SEATTLE -   Cal graduate transfer Receé Caldwell has signed a training camp contract with the WNBA's Seattle Storm, the team announced on Thursday.

The first graduate transfer in program history, Caldwell played a pivotal role during her lone season in Berkeley, leading the team in assists (4.6 assists per game) and three-point field goals made (61), while finishing third on the team in scoring at 10.0 points per game. Caldwell started all 33 games for the Bears this season and amassed over 1,000 points and 400 assists in her collegiate career, which also included stops at UCLA and Texas Tech. She now looks forward to bringing her game to the next level.

"I could not be more grateful or appreciative to the Storm for this opportunity and for my support system that's made this all possible," Caldwell said. "My coaches, family, and friends have been so instrumental in my growth and I am so thankful for their encouragement and love throughout it all. I'm really excited to get to camp. This is the best women's basketball league in the world, and I just want learn as much as I can and work as hard as I can."

Caldwell's ability to impact the offense was on full display over the latter half of the season, averaging 11.5 points per game in conference, the second-highest leading scorer on the team during Pac-12 play. A 5'9" guard from San Antonio, Caldwell shot 42 percent from beyond the arc in conference play while also averaging 4.1 assists per game. A true competitor, Caldwell had back-to-back 20-point games for the Golden Bears in a key weekend sweep against Arizona State and Arizona, a feat that earned her Pac-12 Player of the Week honors. Caldwell opened the weekend with 20 points and five assists in the Bears' win over No. 17 Arizona State before spearheading a comeback for the ages on Senior Day. After trailing by as many as 20 points in the second half and 14 in the fourth quarter, Caldwell poured in a season-high 24 points as the Bears forced overtime and went on to beat the Wildcats in overtime, 82-76. Caldwell continued her consistent production in the postseason, averaging 13.0 points per game and 7.0 assists per game in the Pac-12 and NCAA Tournaments.

"We are so excited for Receé to get an opportunity in the WNBA," said Cal head coach Lindsay Gottlieb. "It's the best women's pro league in the world and spots are hard to come by, so it's a huge accomplishment just to get invited into camp. I think it speaks to Receé's reputation in the women's basketball world, what she's done here in her year here, and what she's done the entirety of her career. I don't think there's anyone who makes an organization better than Receé Caldwell. She'll come in and compete for a spot, and will make everyone around her better every single day."

A leader both on the court and in the locker room, Caldwell helped the Bears to their third consecutive 20-win season and third NCAA Tournament in a row. Cal opened the NCAA Tournament with an emphatic First Round win over North Carolina, led by 12 assists from Caldwell, a career-high and the most by any Cal player in an NCAA Tournament game. The first graduate transfer in program history, Caldwell's on-court success comes in addition to her work on a masters degree in Public Health and duties as an intern for the NBA's Golden State Warriors.

"The conversations we had when Receé was making her decision [about where to use her final year of eligibility] were all about her having the experience of a lifetime her year with us and what she could bring to our program, but also about how we could help set her up for the rest of her life," said Gottlieb. "To work her Masters degree, do a special internship with the Warriors, and now get a shot in the WNBA, that makes me as happy and proud of her as any of the remarkable things she has done here in a Cal uniform."

Seattle begins training camp on May 5 before opening the regular season on May 25 against the Phoenix Mercury. The Storm are the reigning WNBA Champions, capturing the franchise's third title in 2018 with a sweep of the Washington Mystics.

Caldwell is part of a large Cal contingent heading to training camp in the coming weeks. Fellow senior Kristine Anigwe, who was drafted by ninth overall in the 2019 WNBA Draft, will be heading to the Connecticut Sun where she will join up with fellow Golden Bear great Layshia Clarendon, now in her seventh season in the WNBA. Brittany Boyd and Reshanda Gray will be teaming up again in the camp for the New York Liberty where they will be joined by another familiar face in former Cal associate head coach Charmin Smith, who is entering a new role as an assistant coach for the Liberty. Three-time All-American Ashley Walker is also back stateside, having signed a training camp contract with the Los Angeles Sparks in February. After three seasons in the WNBA, Walker has put together an impressive career overseas, most recently playing for Mersin Buyuksehir Belediye in Turkey.

For more information and updates on the Golden Bears throughout the season, follow the team on Twitter (@CalWBball), Instagram (@CalWBball) and Facebook (Facebook.com/CalWBball).