Sailors dismiss Caldwell

Newport Harbor High two-sport star Cody Caldwell has been dismissed from the boys’ basketball team and his status with the boys’ volleyball team remains in doubt, Sailors’ basketball coach Larry Hirst said Friday.

Hirst said Caldwell, who last played in a Jan. 29 Sunset League home win over Fountain Valley, was dismissed for violating team rules. Hirst said he could not be more specific, citing restrictions in the education code about revealing such matters.

It is unclear when Caldwell’s status for the upcoming volleyball season will be determined.

Caldwell, a 6-foot-6 junior, was the Sailors’ leading scorer and rebounder. He had 12 points, 11 rebounds and four blocked shots against Fountain Valley.

Caldwell was the Newport-Mesa Dream Team Player of the Year in volleyball in 2009 as a sophomore outside hitter. He is considered one of the top volleyball players in the nation in his age group. He had 461 kills and posted a .457 hitting percentage for Coach Dan Glenn’s volleyball team.

Caldwell’s older brother, Kyle, starred in basketball and volleyball at Newport and now plays volleyball at UCLA.

The Caldwell brothers are the grandsons of the late George Yardley, a Newport Harbor alumnus who is in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The Sailors’ basketball court is named Yardley Court in honor of George, who starred at Stanford and later in the NBA.

— Barry Faulkner