Men's Basketball

Caleb Laidig

Jersey Number: 23
Class: Junior
Major: Accounting
Home Town: Mishawaka, IN
High School: Penn
Position: G
Height/Weight: 6-6 / 205

“Caleb can do a lot for us. He creates a lot of matchup problems and is improving his offensive skills. I like his ability to rebound and his length creates defensive opportunities for us. Caleb is a key for us. His conditioning and strength will help him a lot this year.” -Coach Lightfoot
 
As a Sophomore (08/09)
 
As comfortable as Caleb felt in the Bethel blue his freshman season, Caleb seemed infinitely more comfortable his sophomore season, appearing in all 37 games and starting his first 9 of his career.
 
Caleb established career highs and personal bests in every single category, including minutes, field goals, 3-pointers, free throws, rebounds, assists, blocks, steals, and points.
 
One of the most versatile players on the Pilots’ roster, Caleb scored in double figures in 16 games, including two games topping the 20-point mark. He also grabbed 5 or more rebounds in 10 games, dished out 5 or more assists in 7 games, and tallied 2 or more steals in 16 games.
 
The best game of Caleb’s career, and in the history of the program, came on 12/9 against Holy Cross. Caleb recorded only the second triple-double in program history and finished one steal away from the first-ever quadruple-double.
 
He finished the game setting career highs in six categories with 20 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, 9 steals, and 8 field goals made in 33 minutes of action.
 
It was Caleb’s first start of his career and also one of three triple-doubles recorded in the NAIA DII all season long.
 
Caleb also posted career highs in field goal attempts (13) and 3-point field goals (5-of-6), scoring 20 points in a win over Iowa Wesleyan on 11/22, earning him IWC Kiwannas Classic All-Tournament Team honors.
Caleb led the team and finished 3rd in the conference in steals. He also finished 3rd on the team in assists, increasing his output by 24 assists from his previous season. Caleb’s 41.8% from the 3-point line led all Pilots with at least 50 attempts.
 
Jimmy John’s ‘Sub of the Game’ Season Award
 
As a Freshman (07/08)
 
Making the adjustment from the slow-it-down, drag-it-out pace of Penn basketball to the up-tempo, transition-style offense of Bethel basketball did not seem to be a problem for Caleb, who appeared in all 36 games of the season and averaged 16 minutes per game.
 
Caleb was a key reserve for the Pilots, second off the bench behind his cousin Wes, and averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per contest.
 
He scored in double figures in five games, tallying a season-high 12 points in a convincing win over TIU on 11/10, going 4-of-5 from beyond the arc in the game.
 
Caleb also grabbed 5 or more rebounds in five games, with a season-high 9 rebounds coming in two separate games.
 
Caleb finished fourth on the team in assists, totaling 70 for the season, with a season-high 7 assists coming in a win over IUNW on 12/7. Caleb also established a season-high in steals with 4 against Northwood University on 12/29. His most impressive game of the season came in that thrilling win over Northwood during the Battle of the Beach Tournament. Caleb came into his own during that game, starting and playing the entire 2nd half, leading the Pilots to one of the most tremendous comebacks in program history.
Caleb scored 9 points on 4-of-8 from the field and nearly matched his season-high with 6 assists, while only committing one turnover for the game. He also collected the aforementioned season-high 4 steals.
 
Caleb was named the Jimmy John’s ‘Sub of the Game’ in three home games for the Pilots, against IUNW on 12/7, Taylor on 1/26, and Grace on 2/20.