Despite strong calls in support of Clovis West girls basketball head coach Craig Campbell to head to Fresno State, he will not be the choice to lead the women’s basketball program.
Campbell, who has coached at Clovis West for the past two decades, does not meet the requirements to be the next head coach at Fresno State.
The big picture: Campbell has over 30 years of coaching experience at the high school level, having coached at Reno High School before moving to Fresno.
- But the job description for the Fresno State job requires a minimum of five years of experience coaching or playing at the NCAA or professional level, putting Campbell on the outs.
Zoom in: According to multiple reports, Campbell talked to Fresno State Athletic Director Garrett Klassy about the five-year requirement and was told that it will not be waived to accommodate him despite his successful career.
- Campbell has over 700 wins throughout his career and has led Clovis West to 13 straight Central Section championships.
What he’s saying: “The verbiage makes zero sense, per the way it is written,” Campbell told Nexstar. “A player who played five years of collegiate basketball, but has never coached, qualifies for the job, while a veteran coach of 31 years and 768 wins, does not.”
- Campbell also pointed to his experience as a high-level AAU coach, helping develop seven McDonald’s All-Americans over the last three years.
- “I had five head coaches of Division I programs willing to call on my behalf,” Campbell told Nexstar. “Two of which are coaching in the women’s NCAA Elite 8, as well as the head coach and a general manager of a WNBA franchise.”
Flashback: Fresno State’s five-year requirement came up last year when Fresno State was looking for its next men’s basketball head coach.
- The university ultimately selected former Clovis West boys basketball coach Vance Walberg, who had extensive collegiate and professional coaching experience.
- But former Memorial High School star Quincy Pondexter, who played in the NBA for nearly a decade, was denied an interview for the job since he only had three years of collegiate coaching experience at the time.
