Shot at Dance keeps Campbell in school

By: JOHN MAFFEI - Staff Writer | Monday, January 21, 2008 11:53 PM PST ∞

This was the season Jessica Campbell waited for, the season for which she redshirted last season, the season the UC Davis women's basketball program made the jump into NCAA Division I play and became a full-fledged member of the Big West Conference.

So far, things are going just fine.

The Aggies are 10-7 overall and 5-1 in Big West play, with upcoming games against frontrunners UC Santa Barbara (Thursday) and Cal Poly (Saturday).

"The timing of my situation was unique," said Campbell, a former Orange Glen High star. "I came here as a freshman and got a lot of playing time. Then the school started the transition from Division II to Division I. But I was going to graduate before the transition was complete.

"I talked things over with my coaches, the administration at the school and my parents and decided to redshirt last year and play this season so we could accomplish some team goals."

The 5-foot-11 Campbell has accomplished a lot as an individual.

After weekend wins over Cal State Fullerton -- during which she scored 20 points and had 10 rebounds -- and UC Irvine, Campbell ranks fifth on the Aggies' all-time scoring list with 1,195 points. She's 10th in assists with 243, seventh in blocked shots with 56 and has 519 career rebounds, just off the top 10 list.

This season, Campbell is averaging 15.4 points and 4.6 rebounds a game for Davis. She is shooting 55.2 percent from the floor and 86.2 percent from the free-throw line.

"Scoring points is cool, but the goal is to get into the NCAA tournament," Campbell said. "I've been here five years, and it's crazy how fast things have gone. Coming to UC Davis is the best decision I ever made. I love the coaches here and I love my teammates. Davis is a small-college town, so there is a real commitment to the teams. And it has been a great combination of athletics and academics."

Campbell, who will graduate with a degree in international relations, is a two-time NCAA Division I independent all-academic selection. She plans to enroll in a paralegal program in San Diego after graduation, with her eye on a career in law.

"But if I get an offer to play professional basketball overseas, I'd certainly consider it," Campbell said. "I love to travel, and I love basketball. Playing overseas would be the best of both worlds."

In Campbell's first three seasons at UC Davis, the Aggies rarely left California. This season, they played in a tournament in Hawaii and made a trip to the Midwest for games against Drake and Bradley.

"We won the tournament in Hawaii (beating Northern Arizona, Hawaii and Washington) and got caught in the snow at Drake and Bradley," Campbell said. "Both trips were a blast."

Campbell, the cover girl on this season's UC Davis media guide, was a two-time All-CIF San Diego Section selection on Orange Glen teams that were used to success.

But she admits she had a lot to learn in college.

"The biggest thing is an attitude adjustment," Campbell said. "In high school, I'd get upset over a loss or if I didn't play well. I've learned to relax and enjoy the game more. I understand now what a privilege it is to have the ability to play."

And she has made a position change.

"In high school, I was the biggest girl, so I played in the post," Campbell said. "I was asked to play in the middle, work the low block and rebound because that's what the team needed. And I was fine with that. In college, we have other big girls, so I'm more of a guard/forward. I can play on the wing. And I think that fits me better."

Wins over UCSB and Cal Poly this week would help the Aggies get a high seed at the Big West tournament in March at Anaheim.

"Somehow, some way, we'd like to slip into the NCAA tournament," Campbell said. "That would be a great way to end a college career."

Mintun is back

One of Campbell's teammates at UC Davis is 6-foot-2 center Paige Mintun (Valley Center).

A two-sport star in high school -- volleyball and basketball -- Mintun decided to concentrate on basketball and started the first two games of last season before an injury ended her campaign.

Mintun played the first eight games of this season, then suffered a foot injury and missed seven games before returning over the weekend. She had 12 points and five rebounds against Cal State Fullerton and had two rebounds, three assists, a steal and blocked two shots against UC Irvine.

For the season, Mintun is averaging 6.7 points and 4.4 rebounds.

Women's basketball

> Dayton had its 16-game winning streak snapped Saturday, losing to Duquesne on the road. But you can't blame Nikki Oakland (El Camino) for the loss, as she had 11 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three blocked shots for Dayton. On the season, she leads the 16-3 Flyers, averaging 13.5 points and 7.8 rebounds.

> Senior Kelsey Krumdieck (Rancho Bernardo) and sophomore Michelle Krall (Poway) are key players on a 10-3 Whitman College team. Krumdieck leads the team in scoring, averaging 9.9 points with 3.3 rebounds. Krall is averaging 8.8 points and 4.4 rebounds, shooting 40 percent on 3-pointers (14-of-35).

> Lauren Aadland (Rancho Bernardo) is averaging 4.1 points and 2.7 rebounds for an 8-8 William & Mary team.

