As part of its continued expansion within the athletic department, Shawnee State Athletics has hired
James Caldwell to be its Assistant Director of Compliance as announced by Shawnee State Athletic Director
Gerald Cadogan.
"It means a great deal to be a part of a culture where the family atmosphere is so evident," Caldwell said. "It's a close-knit group here, and that showed when I was interviewed. I'm thankful for the opportunity. The direction that Shawnee State is heading is intriguing, and the ceiling of what can be accomplished here is very high. I like where we're going here."
Caldwell, who previously worked for Rust (Miss.) as the school's Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance during the 2024-25 season, originally hails from Indianapolis, Ind.
Introduced to the sports of football, basketball and baseball at a young age, Caldwell ultimately ended up pursuing basketball all the way through high school as the Hoosier State native played Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) Class 1A basketball at Fall Creek Academy in Indianapolis, which was a charter school authorized by Ball State University.
At Lane College in Jackson, Tenn., Caldwell's leadership also helped the Dragons improve greatly on the court, as well. Lane went 15-62 from the 2011-12 to 2013-14 seasons -- but from the 2014-15 to 2017-18 campaigns, Caldwell helped Lane go 17-12, 18-13, 17-10 and 14-13 with the Jackson, Tenn.-based school also going 15-12 the year following Caldwell's final season of playing eligibility as well. Lane won 12 consecutive games to win the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) Regular Season Championship with Caldwell's assistance on the floor.
Ultimately, the guard not only experienced successes on the court by helping Lane go 66-48 over his four seasons of play, but grew off of the floor due to the enrichment that Caldwell found in the campus life at Lane, as well.
"The experience was great," Caldwell said. "It was an HBCU school, so the feel was a little different. It was a great experience all the way around Lane taught me a lot of life lessons that have been valuable to my growth as an individual. I was taught to understand all people from different walks of life, just like any other campus does really -- but it's a little different when the culture hits close to home and you can relate to it more. That was a good feeling and a good environment to learn from as a result."
With another golden opportunity to not only help Shawnee State grow as the Bears begin a groundbreaking transition from an athletics standpoint, but to grow personally alongside the university, Caldwell is looking forward to tackling the challenges that are ahead in his new office surroundings.
"I just want to help Shawnee State grow, fit in with the wonderful staff that is already in place, and bring knowledge to the table for the coaches, the student-athletes, and staff to learn from through my experiences," Caldwell said. "I want to be there through the growth, the bumps and the pains, and help Shawnee State grow through that."
