5-year old lil Cailyn Crocker with 14-year old big bro Camryn in their backyard hoop sessions for the ages must’ve been like Navy Seal training for that little girl. Camryn always got the best of it of course but Cailyn always came back saying, “Bring it on.”
Hear their loving mom Ruth Crocker recall the importance of those times, “They’d be out there so long, it was tough to watch. Brutal intense training, my babies at it for hours.
“I’d tell my boy, ‘Why are you so hard on her?’ He’d say back to me, ‘Mom, it’s a hard road to be great at ball, trust me.’ She has a gift he’d say, ‘I’m trying to help her start it all out right. I love her enough to be this tough.’
“I admit now, seeing her thrive in all she attempts now, that was the right way for Camryn to be with her.”
About that backyard lab/Frankenstein’s kitchen, Camryn adds, “If Cailyn can make it out there then she will be able to make it anywhere.
“The physicality from those backyard sessions was brutal but it made her have tough skin both mentally and physically. There's also something to be said about working outside.”
That spot was where a kinder kid would transform into a beast of beasts en route to being a top 30 class of 2019 phenom.
Hear from Cailyn how she feels about her hoop role models, “I look up to my brother Camryn who played for the University of Pennsylvania. I also appreciate dynamic scorer Lou Williams of the Clippers and I admire the athletic WNBA dynamo Jewell Loyd.”
Do you really want to know the inside story on Cailyn, her true nature?
You ever see a cut electric power line cable, lashing around on the ground, full of electric juice on the loose? Those same blue sparks are like energy arcs that course through this girl’s veins on the court. Cross either of their paths, you just might get electrocuted.
You’ll believe that, once you see C-Crocker’s fierce in-game scowl as I have, and her pounding her fluttery chest, clapping her furious hands, more intensely than any other girl I’ve ever, ever seen.
That’s dope. It’s just how she plays and is her calling card, it should be celebrated. 100.
Me, E-Wood, I play that same exact voracious way that Cailyn does. When I go at NBA guys in pick up games I’ll be like, “That’s all you got, your 50 inch vert is so weak, I’m meeting you at the rim and prepare to be swatted by me bro!”
Cailyn is just like me, real talk. We’re the epitome of Maurice Sendek’s protagonist in his most famous book Where the Wild Things Are, “They roared their terrible roars and gnashed their terrible teeth and rolled their terrible eyes and showed their terrible claws.”
Cailyn is a wild thing, just like I’m all about playing like Gary Payton, Russ Westbrook. Proudly, we wouldn’t have it any other way.
What do people love about this girl? I’ve talked to so many high major coaches, expert b-ball insiders who all say, “Ooooh and ahhhh.” Everyone notes how classy and talented she is.
Watch the below video and bear witness to how she sets her team ablaze pregame, infuses them with her blue electricity. Her fantastic dancing in their pregame team circle gets them hyped and in a frenzy.
They draw vast energy from her because she loves them fully. Not even LeBron inspires his team quite as well as Cailyn does.
Don’t let Cailyn’s on court tough personality get it twisted. This girl is classy, well spoken, spiritual, and easy going. She knows how to shut it all down and listen to music in bed and decompress.
She has swag to spare, there are so many gears and blessings attributed to this brainiac 3.8 gpa student. She loves life, loves her coach Kevin Kieran, loves meeting new people at the school she transferred to school Mater Dei, and even loves the prayer chapel there.
I’ve never met anyone like C-Crocker, who seems to have every cell in her body screaming out, “I must live life fully, and beautifully.”
She’s the ultimate competitor, intense like Kevin Garnett because she loves the game at that level. Her feet hit the hardwood and she flips the cup upside down and pours herself out there for all to see.
Don’t get it twisted, she’s not crazy like Mike Tyson who once famously said, “I will eat your children.” She’s the antithesis of anger. She lives her life by what she writes down on her game sneakers.
It’s a special bible verse in her heart: Roman 8:28, “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
Cailyn off court? Think effortless, like her fav singer Lauryn Hill. So full of life, humbly she puts in the work needed to appreciate the lyrics of her fav jam: If I Ruled the World.
Everyone wants to be in her world, that’s the place to be fosho.
What is the absolute secret sauce that led to Cailyn’s success? You need to know this girl played vs. tough boys and men growing up. And her awesome father Joel has spent his life imbuing confidence, love, and spirituality into his kids, along with his wonderful wife Ruth.
Joel told me that if he might have had some extra sports guidance early on in his life growing up in Pontiac, Michigan, he might have realized more of his sports goals. I am humbled to know a man who cares for all of God’s children and takes so much pride in being there for his own kids.
This story is special, this fam is special. They’re open to detailing the exact blueprint that nurtured this dope baller and person. What is the exact system that has guided her?
Joel shares true wisdom on its genesis, “Cailyn was not encouraged to shoot the outside 3-pointer until once her full upper body strength came about in 9th grade. So many girls nowadays heave their shot up two handed.
