Explosive Character

Cal State Fullerton center Matt Caldwell has a long, lean, square-jawed face and a 6-foot-8 body that looks as though it was chiseled into shape at a boot camp.

“He’s our ‘Small Soldier,’ ” Cal State Fullerton Coach Bob Hawking said, smiling.

Indeed.

Just call him “Brick Bazooka.”

Caldwell, with tattoos on both upper arms, is a look-alike for that animated action figure with an attitude in the movie, “Small Soldiers.” Bazooka and the rest of the “Commando Elite” are take-no-prisoners kind of guys.

That’s the way Caldwell likes to play basketball.

“We want to develop a tough, hard-nosed mentality this season,” Hawking said. “That’s already a part of Matt’s personality.”

Caldwell is one of the main reasons the Titans (4-1) are off to their best start since the 1992-93 season, even though their top player, Ike Harmon, has been slowed by ankle problems.

Caldwell scored a career-high 22 points to spark Fullerton’s 78-68 victory over previously unbeaten Pepperdine.

He has scored 13 points in each of the most recent victories, over Loyola Marymount and St. Mary’s, and leads the team in rebounding with an average of 8.4.

Caldwell says aggressive, commando-style basketball suits him fine.

“I know I’m not a finesse player,” he said. “But I’ll do all the dirty jobs, like playing tough defense and rebounding. My father coached me in the youth leagues when I was growing up, and he would always tell me that if you rebound and play defense, you can play in college. If I get my hands on the basketball on a rebound, you’re not going to take it away from me.”

A couple of opponents who haven’t kept their distance this season have already run into a Caldwell elbow. Fullerton students have picked up on his rugged style of play, and Saturday started a chant,:”Caldwell . . . Kill Ya.”

Caldwell has improved as a scoring threat this season.

“He’s finally figured out that when he gets close to the basket with the ball, there’s a good chance that something good is going to happen,” Titan assistant coach Bob Thornton said. “He’s stepped things up a lot on the offensive board. He’s pursuing his own shots now instead of staying back and watching. And, overall, he’s taken it to another level since last year.”

The Titans have been pushing the ball inside more, and Caldwell and Mark Richardson have been able to muscle in shots from close range, complementing the outside shooting of others.

“Our post guys didn’t score much last year, and the other teams didn’t have to guard us the way they should have,” Caldwell said. “But this year, Coach Hawking told everyone from the start that he wanted a stronger post game. Our goal is to get the ball into the post 30 to 35 times a game.”

Caldwell said Thornton, who played eight seasons in the NBA, has had a major effect on Fullerton’s inside game.

“He’s helped me tremendously,” Caldwell said. “He can tell you all the little things that help you because of his experience in pro basketball. He’s helped me learn to keep my aggressiveness under control. One of my problems last year was that I fouled too much.”

Last season was a transition year for Caldwell, who played in all 28 games as a redshirt freshman, starting six. He averaged 4.3 points and 3.6 rebounds, but he flashed potential at times, particularly in a 16-point effort against Portland.

But his first season also was marked by inconsistency.

“I was bigger than everyone I played against in high school, but last year I was playing against guys who were bigger than me and more experienced,” Caldwell said.

One was Pacific’s 7-foot Michael Olowokandi, picked No. 1 in the NBA draft by the Clippers. Another was Long Beach State’s 7-1 Andrew Betts, taken by Charlotte in the second round. Caldwell said playing against them made him realize his shortcomings.

“I knew that if I was going to be playing against guys bigger than me, I had to get stronger,” Caldwell said. “It took everything I had just to be able to try to stay with Olowokandi last year.

“I hit the weights hard during the summer when I went to summer school and gained 10 to 15 pounds, getting up to about 225. I came back in good shape, and the coaches did a good job of getting us ready in the preseason training.”

Hawking said Caldwell has made “tremendous progress” since he joined the Titans two years ago after playing for Centennial High in Peoria, Ariz.

“But that’s the way it is usually with big guys,” Hawking said. “They often show more progress from year to year than guards do. Guards usually come in more polished and can contribute earlier, but it might take longer for the big men.”

Caldwell remembers all the hours he spent guarding former Titan John Williams in practice during his redshirt season. “He was one of the best post players in the league that season, and going against him all the time helped me get better,” Caldwell said.

Caldwell ,20, said getting married in June of 1997, then becoming a father also has made him more mature. He and his wife, Elizabeth, have a daughter who will be 1 year old in February.

“That was a big step in my life,” Caldwell said. “Before that I was into partying and having a good time, but being a husband and a dad has made me a lot different. It’s helped me focus more on basketball and school. I feel I have to do well for them.”

Caldwell said his success this season has given him more confidence, but he says he’s a little uncomfortable with the added attention.

“In the past, I’ve sort of been the sleeper, the guy other teams didn’t know that much about,” he said. “I kind of liked it that way.”

But a basketball player who has a tattoo of a sinister-looking figure and the words “Chairman of the Boards” on his arm can’t expect to go unnoticed by opponents for very long, particularly after three consecutive games of 10 rebounds or more.

Caldwell also has a tattoo of a happy-looking jack-in-the-box face on his other arm, with the words “The Court Jester.”

Together, they might be an indication of Caldwell’s basketball personality. “I’m very serious about basketball,” Caldwell said, “but it’s supposed to be fun too.”