Every young man has his own rite of passage when he begins to make the ascension from childhood to adolescence.  The changes often come in the form of physical benchmarks such as a cracking voice or a growth spurt. For Calvin Whipple, it was the latter benchmark that determined his course as an athlete.

                "I was mainly a soccer kid with a little bit of football mixed in," Whipple recalled. "But in sixth grade, I kept growing and my friends did not so I thought it might be time to give basketball a try after that growth spurt."

                Soon after, Whipple found more of those physical benchmarks popping up as he continued to mature physically. The sixth grader used his newfound height and strength to develop his skills on the basketball court, so much so that he quickly gained the attention of the Lunenburg High School basketball coaching staff.

                At that time, Lunenburg also included the eighth grade along with the traditional ninth through 12th grades. With his basketball prowess most evident, the coaches extended an invitation for Whipple to play with the high school team despite being a year younger than the traditional secondary school student.

                "I tried out and made varsity as an eighth grader," Whipple said. "Being so young, I played but not much as I thought I should.  It opened my eyes on how you need to work hard to be successful. Up to that point, I was playing travel league basketball so it was more for fun. At that level, I never really had to compete for minutes because I was usually one of the better players on the team. But in eighth grade, I was competing against seniors who had played three years for the coach so I needed to up my game and show that I belonged."

                Whipple did just that the following season, averaging 17 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists per game. While the sudden increase in numbers may have pleased most ninth graders, Whipple saw those statistics as evidence that he might need something more challenging if he wanted to truly reach his full potential on the hardwood.

                "The level of talent I was going against was not what I wanted it to be or what I needed it to be if I wanted to reach my goal of playing basketball at a higher level," Whipple said. "Ultimately, Lunenburg would not have given me the chance to play at the top level plus I wanted to have the best experience academically and athletically as possible. So, I chose to go to Northfield Mount Hermon because it's a perennial top five team in the country for basketball as well as a prestigious academic Institution."

                Under the tutelage of Head Coach John Carroll, Whipple began to find more basketball skills and was able to develop those skills into positive results. And it wasn't long before Carroll recognized Whipple's ability and worked him into a rotation that was already quite talented."

                "I probably played with 30 Division I players while I was at Northfield Mount Hermon," Whipple said. "Seven out of the eight players in my senior class went to Division I alone. I loved it there and it was a great platform to learn how to be successful. It was the best four years of my life so far."

                Whipple is quick to point out that it was Carroll's knowledge of the game that prepared him to this time in his life as a player and as a student. Carroll was an All-Conference athlete at Assumption College, setting the Greyhounds three-point shooting record with 342 made and leading the program to multiple Northeast 10 championships.

                "Coach (Carroll) wanted to prepare us for college both academically and athletically," Whipple said. "He said that you might not be the best player on the team talent wise but you will be the most prepared for college out of any freshman on your team."

                When Whipple began gaining attention from college recruiters and looking at schools to continue his academic athletic career, he focused on the same principles that helped guide him when he decided to go to a prep school.

                "I had a variety of offers but at the end of the day, I wanted to keep it to the same criteria which included great academics and success on the basketball court," Whipple said. "I thought Fairfield met both of those needs by providing a great education and a winning culture that Coach (Sydney) Johnson has built over the years. Plus, I thought I might be able to contribute in a variety of ways right way and make an impact."

                Now, Coach Johnson will build upon Whipple's Northfield Mount Hermon experience as he joins a class of newcomers that includes four student-athletes. Johnson has been equally successful preparing his own student-athletes for life after graduation, including sending seven players to the professional basketball ranks.

                "Two words to describe Calvin in our program: perfect fit," Coach Johnson said. "From Calvin's approach to academics, the positive and supportive influence of his family, the coaching he received at Northfield Mount Hermon, his maturity, intensity on the court, shot making ability, consistent work ethic and his basketball IQ. Calvin checks every box we consider in looking for the best student-athletes."

                Whipple has already gained some experience with some offseason workouts while taking summer classes at Fairfield. He completed a course in art history and is currently enrolled in a microeconomics class. The early entry has certainly helped him gain a foot hold on college life as he goes through the typical adjustments necessitated by the academic and athletic demands on a student-athlete.

                "It's been a more relaxed atmosphere now since I'm not taking a full course load ," Whipple said. "Coming from a school like Northfield Mount Hermon, it's been a similar situation for me in regard to being away from home and living on campus."

                "On the court, the main adjustment has been physical," Whipple continued. "The first two weeks, I just worked on getting in shape so I could play at the speed needed in college. Now, I think I am in better shape to make the adjustment which has led me to play better.  I also learned that you can't go 95 percent on a defensive slide or any move to the basket. You have to go 100 percent and can never take any plays off. In high school, I was usually faster than most of the guys. Here, I needed to change my mindset that I may not be as fast and have to give everything I have so I don't lose any ground."

                Whipple hopes to keep his distinction as a long-range shooter, a reputation he earned at Northfield Mount Hermon based upon his 84 three-point field goals a year ago.  But at the same time, he wants to build upon the progress he made last season as a defender and all-around player.

                "I consider myself a shooter but I'm trying to transition into more of an all-around playmaker," Whipple said. "Because we had so much talent Northfield, we had a structured offense so we fit into specific roles. My role was to stand outside and gun three pointers. But I decided I needed to become more rounded to separate myself from all the other talented players we had so I could stay on the court longer."

                Since roles were so well defined, Coach Carroll encouraged all of his players to develop in the off season by working on facets of the game so that the individual players could bring those talents to the court within the team structure.

                "For me, I would work on bringing the ball up, setting up plays, and working on two-dribble pull ups instead of being just an off-guard trying to get open for shots," Whipple said. "In season, you want to be the best version of yourself for the role that you have on the team. But by following the system, you can improve your skills and expand your game beyond your role after the season."

                Whipple's work also included a defensive regiment that helped the guard become better as a defender.  The guard took full advantage of an opportunity presented by the coaching staff prior to a game during the 2017-18 season.

                "Before our game against Army Prep, I remember Coach saying that we needed to lock up this one player who scored 30, 25, and 39 points in the three games before our game," Whipple said. "So I told Coach that I wanted to guard him and I ended up holding to zero points when I was on him. From that game on, I was usually asked to lock up the other team's top scorer."

                The ability to score and the ability to defend are two qualities that every college basketball player needs to be successful. With that understood, Calvin Whipple appears ready for the rite of passage from high school to the collegiate court.