“Cailyn benefits from shooting it the top crown to forehead technique, solid rotation, that leads to natural progression. Why teach, unteach, and reteach a new form?
“Cailyn was exposed to playing parks and rec ball at an early age but we realized her older brother Camryn started AAU too early, in 4th grade. The best timing we believed was her to begin AAU in 8th grade, playing for SoCal Select.
“True mentors like Brett Edwards, Matt Thalley, and Victor Martin supported our daughter to the wall, putting so much into her that they’re a huge part of #Team Crocker.
“We’re blessed that they travel all over the country to come out and support her after all these years. My point is, when Cailyn did get to high school she was the product of skills training, not hype. Patience, care, and all our family is there for each other.
“We’re proud to be team Cailyn because when needed we’ll be all for each other. It’s about finding people of substance to surround your child with.”
Those next level helpers? The Truth AAU team has been good to Cailyn. Paul Pierce’s squad is there for kids. Along with DeAnthony Langston and Jason Crowe, her brother Camryn is proud to be coaching in that organization.
Cailyn appreciates them 100. They all go to church together because when you’re fam that means something real to the Crocker fam. They’re all about being a tight circle and have this amazing sense of community.
Hear Cailyn’s sister Chanelle, who is a senior psychology major at UCLA, speak about her lil sis, “We’re so close. Seeing her achieve so much is a blessing. I just love talking to her all the time. I give her a little hassle for looking so intense on the court but it’s all in good fun.
“Honestly, she’s so cool to be around, she just makes life better. She’s on that road to being successful and I’m grateful to God the day she came into this world.”
As I talked to Cailyn’s fam it made me tear up a lil, hearing all their uplifting words. I wish all kids had that great support. The Crocker fam are like the living embodiment of this spiritual gospel song Lift Every Voice come to life.
Cailyn thinks it’s important for everyone to know, “We live in the grace of God, and I have appreciated everyone’s support as I have been progressing over my foot injury last year. I’m so blessed to have friends, family, coaches that love me.”
Other kids might’ve packed it all in and considered quitting after such a foot injury that required reconstruction surgery, but to this indomitable force of nature named Cailyn, I truly predict she’ll be like my fav 1980’s NBA player who overcame a test of body and faith: Bernard King of the Knicks.
This legend was an all star before blowing his knee out, but did whatever it took to come back with a totally different style of play, to be an all star again. 100.
Why am I so convinced?
I’ve seen her play lately and she’s upbeat, focused, driven. This girl reminds me of the high flying ‘05 Davon Jefferson from Lynwood High and USC fame.
Why’s that E-Woods?
Davon was this 6-8 walking martial arts flick on the court, channeling Bruce Lee’s spirit in hoop form. I loved knowing and seeing Davon as a junior in prep, same grade Cailyn is now.
I was chopping it up with Davon in ‘04 and asked him, “What is your destiny bro, you’re in Jamal Boykin’s shadow now but I see you have this gift.”
He said back to me with this look on his face, “I rule my destiny, I’m not settling to just be a top 150 player. I’ll be top 10 in a year, mark my words, I’ll leave my mark.”
How do you think Davon’s movie ended? I titled Davon’s story, Enter the Dragon.
Cailyn’s future? She’ll be the next installment of this trilogy, no doubt. Check this vid where Davon does a crossover on Nick Young and dunks. Dude bends rims but what’s even more devastating than that?
Cailyn Crocker bends minds on the court. #C-Crocker bends minds
Cailyn is “A cold, hard, piece of work.” That’s the ultimate compliment I rarely attribute to a baller. She doesn’t trash talk, but she plays this brand of intense, in your grill defense to go with a wet, wet jumper.
In a game she knows what an opponent ate for lunch, as she steals your cookies on court and drives down the lane flipping these no look passes on the break a la Magic Johnson.
Her priorities? See her Twitter page, it explains it all: #1 God, #2 Family, #3 West Coast Premier.”
#Now you know
Get in Cailyn’s biz and she’ll let you know she’s all about the biz, “I want to pursue a business degree but I’m open to playing college basketball anywhere in the country.
“I’m hoping to play in the WNBA, set myself up to have a fulfilling life full of challenges to overcome, leave a legacy on the court and off it, do something really worth being remembered for.”
What should the reader take away from this story? Go see this girl ball out for yourself. I bore witness to her game, it made me redefine what I thought a person could show in terms of passion.
My guy Bol Bol was tearing it up at Mater Dei a lil while back, and Taylor King before that. Now Cailyn Crocker carries the torch. Check her out as she lights up the court with that torch.
Get to know her. She lights up a room with her grace and love. Cailyn is the basketball community’s gold standard in so many ways. She’s all our gift.
See her do work as she appreciates playing for Brian Crichlow’s West Coast Premier, an AAU team for the ages, You’ll see what I mean and I’m willing bet you’ll have your conceptions challenged about how much skill, passion, and spirituality can come out of a human form.
Just watch out if you take the court with her. Invest in some titanium, one doesn’t want to get their mind bent by Cailyn #Team Crocker.
