Fresh face of Lady Wildcat hoops

The 2014-15 basketball season brings a new face at the helm of Lady Wildcat basketball.
Summer Campbell begins her reign as the head coach of the team, after she has gained a plethora of experience in other places.
Campbell’s roots are in Louisiana, but she was born in Indiana, a place that is widely known for its affinity to the game of basketball. Her know
“I have two older brothers who played basketball in college, so the sport was second nature to me,” she said. “I played with my brothers all the time. My father used to play with us. We’ve always had a goal at our house.”
Campbell graduated from Bethel College in Indiana in 2001 with a degree in Business and a minor in Art, and later moved to Louisiana.
Her first coaching gig was at Acadian Middle School in Lafayette, where she coached track, girl’s basketball and volleyball.
Campbell said she has a passion for the game of volleyball, something that she has played for the majority of her life.
“I’ve been an athlete,” she said. “I’ve played volleyball since the fifth grade, and I played 10 months a year. My goal was to get a scholarship. Where I come from we didn’t just play to play. There was an objective or a goal in mind.
“I am a firm believer of offseason training. Joining a club, going to clinics and camps. Those types of things contribute to your overall performance.”
After a two-year stint at Acadian, Campbell was hired at Delcambre as the head volleyball coach, and also coached junior high basketball and track.
Campbell left Delcambre in 2004, and went on to be an assistant volleyball coach at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette for one year, until she moved back to Indiana in 2005 to pursue a corporate career.
She couldn’t stay away from home, as she moved back to Louisiana in 2009, and earned a certification in kinesiology and elementary education.
Campbell said that this is her first year teaching since 2005, and she explained what she can offer to a talented Lady Wildcats squad.
“One of the things I have to offer is the ability to bring teams together,” she said. “Team building and team cohesiveness is the meat of a good team to me. If we can’t take care of each other, support each other or get along, how will we win a game?”
The team is close to contending on a high level, according to Campbell and she said she believes that they don’t know exactly what they can accomplish yet.
“I think they have a good chance at district, just because of the team chemistry and the athletes,” she said. “They haven’t tapped into their full potential yet. They have no idea what they are capable of.”
Campbell acknowledged her coaching staff, and the important role that they will play in the team’s success.
“Brad Armentor and Nick Willis have knowledge that they both contribute that is helpful,” said Campbell. “The three of us have our own cohesiveness, and that helps us out a lot.”
The start of the season is less than a month away, but Campbell is confident that her team could be a force to be reckoned with this year.
“I believe that they will go further than last year because of the passion and support that they have for each other,” she said. “They want to go far, and I think that will carry them.”