A Q&A with Bettendorf boys basketball star wing Caden Wilkins
By Jakob Hoffman | Photo by Everett Parker
Bettendorf junior wing Caden Wilkins is one of the top Iowa boys high school basketball prospects in his class. The 6-foot-6, 200-pound Wilkins, who is also a standout receiver for the football team, is averaging 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Bulldogs (12-5, 10-4 MAC). He holds scholarship offers from Indiana State and Bryant, with many Power 5 programs showing serious interest, including Drake, Iowa and Butler.
SBLive Iowa recently sat down with Wilkins and discussed balancing football and basketball, college prospects, his favorite post-game meal and more.
Q: If it’s not basketball, what are you doing?
A: “To be honest, if I’m not in school, I’m probably at practice or doing my homework. Not a ton of free time between football in the fall and basketball in the winter with Bettendorf and in the summer with the Iowa Barnstormers. If I’m free, though, I enjoy time with friends and family, but sometimes I just feel like unwinding and relaxing after a long day. But I'm dialed in with basketball right now, so I’m getting in the most work possible, which minimizes my free time. Can't say I have a consistent hobby outside of basketball, though”.
Q: How do you balance playing basketball at a high level and being a good student?
A: “You know, I don’t think anyone likes doing schoolwork, but it’s something everyone has to take care of. I try to do as much of it at school, which is a big, big help in the long run, because as I said earlier, I don’t have a bunch of free time. It's especially important to me because it’s something college coaches will look at and value. My mentality is basically, ‘if I do well in the classroom and take care of business there, I’ll maximize my opportunities’. So, I kind of associate my grades with basketball, which motivates me to get it done. If academics are what is holding me back from big opportunities, that’d be disappointing for me. If I can control controllable like grades, I’ll do that”.
Q: What are the biggest things you look at for a school recruiting you?
A: “Kind of a basic answer, but I look at who wants me and who’s putting in the effort to recruit me. I’d much rather go to a school with less ‘clout’ if they truly want me. I’d prefer that over a bigger school that just shows a little interest and isn’t going to go to great lengths to get me. There’s the team fit and coaching fit aspect, but I value recruiting effort and the feeling of community more than that”.
Q: How do you balance being bought into what you’re doing at Bettendorf, while also knowing you have Division I schools knocking on your door?
A: “Bettendorf is what’s going on for me right at this very moment. That’s what I’m focused on. I would be lying if I said I didn’t think about college sometimes. Something that helps me is the thought that if I play well, it’ll help my team right now and my future in the eyes of coaches. Coaches aren’t talking as much in season so it’s a bit easier to focus on the present”.
Q: Who do you take inspiration from or model your game after?
A: “No one player specifically, but I love KD’s game, he’s my favorite player. I love Jayson Tatum’s pull-up package, Giannis’ physicality, and the way Jokic commands an offense. I like taking the best parts of the best players. I also love how guys like Luka rely on skill as opposed to pure athleticism. I may be tall, but I'll probably never be the most athletic guy on the court, so I’ve got to look for ways to beat my opponents, skill for skill”.
Q: What are you listening to pregame to get in the right headspace to compete?
A: We get our phones taken at the start of the sophomore game, but we have a team speaker, which I am never in charge of. But if I had my pick, I like Drake, and I enjoy some older Migos albums. Just helps me get in the zone and ready to compete. To be honest, I don’t mind the pregame music the school plays over the speakers, but yeah Drake and Migos”.
Q: When and how did your love of basketball start?
A: My mom was a good player for PV, and she eventually played for UNI and my dad is a big basketball guy, so I was always around the game from an early age. I liked it when I started and just became hooked ever since. I love the minute details of basketball, and my height has helped me a little”.
Q: Why No. 23?
A: Obviously, I’m a Jordan guy, but selfishly, I just like the way it looks - super clean. You can never go wrong with 23. I wore 5 in the summer with the Barnstormers, and it didn’t stick with me, to be honest. I’ve also tried 31, but my heart is with No. 23.”
Q: How has it been taking a leadership role this season?
A: “It’s been good. I thought I was going to last season, but things just didn’t work out that way. It comes with a lot of responsibility. I can’t slip up or give 50% you know, stuff like that. I hold myself to a high, high standard because I want my brothers to do the same. My responsibility of being a leader will only benefit me on and off the court. If I screw around in practice, it will show itself on Tuesday and Friday nights. I believe my guys trust me because I trust them back.”
Q: Having played in front of packed gyms such as PV, North Scott and others, how do you deal with playing in a hostile environment?
A: “I love it. It fuels me. The ‘Overrated!’ chants help me play better. I love playing at home, but I also really like silencing a gym. That’s a great feeling. One thing I don’t get though is the trash talk when I’m not in. It’s just confusing, I guess I’ve got space in their heads rent-free.”
Q: Having had a sub-.500 record last season, what did you and your teammates take away from that?
A: It was not fun. It showed our guys that we never want to experience that again. It was a grind to stay positive and motivated after losses keep hitting you in the face. I think it helped motivate us to give it our all and not repeat last year. I feel like we’ve flipped the negativity of it and made some of it positive, which has helped”.
