state],” Caffey said. “I went to an All-American camp and was hanging out with the big guys. That’s probably when I really felt that I could be a high level Division I player.”
Despite having success with a high profile AAU team, college programs only had limited opportunities to watch him play because of the presence of Jahii Carson, one of the top point guard prospects in the country.
LBSU head coach Dan Monson knew a lot of schools didn’t have the chance to watch Caffey play, which Monson said hurt Caffey’s recruitment. Monson immediately pounced at the opportunity to sign the talented point guard.
“The amazing thing that I was so impressed by was he hardly played the whole summer, but when he came in he just did his thing,” Monson said. “He never had one turnover all summer when I watched him play. He came in the first week of August when it was over and committed before he took any other visits or talked to anybody else because we were the ones that were really on him.”
Caffey had more interest in him from college programs than his head coach initially thought. In addition to all the Big West schools, UTEP and Boston College all showed strong interest in the Corona native, but none of them could have provided the opportunity Caffey was seeking.
“I felt like a freshman coming in I would play a lot of minutes,” Caffey said. “Everybody wants to go to the big schools, but they don’t play a lot. I figured coming here, mid-major, playing [against] the level [of competition] we play, I felt like it was good for me.”
Caffey was far from a finished product when he arrived in the 2011-12 season. He joined a team that had established starters in Casper Ware, Larry Anderson and James Ennis. Caffey said he was always nervous because he didn’t want to mess up and have the seniors yell at him.
“I was always on edge to do the right thing,” Caffey said. “Casper [Ware] and Larry [Anderson] helped me out. They helped me become a better basketball player and leader by watching what they did their senior year.”
Caffey’s development as a player has been evident both in his stats and his demeanor on the court. He learned the importance of setting the right example from Mitch and the upperclassman he played with.
He understands it is imperative to set the right example for young players like freshman Justin Bibbins and sophomores Travis Hammonds and Branford Jones, his roommate on road games. The fact that most of the players either live together or in the same vicinity certainly helps strengthen that bond.
Caffey admits he is not a vocal leader like his predecessors, and it is something he has to improve. Still, senior guard Tyler Lamb appreciates and admires Caffey’s style of play.
“I love watching Mike play,” Lamb said. “We live together, so we go home and watch film. We’ll talk about some plays from games and stuff like that. He’s able to lead with his words but also go out there and lead by example.”
Caffey worked hard to improve the weakest area of his game: shooting, particularly from three-point range. He shot poorly from deep the last two years (32 and 29 percent, respectively). He hovered around 40 percent for much of the season until his recent shooting slump.
During summer school in 2014, Caffey went to the gym along with a few other coaches and players to put up shots, sometimes up to 1000 per day.
“[I would] Just work on my form,” Caffey said. “Last year I would kick my feet out when I shot or my elbow would be out, stuff like that. Shooting game speed reps and shooting more shots helped me out this year.”
Now as he gets set for the final few games of his career, Caffey can’t help but think about his future, and he is not referring to his degree in Africana Studies.
“I came here because I wanted to get a degree to have that by my name, but the goal is to play basketball for money after [college],” Caffey said. “The goal is to play in the NBA. I don’t know how long it’ll take or if it’ll be right away, but that’s the goal. It’s either NBA or overseas. I’m going to do something after this.”
Monson said he believes Caffey, much like former Big West Player of the Year Casper Ware, can play in the NBA, but maybe for only five teams.
“He’s got to get with the right team,” Monson said. “He’s got to get with the right coach who appreciates his game. He’s not a no-brainer that is going to make it on any roster. His margin for error in the NBA will be small, but I’d much rather have that than not have any opportunity.”
Caffey will leave LBSU with a laundry list of accolades and records, but his best memory to date is making it to the NCAA Tournament his freshman season, being in awe of charter planes and NBA arenas.
His last chance to make new LBSU memories will in the Big West Tournament. He has been there before and failed to lead the 49ers to the NCAA Tournament. He’s aware of the pressure and accepts the challenge.
“I’m ready for it,” Caffey said. “TV. Big games. Big players are supposed to shine in these situations, so I’m ready for it big time.”