Campbell makes successful shift from LU to LC, scoring 1,000th point

Lynchburg College will look to senior Nate Campbell to set the tone tonight when the Hornets make the short trip to Randolph College in a key men’s basketball game that will figure heavily into the final ODAC standings and seeding for　the fast-approaching tournament.

Though this rivalry between Lynchburg’s two ODAC schools is just entering it’s fifth season, it has already has become a fierce contest. Add in the fact that both teams are competing for the fifth and final bye in first round of the conference tournament and tonight’s game should be a wild one.　

Randolph (10-11, 5-7) is currently tied for sixth with Washington & Lee in the conference standings behind fifth-place Lynchburg (13-9, 7-6). This will be the first time this season the two city rivals have met, but they will face each other again on Feb. 18 in the regular-season finale for both teams.

"It’s fun that you’ve got two teams from Lynchburg battling for some things," LC coach Hilliary Scott said. "It’s going to be a battle. They’ve got some good players. Everyone wants to finish as high as they possibly can."

Added Campbell: "It’s going to be super fun. It’s going to come down to who wants it more. It’s always a battle when we play. It’s going to be about who comes out with more urgency, more energy and execution."

Both the Hornets and WildCats are defense-first teams and on a night when scoring could be hard to come by, Lynchburg will need Campbell to be at his best. The senior forward/center has already demonstrated his ability to score in bunches as it has taken him less than three seasons to become the 20th player in program history to score 1,000 points.

"That felt awesome, but it’s not anything about me," Campbell said. "It has just been such an awesome season and we have so much talent on this team. It speaks to the talent and the unselfishness of the team."

Campbell is a deadly accurate jump-shooter and his size (6-foot-6, 210 pounds), quickness, strength and scoring capabilities present matchup nightmares for opponents. Those big enough to battle him under the boards are usually not quick enough to chase him all over the court.

Campbell sort of fell into Scott’s lap. Campbell’s father played basketball at the YMCA against Scott and Scott’s future brother in-law. But the Campbell family eventually moved to North Carolina where Nate starred at Cary High School. Scott and Campbell’s father reconnected at Scott’s sister’s wedding　around Nate’s senior year in high school.

Campbell later committed to Liberty University and played in 14 games a freshman. But he was thrown for a loss shortly after that first season.

"There was a coaching change and I lost my scholarship," Campbell said. "It was tough. After I lost my scholarship I was like ‘I’m done with basketball. You work so hard and this is how you are rewarded? What’s the point?’ So I took a year off.

"Then I realized I missed it. I just missed being out there. I missed being on the court. Coach Scott was a family friend and after that I told him wanted to come play for him and he said ‘Let’s get that ball rolling.’"

In his first season with the Hornets, Campbell scored 11.1 points and grabbed 5.6 rebounds per game as he settled in and got his legs back underneath him. Last season, Campbell showed what he’s capable of, finishing fourth in the ODAC with 17 points per game, sixth in the conference with seven rebounds and was named first-team All-ODAC.

This season Campbell’s stats are down from last year. He is 11th in the conference in scoring (13.4 points per game) and 18th in rebounding (5.1 rebound per game), but Scott is quick to point out that it is because he is trying to take advantage of the Hornets’ depth.

"We all realized that after last year we needed some other guys to step up and do something on offense," Scott said. "Nate is　a team player. He wants to win. Whether he scores two points or 30 points, as long as we get the win, he’ll be fine with it."

Campbell is a religious studies major and already has plans for his future.

"I want to incorporate ministries with basketball" Campbell said. "I’ve already contacted some churches about doing some　ministries. We’ll see what doors God opens."