Big moments are coming in quick succession for the Northern Kentucky University basketball teams. Beechwood and Covington Catholic high school standouts have fast-tracked their football careers. Likewise, this week’s column is built for speed. Here are the fastest 900 words in sports:
BEECHWOOD’S CAMPBELL MAKES COMMITMENT: Beechwood’s Xavier Campbell has committed to the Thomas More University football team. The Saints offered him May 7. He also received offers from Georgetown College and Lindsey Wilson among others. Thomas More is getting an outstanding athlete and a winner in Campbell, a 6-foot, 245-pound two-way standout for the Tigers.
Campbell was a fifth-year senior and a Beechwood team captain in 2023. He was re-classified in 2021 after the Beechwood school board approved Senate Bill 128, which allowed Kentucky public high school students to request using the 2021-22 school year as a supplemental school year as a result of the prolonged remote instruction and barriers created by the COVID-19 pandemic.
An offensive tackle and middle linebacker this past season, Campbell was a starter all five years at Beechwood. He had 30 career sacks and three interceptions, two returned for touchdowns. Campbell played on three state championship teams. He was named all-state four times and was a five-time all-Northern Kentucky Football Coaches Association selection. The NKFCA recognized Campbell as a Top 26 Player in 2023. Beechwood went 59-11 with Campbell in uniform.
Campbell also is a track and field standout at Beechwood. He’s been a regional champion in the shot put and discus. He placed third at state in the shot put last year after coming back from shoulder surgery and competing in just a handful of meets. He holds the school record in the discus. Campbell has a 31-inch vertical leap and has run the 40-yard dash in 4.7 seconds.
COVCATH’S REEVES COMMITS: Covington Catholic senior football player Ben Reeves has committed to Georgetown College. Reeves, a 6-foot-1, 227-pound two-way lineman for the Colonels, was an all-Northern Kentucky Football Coaches Association selection on both offense and defense as a senior. It was his second year as an all-NKFCA pick.
KROHMAN HITS ANOTHER MILESTONE: Another month, another milestone for Simon Kenton boys basketball standout Travis Krohman. The senior guard joined the Pioneers’ 1,000-point club Dec. 15 at South Oldham. On Jan. 20 at Henry County, Krohman broke the program single-game scoring record with 48 points. In early February, he played in his 100th career game. According to KHSAA statistics, Krohman reached 100 games Feb. 2 against Oldham County. Krohman, a Northern Kentucky Boys Basketball Coaches Association Division I all-star, has committed to Thomas More University.
WARRICK WATCH: Northern Kentucky University senior guard Marques Warrick scored 20 points Sunday in a loss to Wright State, passing Craig Sanders on the men’s basketball team’s all-time scoring list. Warrick began the game in a second-place tie with Sanders at 2,007 points. He ended the contest all alone at No. 2 with 2,027, behind only Drew McDonald, who scored 2,066 points. Warrick needs 40 points to break McDonald’s record. NKU’s next two games are at home Feb. 8 vs. Oakland and Feb. 10 vs. Detroit Mercy. Warrick leads the Norse and ranks fourth in the Horizon League with 19 points per game.
MCCRAY HONORED: NKU women’s freshman Carter McCray is the Horizon League freshman of the week for the fourth time. She averaged 16 points and 13 rebounds during a 2-0 week for NKU. McCray leads the Norse with 14.4 points per game. She leads the Horizon League with 10.8 rebounds. She’s third in the league with 52.7% field goal shooting.
VOLZ CLIMBING: With her 100th and 101st career victories last week, Northern Kentucky University women’s basketball coach Camryn Volz needs 37 wins to become the program’s second all-time winningest coach. Volz, currently third on the all-time victory list, trails No. 2 Marilyn Moore (137-73) by 36. Moore was NKU’s first women’s basketball coach beginning in 1974. Nancy Winstel (636-214) is NKU’s all-time wins leader. Volz also trails family wins leader Mac Whitaker by a bit. The baseball coach at Harrison County High School, Whitaker (1,221-379) is Volz’s father and Kentucky’s all-time winningest prep baseball coach.
SAINTS’ SMITH JOINS THE CLUB: Thomas More University women’s basketball senior Alex Smith joined the 1,000-point club during a Saints home win Feb. 3 against Tiffin. Smith’s 3-point basket was part of an 8-0 game-opening run by Thomas More. A pair of Smith free throws with 4:54 to play in the first half lifted her past 1,000. She finished the game with a team-high 24 points and added five rebounds. Smith, from Mercy McAuley, leads the Saints with 12.1 points per game.
SPEED READS: Lloyd junior basketball standout E.J. Walker received recent college offers from Illinois and Louisville, giving him at least 29 offers.
Newport sophomore Tay Kinney received his latest college offer from Indiana and another Big 10 school with Penn State. Kinney has at least 24 college offers.
Highlands junior Marissa Green received an offer from NKU.
The Jack Kaelin Freshman Tournament, a 9th Region event at CovCath, gets underway Feb. 8. CovCath is defending champion and has won nine of the past 13 titles. The event began in 1936 as the Northern Kentucky Junior High School Basketball Tournament. The quarterfinals are Feb. 12 and 14. Semifinals are Feb. 17. The final is Feb. 19th at 7:30 p.m., preceded by the Junior Varsity final at 6.