Friday Features: Campbell leaves 'mark' as Union women's hoops coach
By Maurice Patton
For a guy who knew as a youngster that he wanted to coach, but didn’t know he wanted to coach women’s basketball,
Mark Campbell has made quite an impact.
With
Union’s 77-66 victory over visiting Gulf South Conference rival Valdosta State on Feb. 12, Campbell is thought to have reached the 500-win plateau quicker than anyone in the history of the game – but those numbers aren’t typically compiled for fewer than 600 wins.
Still, research by the athletic media relations department at the Jackson, Tenn., school reveals that Campbell’s 500
th win in his 569
th collegiate game was earned in less time than nationally recognized coaching titans Pat Summitt (624 games), Geno Auriemma (599) and Leon Barmore (576), as well as his Union predecessor, David Blackstock (588).
Over his 16 seasons at Union, Campbell has led the Lady Bulldogs to four NAIA national championships (2005, ’06, ’09 and ’10) and an NCCAA title last season while guiding the program into NCAA Division II and the GSC. His .895 winning percentage when Union left the NAIA at the end of the 2011-12 season was tops among all NAIA coaches with five years or more.
Very little of that is important to Campbell, who is grounded in his faith and his family.
“I don’t think there’s any significance (to win No. 500),” he said. “It tells the story of Union. For two coaches in a row to get 500 says a lot about Union, about West Tennessee coaches and players.”
A Nashville area native, Campbell played high school ball at Franklin Road Academy where he was influenced by members of the Don Meyer coaching tree, then played for the legendary Meyer at Lipscomb University before joining former Union coach (and Meyer assistant) Ralph Turner as a staffer. After five years under Turner, he succeeded Blackstock as women’s coach.
“I had the blessing of being able to come here right out of college with Coach Turner and to be able to take over a well-established (women’s) program,” he said. “God has opened doors at the right time.”
Though Campbell’s aspiration never was to coach women’s basketball, the plusses of doing so became immediately apparent.
“At Lipscomb, we were made to work boarding camps – three weeks of guys and a week of girls,” he recalled of his playing days (during which he scored 1,509 points with 724 assists, both ranking among the program’s top 12 all-time totals).
“I always loved the girls’ camps more than the guys’. I’ve realized I’m really relational, and I loved the fact they wanted to please you. You don’t have to deal with pride and ego as much with girls, and I say this as a guy. I’d much rather deal with emotional and relational issues than pride and ego.
“As a coach, I think my family can get more involved with girls basketball. If family is a priority, recruiting (high school players) is two hours earlier. I’m able to get home earlier, so I’m able to be a better husband and father. I didn’t know that was going to be a plus, but the Lord showed me, ‘this is why I want this direction with you’. Those things are much more important to me than how good a coach I am.”
Campbell got started toward his next 100 victories two days after the milestone, as Union defeated visiting West Florida 74-62 to improve to 20-3 on the year (16-3 GSC) and 12-0 at home while winning its fifth straight game.
“This is the best team I’ve had at being able to think and play at the same time,” he said. “No matter what level you play at, no matter what ability level – thinking and playing, loving each other, trusting each other, trusting your coaches, in girls basketball, that goes a long way.
“I think this team really cares for one another. They’re ultimately very unselfish. They care about the group more than themselves. I think they’ve bought into confronting their weaknesses in ways that other teams haven’t. We’ve talked about going from good to great a lot this season, and I think they’ve done that, confronted their weaknesses and tried to control the things they can control.”
Now in the athletic program’s first year of full active membership in NCAA Division II, Campbell may have his best team at just the right time. Led by senior guard Amy Philamlee, a four-time GSC Player of the Week, the Lady Bulldogs are ranked nationally in two different polls and are eyeing a regional top seed for postseason play.
“Amy brings out the strengths in all our players, and our players bring out the strengths in her,” Campbell said. “She’s a six-and-a-half or a seven athletically, but she gets the most out of that athleticism. She’s able to think and use it well. Everybody’s greatest strengths make everyone else’s strengths that much better, and it’s extra motivation for doing well.”
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Past Friday Features
11/07/2014 - NCAA Leader Chloe Richards Finds a Home at UNA.
11/14/2014 - Revival of a Rivalry.
11/21/2014 - VSU's Margaret Stauffer Finds Strength in Team, Family.
11/28/2014 - Union Off and Running.
12/05/2014 - UWA Coach Ray Stanfield Pushes Cross Country Teams to Top.
12/12/2014 - CBU Men's Basketball Making Noise.
12/19/2014 - Dickey Says UWG Football 'Right on Schedule'.
12/26/2014 - Youngsters Lead UWF Women.
1/02/2015 - UAH's Owens Rebounds From Car Crash With New Appreciation for Life, Basketball.
1/09/2015 - Freshmen Building Base for Lee Women's Success.
1/16/2015 - UWA's Chad Toocheck Overcame Addiction Lows to Reach Highs on Field.
1/23/2015 - Basketball Court at Delta State Named For a 'Legend'.
1/30/2015 - Shorter Basketball Coaches Celebrate Milestones Victories.
2/06/2015 - Union Outfielder Unfazed by Physical Challenges.
2/13/2015 - VSU's Courtney Albritton Rewriting Record Books.