University of Texas head women’s basketball coach Karen Aston on Tuesday announced three changes to her staff. Receé Caldwell has been hired as video coordinator, Kelby Jones has transitioned to the position of basketball analyst coordinator, and Lauren Fruits is moving to the role of special assistant.
Receé Caldwell
Caldwell joins the Longhorns as video coordinator. A 2014 McDonald’s All-American, she recently concluded a standout collegiate career at UCLA, Texas Tech and Cal, in which she scored more than 1,000 points and 400 assists.
Caldwell’s responsibilities will include oversight of video exchange and the breakdown of opponent and individual video scouting, among other duties.
“I am so thrilled to welcome Receé to our Texas Family,” Aston said. “We have been familiar with her since her time as a high school athlete in San Antonio. I’m so impressed with her credentials and her desire to do whatever it takes to learn this business at the highest level. She is a gym rat, which translates well to this position. It will be fun to watch her grow in this profession.”
As a graduate transfer at Cal in 2018-19, Caldwell started all 33 of her team’s games, averaging 10.0 points per game and leading her squad with 4.6 assists per game.
Caldwell began her collegiate career at UCLA in 2014-15, averaging 6.9 points per game in 17 appearances for the Bruins before transferring to Texas Tech at the end of her freshman season. After sitting out the 2015-16 campaign due to NCAA transfer rules, Caldwell made an immediate impact for the Lady Raiders in 2016-17, averaging a team-high 14.5 points per game, which ranked eighth in the Big 12 Conference. She earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention honors, also ranking sixth in the Big 12 in assists per game at 4.5. In 2017-18, Caldwell averaged 10.7 points per game and 6.0 assists per game in 13 appearances before missing the remainder of the season due to injury.
Caldwell earned a bachelor’s degree in business from Texas Tech in 2018. She was a two-time Academic All-Big 12 selection.
Lauren Fruits
Fruits, who spent the 2018-19 campaign as the program’s graduate manager, will move into the role of special assistant.
Fruits’ duties include oversight and administration of the Longhorns’ recruiting efforts and serves as the director of the team’s summer camps, among other duties. She replaces Mark Recoulley, who left the staff after eight seasons to accept a position in the financial sector.
Fruits was previously the team’s graduate manager in the 2018-19 season, a role in which she coordinated scheduling for managers and practice players, assisted with game and opponent scouting, coordinated community service appearances and was heavily involved in on-campus recruiting.
“Lauren did a terrific job as our graduate manager last year,” Aston said. “She will transition into the role of our camp and recruiting coordinator very smoothly. She is very passionate about helping Texas be better and serving our program. I’m extremely appreciative of her commitment.”
From 2011-18, Fruits coached and taught business education at Lee’s Summit North High School – her alma mater – in Lee’s Summit, Mo. She was the head junior varsity girls basketball coach from 2014-18, and was the varsity girls golf coach from 2016-18. She was an assistant for the junior varsity and varsity basketball teams from 2009-14 and for golf from 2013-15.
Fruits played collegiate basketball at Central Methodist University in Fayette, Mo. She was named her team’s Most Valuable Player in 2005-06 and earned the Eagle Award in 2006-07. Fruits earned her Bachelor of Science in business with a minor in education in 2007 and a Masters of Education in 2009, both from Central Methodist. She will graduate from the University of Texas in December 2019 with a Masters of Education in sport management.
Kelby Jones
Entering his fourth season with the program, Jones transitions in to the role of basketball analyst coordinator.
In his role, Jones will actively participate in the development of the program’s student-athletes, will serve as a program analyst for the coaching staff and will assist with on-campus recruiting and video scouting.
“Kelby continues to climb as a young professional in women’s basketball,” Aston said. “He tackles with passion every challenge he has been confronted with. He understands the ‘do your job’ approach that is expected in our business. I see him impacting our players in many different ways with his desire to help them be successful.”
Jones spent the 2018-19 season as the program’s video coordinator, which included oversight of video exchange and opponent and individual scouting.
Prior to that, Jones spent two seasons as Texas’ graduate manager, coordinating the team’s day-to-day equipment needs, coordinating managers and practice players, and assisting with game and opponent scouting and on-campus recruiting. Jones earned his master’s degree in physical education – teacher education – from the University of Texas in May 2018.
As an undergraduate, Jones worked four seasons as Director of Managerial Operations at the University of North Texas, beginning in 2012. He was the team’s head manager, in addition to serving as the program’s interim basketball operations director his senior year. Jones was responsible for film exchange, team travel, practice schedules, the scout team, equipment and assisted with on-campus recruiting. In 2015, he was nominated for the “Hardest Working Employee” award at the University of North Texas.
Jones earned a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology from the University of North Texas in May 2016.
Photo Courtesy Texas Athletics
https://texassports.com/news/2019/8/20/womens-basketball-announces-staff-additions-and-changes.aspx
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