Scholarship bait just not enough
May 7, 2010 - Regina Leader-Post
By Ian Hamilton
The University of Regina Cougars men's basketball team held off a late charge from the Simon Fraser University Clan to record an important victory ... in a recruiting war.
Campbell Tartans star Matt Campbell has committed to the Cougars and is to begin his CIS career with them in the fall. The 6-foot-5 post agreed to join the Cougars after the Clan made a last-minute push to recruit him.
"I was pretty close to making my decision when I heard from (Simon Fraser) and that kind of stirred things up," Campbell, 18, said Thursday. "They're going to the NCAA (next season), so that made (the decision) tougher.
"In Canada, schools have restrictions in terms of what they can offer financially," he continued. "In the NCAA, they don't have the same restrictions. They offered me nearly a full scholarship. All I had to do was pay for food.
"But in the end, what turned it for me (against SFU) was having to leave home and getting out of my own environment. I've played here for so long that I don't really want to leave. My family can watch me play here, too."
Keeping Campbell in Regina was important for Cougars head coach James Hillis, too.
"He's absolutely the best big guy in the province, so it's always critical to get a guy like that," Hillis said. "He's in our backyard, too, which is also important.
"He's a big body and he's physical. From that standpoint, he's a guy who's poised to make a pretty significant contribution right away. We'll be working toward that."
That's music to Campbell's ears.
"I know I'm going to have to work hard," said Campbell, who likely will begin the season backing up veteran post Kris Heshka. "Not starting won't be a big deal for me. I expect to sit on the bench at the start, but I think I can work my way up to getting a lot of minutes."
Campbell has represented Saskatchewan for the past four years at events like the Western Canada Summer Games, the Canada Games and under-15 and under-17 national championships.
He knows he has to develop physically to battle inside against older, stronger players, but he's not apprehensive about making the jump from high school to the CIS.
"I've played high-level basketball for a while now," said Campbell, whose dad Skip played for the Cougars in the '70s. "I've played at the provincial level and I've played against older guys. I grew up playing against my brothers (Tylor, 28, and Jeff, 23), so I've played against guys five years older than me and 10 years older than me. I think I'll be able to get used to it pretty fast."
Hillis pointed to Campbell's high basketball IQ as one of his best attributes. The head coach also is impressed by Campbell's passing skills, his footwork in the post, and his ability to step out and shoot three-pointers.
In Campbell's mind, the Cougars are a good fit for his game, too.
"They do everything the same way I've played for years," he said. "They go inside a lot and shoot the three when they need to. I was looking for a team that goes inside instead of one that goes with an all-guard lineup."
Campbell joins Riffel Royals guard Brendan Hebert in Hillis' 2010 recruiting class. Hillis said he's investigating other possibilities as well.