Walking with the CAA Champs
Walk-ons for the Towson men’s basketball team are enjoying the moment, while working to make the team better
By Kyle Hobstetter on March 3, 2022
Most college basketball teams have walk-on players. These student-athletes are part of the team—they dress for games, participate in practice and travel with the team—but these players aren’t really recruited and don’t have an athletic scholarship.
They play for the love of the game, which is the perfect way to describe Towson University men’s basketball team’s four walk-on student-athletes, who are all Maryland residents.
During the season, these four have done whatever they can to help the Tigers to a 24-7 record, and the first Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) regular season championship in program history.
The four serve as the scout team, which helps the starters get ready for their upcoming opponent by running their plays. They also help by getting rebounds for their teammates in shooting drills, helping out coaches and sometimes serve as the rally cry from the bench.
Head coach Pat Skerry says this year’s crop of walk-ons has been essential.
“Our walk-ons this year have been instrumental in our success, providing great energy in practice and in games,” Skerry says. “They are great representatives of our team and of Towson University.”
CAA Tournament
The Tigers are the No. 1 Seed!
The Towson men’s basketball team heads into the CAA Tournament as the No. 1 seed. This year the CAA Tournament takes place at the Entertainment & Sports Arena in Washington D.C.
The Tigers have moved onto the semifinals, and will play Delaware on Monday, March 7 at 6 p.m. If the Tigers win, they will advance to the championship game, which will be held on Tuesday, March 8, at 7 p.m.
Both the semifinals and championship game will be aired on CBS Sports Network. To learn more about the Tigers and the CAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, follow the team on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Meet our roster of walk-ons
Here is a look at this year’s roster of walk-ons for the Towson University men’s basketball team.
Chris Caliguiran
Senior | Accokeek, Md
Chris Caliguiran is the elder statesman of the group, having spent four seasons on the roster. His run as a Tiger even included a short-time on scholarship during the 2019 spring term.
Growing up in Accokeek, Md., Caliguiran dreamt of playing Division I basketball. After spending an extra year in North Carolina for prep school, the guard came to TU as a walk-on and has been helping the team ever since.
“Being here for four years has been quite the journey for me,” Caliguiran says. “I can remember my first day practicing at Towson like it was yesterday. Being here for so long has made me sort of a leader, because I know what the culture is like here at TU and how it’s supposed to be.
“I’m able to have a voice and spread wisdom and advice to the other walk-ons and the younger players on the team. Contributing to this program the last four years has been a joy for me.”
Caliguiran says his path was unique and he is grateful to have lived a childhood dream.
“This experience has been life-changing for me,” he says. “I have made so many lifelong friends and memories. I’ll remember being a part of this program for the rest of my life.”
Justin Patterson
Junior | Bowie, Md
Justin Patterson considers it a blessing to be able to continue playing basketball. He’s honestly just “happy to still be hooping.”
But for a while, basketball wasn’t part of his life. He tried out his first year on campus, but was not allowed on the team because he didn’t have a sickle cell test, which is required by the NCAA.
After not making the team the first time, Patterson was distraught and completely stopped watching and playing basketball for an entire year. He wasn’t at peace with his decision.
His girlfriend Nadia encouraged him to try out for the team again in his sophomore year, and would even wake him up to go to the gym at 6 a.m. so he could get back into shape.
“She is the real reason I even decided to stick with it, and I cannot thank her enough for getting me out of the dark hole I was in,” Patterson says. “This experience has been everything. A lot of the stuff I have learned from being a part of this program are lessons I couldn't have learned if I took another route.”
Brandon Held
Redshirt Freshman | Marriottsville, Md
Originally planning to play at Division III school, Brandon Held transferred to Towson after one academic term. He was still looking to play basketball in 2020, but unfortunately the COVID-19 pandemic struck.
After waiting about two years, and getting a last-minute tryout, Held finally made the team.
“Being on this team has been like being part of one big family,” Held says. “This season has been a ton of fun, and everyone has put in a tremendous amount of work to get us where we are now. We are playing good basketball, and winning a lot of games because of it.”
And while he’s happy to help out the team, nothing beat getting actual playing time in a Division I game.
One of the biggest moments of this season came on Feb. 12, against Elon at home in SECU Arena. That game saw Held and the other three walk-ons get playing time together on the court in an 86-50 win.
“That Elon game was very exciting for me, because I got to play with my fellow walk-ons and scout team,” Held says. “We are always together in practice so when we got the opportunity to all play together in a real game it was a ton of fun. We played hard and held our own. I always enjoy hooping with all my boys on the scout team.”
Olugbemi Joseph
Freshman | Bowie, Md
One of the reasons Olugbemi Joseph came to Towson University was because the men’s team has walk-on tryouts every year. Joseph had a chance to play Division III, but wanted to take a chance to play on a Division I program.
But the journey wasn’t what he anticipated. The first year, a family emergency prevented him from trying out. The next year, COVID-19 forced the team to cancel tryouts. While he’s technically a freshman from an eligibility standpoint, he is academically a junior.
“During those two years I went through a lot,” Joseph remembers. “I emailed the coaches at least 50 times throughout those two years and it's funny because I doubt they even realize it was me the whole time.
“I've also just thought about quitting and not playing basketball anymore because it had been so long and I was losing hope. Thankfully everything worked in my favor and now I have a jersey with my last name on the back of It.”
Despite being a walk-on, Joseph says the coaches and other players don’t treat him any differently and hold him accountable for his actions.
In fact, his favorite part of his walk-on experience has been making connections.
“I can say, without a doubt, that everyone that comes inside our locker room—coach, player, manager and staff is a friend of mine inside and outside of basketball,” Joseph says. “This year has really reminded me of how fun basketball is.
“I truly enjoyed every second, and to add to the moment, being able to score and see my teammates root me on is a feeling I will take to the grave.”