Q: With the 2021-22 season in the rearview mirror, and you guys competing for a top spot in the MAC, what has the change in team chemistry been like?
A: “It feels super gratifying. The work isn’t done, but we’ve already passed our win total from last year. It reflects how much work we put in in the summer and how dedicated we are to changing the narrative surrounding Bettendorf basketball. The best way to do that is to keep winning as we have been. We’re all super close with one another and do things as a team off the court, which I think translates well on the court. We’ve used last year to grow as a team, and I think our growth is being shown right now because we feel like we can beat anybody.”
Q: How do you, a star football player as well, balance being a two-sport athlete?
A: “Obviously, I can’t just play basketball in August, September, and October. It was a lot of catching the tail ends of open gyms right after football practice and stuff like that. Normally, football players don’t or can’t do that sort of thing, but I told Coach Wiley it was kind of part of the deal with me playing football. Let’s just say my body didn’t feel the best after some of those days, and that’s putting it lightly.”
Q: How do you block out any outside influences and evaluate what school is truly the best fit for you?”
A: “At the end of the day, I have to be selfish about it in some ways. It’s my future that I’m deciding and it’s a big decision. I’ll listen to my family and those that care about me, but you can’t let someone force you into a bad position and potentially damage your career because it’s what they want you to do. I know some guys who had a childhood favorite team but didn’t go there because it wasn’t practical. I’ve got to choose without letting bias influence me and make the choice I truly believe will be the most beneficial in the long term”.
Q: Who are your top 5 basketball players ever? In order, one through five.
A: Top three are no-brainers for me, 1: Jordan 2: LeBron 3: and Kareem, but four and five are tricky. You won’t find Kobe on this list. I’ll go, 4: Shaq and 5: Larry Bird.”
Q: What, or who, gives you the motivation to take the court every day and play to the best of your ability?
A: “My parents are super, super supportive. They’ve never forced or pushed me to do something I haven’t wanted to do. All those hard workouts, late nights, and early mornings are byproducts of the choices that I make to be better. They’d be totally fine with me just playing on the high school team and not putting in too much work in the offseason, but I don’t want that for myself. I’m the one who wants to spend the summer playing AAU and the springs and falls getting in the gym. I’m motivated by my self-belief in my abilities”.
Q: What did it take to take the step from a good player, to now, one of the best in the state of Iowa?
A: Lots of late nights and early mornings. Lots of doing more than was asked of me. Lots of self-belief that I could compete at a high level, too, I think how you approach the game mentally is super, super important. Changing my habits too, I think bad habits lead to bad results a lot of the time.
Q: How do you stay mentally sharp throughout the season?
A: A big thing for me is never getting too high or too low. You’ve got to find that happy medium. There’s a low that can keep you hungry, and there’s also a high that can help your confidence. But you don’t want to be so down that you don’t believe in yourself or so high that you’re taking unnecessary risks. You know we can’t get cocky after sweeping our in-state rivals or anything like that. Treat every game individually and try to keep an even keel demeanor.”
Q: “Favorite quote?”
A: “Average work creates average people,” because I truly believe that you’ll get far if you put in the work and truly want whatever it is in life. For me, it’s success on the court, so I’m going to put in the extra work, the late nights, the early mornings, because that’s what I’m chasing.”
Q: “What’s your go-to post-game meal?”
A: “That’s a tough one, but I love Bad Boyz Pizza, so I like to meet my parents there after games of I can get ti to go. My favorite meal from there is a large Bad Boyz Bread, it’s so good. Can’t knock it till you try it”.
Q: “What do you believe are your biggest strengths and weaknesses?”
A: “I think one of my strengths is my rebounding, both offensive and defensive. That’s something I worked at more than I ever have this past summer. It's super fulfilling to see it paying off. Another thing I believe I’ve worked at a lot is my midrange game, I was always comfortable in the paint with my 6-foot-7 frame and also always gravitated towards the three-point and free throw lines, but this summer was big for my midrange because I want to be as dangerous as possible when I have the ball on the floor, no matter where. May sound crazy, but I believe one of my strengths may also be a weakness of mine. If I’m confident shooting the ball, that’s great because it could lead to me hitting four or five straight and being ‘hot.’ On the flip side, though, I could miss a couple in a row and pass up looks that I would be normally shooting. For me, it’s about controlling my confidence and channeling it in a way that benefits my team, like being scrappy on defense or beating my defender on a back cut. It’s best to never get too high or too low.”
Q: How do you see things going for the Bulldogs for the rest of this season?
A: “If we can keep the momentum rolling, the sky’s the limit for our squad. We’ve bounced back from losing games we shouldn’t have, and now we’re dialed in. We trust one another, so it leads to better ball movement because we trust each other to make shots. It allows us to communicate on defense much better and be a problem for whoever is standing across from us. We all believe we can go all the way with how we’re playing right now”.
Q: What’s your biggest basketball pet peeve?
A: “With myself, it’s when I get into my head and start making avoidable rookie mistakes, things like careless passing or rushed shots are what I cringe most at from myself when looking back at the film. Team-wise, definitely when we read the scouting report and still let our opponents do what they want. Don’t have any that stick out like a sore thumb, though.”