Men's basketball

> Rod Benson (Torrey Pines), who played his college ball at California, is now with the NBA Development League's Dakota Wizards, an affiliate of the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies and Washington Wizards. The 6-foot-10 Benson is averaging 13.7 points, 12.0 rebounds and 35.1 minutes a game.

> Redshirt freshman Kenny Lawson (Vista) has moved in as the starting center at Creighton. He had eight points and eight rebounds Saturday as the Blue Jays beat Indiana State before 17,371 at the Qwest Center in Omaha, Neb. For the season, he's averaging 6.5 points and 3.4 rebounds.

> Greg Sprink (El Camino) played in his 100th career game for Navy on Saturday in a 103-99 overtime loss to Lafayette. He had season highs in points (33) and rebounds (12) in that game for his third double-double of the season. He's the first Navy player since 2000 to score 30 points and grab at least 10 rebounds in a game. In the Patriot League this season, Sprink is averaging 28.3 points and 10.0 rebounds. He is now the Naval Academy's No. 6 all-time scorer with 1,504 points.

> Demetrius Monroe (Cathedral Catholic) is averaging 4.8 points and 4.5 rebounds at Idaho State. He had 12 rebounds in a game against Northwest Nazarene, 10 against instate rival Idaho and eight against UCLA.

> Justin Armstrong (El Camino), a senior guard, is averaging 4.0 points and 3.1 rebounds for Columbia.

Swimming & diving

Lauren Ochsner (Palomar College/El Camino), freshman Tory Haynes (Valley Center) and freshman Alaina Dickens (Oceanside) are all competing for Redlands' women's team. Ochsner is a long-distance freestyler, Haynes is swimming freestyle and the 100 butterfly and Dickens competes in the 200 IM and 100 butterfly.

Nick Crossman (Carlsbad) is a diver for Redlands' men's team.

Fencing

Jason Runyan (Rancho Bernardo) of UC San Diego was unbeaten in sabre competition at the Tritons' Blade Runner Invitational, beating fencers from Northwestern, North Carolina, Air Force and Stanford.

Samantha Rosales (Rancho Bernardo) was seventh in the sabre competition at the Blade Runner Invitational.

Alix Muir (Poway), Grace Bohn (Rancho Bernardo) and Anne Schnecker (Mt. Carmel) are also on the women's team at UCSD.

Poway connection

Three former Poway wrestlers compete for the Naval Academy, which is ranked No. 23 in the country.

Junior Joe Baker, a 133-pounder, is a two-time NCAA qualifier. He is 17-9 this season and 50-24 in his career.

Joey Boone, a 125-pound freshman, is 5-4 this season. Fellow freshman Greg Prioleau, a 184-pounder, is 0-1 while wrestling in a weight class in which the Midshipmen are loaded.

Wrestling

> Jeremy Doyle (Ramona), a senior 149-pounder, is the first Cal State Bakersfield wrestler to reach 20 wins this season. Ranked No. 4 in the Pac-10, he's 20-10 this season and has 46 career victories. Redshirt freshman Joey Granata (Fallbrook) is 9-5 this season at 157 pounds, while freshman Kevin Broomfield (El Camino), a 125-pounder is 2-4.

> Todd Schavrien (Poway), a redshirt freshman 133-pounder, is 8-3 at Arizona State and is ranked No. 6 in the Pac-10.

> Ryan Williams (La Costa Canyon), a 165-pounder, is 13-8 at Cal Poly with wins over wrestlers from Oregon State, Navy, West Virginia, Oregon and Arizona State. Evan Barbre (Vista) is 8-9 with a pair of pins at 174 pounds, Elwin Warsh (Poway) is 6-8 at 149 pounds, Blake Gaughran (Vista), a 141-pounder, is 2-2 and Josh Obregon (El Camino), a 125-pounder, is 0-1.

Men's volleyball

> Alex Scatteregia (Rancho Bernardo) is redshirting as a freshman at UCLA. Jeff Woodley (Poway) is a reserve for the Bruins.

> Calvin Ross (Santa Fe Christian) has 20 kills and eight blocks as a freshman at UC San Diego. Adam Levins (San Pasqual) is also playing for the Tritons.

> Mike Vincent (La Costa Canyon), a 6-foot-9 middle blocker, and freshman Keenan McCarthy (La Costa Canyon) are playing for Princeton. The Tigers open the season and a three-match West Coast road trip on Jan. 30 at UCSD.

Baseball

> Sophomore corner infielder Erik Castro (Fallbrook) has transferred from Arizona to San Diego State. He's expected to see plenty of time at first base and third base for the Aztecs.

> Danny Putnam (Rancho Bernardo) was designated for assignment by the Oakland Athletics.

-- John Maffei's Alumni Report appears every other Monday through the college season. He can be reached at (760) 740-3547, by fax at (760) 740-5045 or at jmaffei@nctimes.com. Readers are urged to submit information on former North County prep athletes.