Long before a kid enters the halls at Campbell County High School, the buy in to the basketball program is already there.
They attend youth camps, get to see practices and games while they await their high school years.
“I told coach (Aric) Russell yesterday when the foundation is built on the solid rock as he had, you bring young kids to kids camp and in practice and it builds that bond, they want to keep that tradition continuing,” Camels coach Brent Sowder said. “The shared accountability of seeing past and future generations succeed, you don’t want to be that group that didn’t continue the success we’ve had. That all started with coach Russell.”
So when the Camels lost their Hall of Fame coach Aric Russell to retirement go with all-time leading scorer Aydan Hamilton and another 1,000 point scorer in Jake Gross at the end of last year to graduation, they didn’t skip a beat, winning the 10th Region tournament last week for the fifth time since 2014.
“At the beginning of the year, beginning of November, I told the team I was like ‘Look, I know what I have and know what you all are and this is going to be a group going to Rupp Arena,” Sowder said. “They nodded and no one acted surprised. The signs were there early on in practice with competitiveness. Had a good feeling with this group and what they could bring and the familiarity they have.”
When talking to Camels players throughout the season, the theme remained the same throughout the year. It’s not about an individual’s stats, it’s about being ahead on the final scoreboard.
Their slogan in the postseason has been ‘one more’. One more practice with their friends, one more game with their group. They’ve earned more practices and one more game Thursday night on the big stage at Rupp Arena.
“We’ve been listening to this stupid song called, ‘One More Time’ by Daft Punk,”
Sowder said, “We just want one more practice. We want one more win.”
The familiarity is evidenced in the numbers throughout the team. They have three guys that average in double figures, four others averaging from anywhere from 4.3 to 7.0 points per game. The consistency has been met with a model of consistency throughout the season. They haven’t lost more than two games in row throughout the year and have winning streaks of seven, three, three and currently the longest one of the year at 12. They’re 26-6 and have certainly caught Newport’s attention, the hottest team in the field in entering the tournament on a 24-game winning streak.
“They’re physical, smart, run their stuff really well and are patient,” Newport coach Rod Snapp said. “They start four seniors and don’t make a lot of mistakes. They remind me a little of Cooper with being so physical. They’re tough kids, and we’ll need to be ready to play for sure.”
The Camels success can point to many factors, but it starts with floor general Garyn Jackson. Jackson got to see his older brother Kason win a region title in 2019 when Garyn was a sixth grader. The Camel Basketball Twitter/X account recreated a photo with some of the alumni from that team and Jackson as a sixth grader and now a senior.
“That’s one of the cool things about that whole night,” Sowder said. “I remember little Garyn getting his pic taken and seeing Kason cutting nets and then they’re all watching him. Just an old-fashioned program. Those guys realize the future themselves.”
Without Jackson, the Camels aren’t at this point right now, his buzzer-beating 3-pointer knocking off Harrison County in the region championship game in overtime. His confidence to hit the shot started in the timeout huddle as Sowder was drawing the play up.
“I was going for that win,” Jackson said. “In the huddle, he (Sowder) was drawing up the play and I said, ‘I’m hitting a three’ so that was crazy.’”
While things start with Jackson they can finish with a variety elsewhere. Connor Weinel helps man the post with his team-high 10 rebounds per game and also produces the most on the offensive end with 15.7 points a game. Weinel’s efficiency must be respected anywhere on the court as he shoots it at a 57% clip from the field and 40% from the 3-point line.
Broc Sorgenfrei is the long distance threat to pay attention to at all times, hitting 56 three-pointers on the season at a 37% clip and averaging 12.7 points per game. Jackson’s 11.6 points and 4.7 rebounds showcase his all-around talent while also being the main distributor.
Then there’s the essential role players like Xavier Fancher coming in off the bench and providing instant offense with 7.0 points per game, starter Cole Johnson at 6.8 points per game, starter Nathan Smith at 5.1 points per game and the one who takes on the opponents’ top offensive player and Zach Franzen also coming off the bench and providing 4.3 points per game.
Those seven have played in at least 30 of 32 games, the only misses due to injury or illness.
Thursday’s task will be a tall one, taking on a Newport team entering the postseason ranked No. 3 in the state and making it out of one of the most competitive regions in the state for the second straight year. They’ll present quite the challenge for the Camels, who struggled against top-tier 9th Region teams Lloyd Memorial, Cooper and Covington Catholic for three of their six losses.
“They remind me of us in a way for how together they are. Every time there’s a big game in Northern Kentucky, they are there together,” Sowder said. “They’ve won 24 straight for a reason, they’re athletic, read the game really well and they dictate the way they play every game with their coaching, length and really at every position. They are relentless on the boards and control the boards and get guys that leak out from it. We have to keep them from trying to dominate the game there.”
The Camels and Wildcats were supposed to meet during the regular season for their annual matchup, but Newport’s All “A” run put them up against a games limit and the two were unable to schedule the contest.
Now they’ll meet in Rupp Arena Thursday night at 8:30 p.m. The winner gets the Harlan County/Warren Central winner in Friday’s quarterfinals. Despite many thinking the Camels are underdogs in this one, they aren’t approaching it that way.
“We don’t do that. We just want to focus on us,” Sowder said. “We know Newport is great and tremendous, but we’re about us and not getting into all that. We’ll give it our best shot and hope whoever wins brings it home for NKY.”
Since 1997, Campbell County holds a 25-5 edge in the head-to-head series, including a 61-40 victory last season in December 2022. Some are dubbing it the “Aric Russell bowl”, the former coach leading both programs to regional titles, doing so with Newport in 2010 and Campbell County four times in 2014, ’15, ’18 and ’19.
