To have success in a postseason tournament, a team needs not only a bit of luck, but also its entire roster on top of its game.
Freshman forward Antonio Campbell has given the Bobcats valuable minutes all season long but has elevated his play after the departure of redshirt senior forward Jon Smith heading into the Collegeinsider.com Tournament last week.
Though Campbell has had his share of growing pains like most freshmen, his development began to show when junior forward Maurice Ndour began seeing the effects of a nagging back injury late in Mid-American Conference play.
Campbell, a Cincinnati native, replaced him in the starting lineup against Bowling Green on March 4 and has not relinquished his place in the starting five since.
He said cracking the Bobcats’ starting lineup and garnering more minutes has boosted his confidence.
“Toward the end of the season I began to get more confident,” Campbell said. “I got more minutes (and) became more comfortable on the floor with a lot more minutes as well. In the beginning of the season I didn’t play as much, so when I did get in for a two-, three-minute stretch I wasn’t able to actually play. I’d usually get out (of) the game and just get yelled at.”
Campbell has proved he can be a key cog for the Bobcats in crucial situations. He provided valuable minutes in Ohio’s win against Buffalo on Feb. 15, racking up four points and three rebounds in the final 90 seconds of the game.
He then posted 11 points — then a career high — against the Falcons. He said he has learned from the departed Smith and Ohio coach Jim Christian that it is OK to make mistakes, as it is part of the learning process.
“I kind of got the mindset of, ‘Well, I got to go out there and play good,’” Campbell said. “‘I’m in the starting lineup and things like that, I can’t mess up.’ Turns out you are going to mess up. Everybody makes mistakes, you’ve got to play through it.”
Though Campbell’s development has shown in flashes this season, it has been his recent play in the CIT that has drawn raves from his coaches and teammates. Campbell topped his previous best point production with a 21-point performance against Cleveland State last week and followed up that total with an eight-point outing on 50 percent shooting against Wright State on Saturday.
Ohio junior guard Stevie Taylor said Campbell’s production in the Bobcats’ past two games has been not only crucial for the team but his development as well.
“It’s big,” Taylor said. “It’s still a learning experience for him, but he’s shown better signs of getting the flow of the game and being more comfortable out there.
“(Christian) wanted to accomplish something like that for our younger guys.”
Ohio assistant coach Aaron Fuss said Campbell has lost more than 20 pounds since he’s been in Athens, which has helped his mobility and athleticism.
“He’s really taken advantage of the last kind of third of the season,” Fuss said.
“It’s not just the CIT games. I think he started to come on at the end of MAC play, and he’s started to really figure out what he was supposed to be doing on defense and what’s going to get him on the floor.”
Ohio redshirt sophomore Treg Setty credited Campbell for seizing his opportunity to contribute more heavily when it was there for the taking.
“He took advantage of his situation after Maurice got hurt and coach inserted him into the lineup,” Setty said. “Some people wouldn’t take advantage of it the way he did … now he’s starting to come into his own. He’s only a freshman — the sky’s the limit for him.”
This article originally appeared in print under the headline "Campbell making big moves with the Bobcats"
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