Caleb Wilson reflects on Holy Innocents legacy at Hoophall Classic as college decision nears (photos) (2025)

SPRINGFIELD – Peruse the annals of Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School basketball history. You’ll find just one alumnus who wound up reaching the pinnacle of the sport.

That’s a far cry from the reputation of most squads on this stage. With top talents on display left and right, rarely is there a player doing what nobody before them has done.

But with each ferocious drive and every emphatic swat, Caleb Wilson can lay claim to such a distinction – ‘HIES’ across his chest.

“This kid has been a centerpiece to push us in a direction that we feel like we haven’t been in before,” said coach Mario Mays. “He’s been unbelievable to coach for four years.”

Wilson flexed unprecedented prowess for Holy Innocents of Georgia (13-3) on Saturday against St. Joseph of California (18-1) at the Hoophall Classic, despite a 61-57 loss at Springfield College’s Blake Arena. The No. 6 recruit in the Class of 2025, per ESPN, submitted a double-double with 21 points and 15 rebounds, complemented by three assists and blocks apiece.

The 6-foot-9, 205-pound senior forward surpassed 1,000 rebounds as a Golden Bear on the outing, according to Mays, and earlier this month, became the first in program history to crack 1,500 career points.

“I had the opportunity to go to any prep school in the country, but I felt like it’s always important to leave your mark. You’ve only got one time doing this,” Wilson said. “It definitely is important to me to inspire myself to be better and also inspire everybody around me.”

Khayla Pointer is the aforementioned trailblazer. A four-year varsity starter for Holy Innocents girls basketball, she made her way to LSU and beyond, eventually selected No. 13 overall by the Minnesota Lynx in the 2022 WNBA Draft before playing her rookie and only season with the Indiana Fever.

Since ESPN began compiling high school boys basketball rankings in 2007, not one representative of Holy Innocents had made the cut for its top 100.

Until this year.

Wilson is more than just the highest-ranked recruit in the history of the Sandy Springs, Georgia-based school. He’s one of the most enticing prospects in his entire class, with multiple blue-blood college coaches fighting tooth over nail to bring him in.

He wows defensively with an eye-popping combination of size, mobility and flexibility. That athleticism comes into full focus on the defense end, where at one point during the fourth quarter Saturday, he stumbled into courtside seats and proceeded to extend for a block on the other side of the hoop seconds later.

“Defense is all effort and want-to. I want to stop somebody, I want to make it as hard as I can to score. I feel like that’s the most important part of basketball,” Wilson said. “Defense has always been fun to play with me, but this past summer, I really made it one of my staples of my game.”

The tool kit at his disposal has only continued to expand. Mays, now in his fifth year at the helm of the Golden Bears, has guided Wilson for his entire high school career. He’s seen the building process brick by brick.

And he maintains there’s nothing hidden about how Wilson has gotten to where he is now.

“Every year, he’s added something else to his game. The kid is serious about basketball, and when you do the work, you get the results. I say it to everybody – there’s no secret sauce with him.”

Wilson said it himself. Any premier college-preparatory program would’ve welcomed him with open arms. Montverde Academy, IMG Academy, Prolific Prep – you name it.

As the second-highest-ranked recruit yet to commit, he announced Friday that he would be making his decision Jan. 23, choosing between North Carolina, Kentucky and Ohio State.

Holy Innocents has the right to call him its shining product. He’s kept faith in Mays, and stayed put accordingly.

“It’s impossible to say that someone’s always believed in you in the way that a prep school can say that because they don’t know you,” Wilson said. “They’re just coming to pick you up because they need you. I feel like it’s important to be wanted.”

History continues to be in the making as a result.

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Caleb Wilson reflects on Holy Innocents legacy at Hoophall Classic as college decision nears (photos) (2025)
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