DJ Campbell: Leaving A Mark

"DJ [Campbell] will go down as one of my all-time favorites," Coach Scott Bittner proudly expressed. DJ Campbell was just nine years old when he moved from Kingston, Jamaica, to the United States. Little did nine-year-old DJ Campbell know that going from playing soccer in Kingston to picking up a basketball in the States would change his life and make a significant mark in his life journey.

Campbell's transition from Jamaica to the United States was challenging. He had to learn a whole new structure and culture. He also had to learn to network with others, such as his classmates and teachers. Basketball impacted that transition. Campbell played soccer his entire life, from the age of three until age nine. He began playing basketball around eighth grade when he attended a basketball camp. His transition from soccer to basketball was challenging. "My problem with basketball was simply dribbling the ball. I didn't know how to dribble the ball. I just didn't know how to play the sport," Campbell said.

Playing basketball strongly affected his life, making him forget about other sports, even school. All his attention went to basketball. That is all he wanted to do. Campbell highlighted how playing basketball in high school helped him become more disciplined.

Growing up, Campbell mentioned how people tried to set him back. When going to the park or heading to school people would talk about him. When playing basketball, players tried to guard him a little differently, saying things like, "You're not that good." 

What was Campbell's reply to all the backlash? "Thank you," DJ proudly said, "I'm the type of person that the littlest things motivate me. If you say I'm not that good, I'm going to show you I'm good. And if you say I can't do something, I'm going to show you something." He continued, "Even being a good student. If someone says you're not capable of doing this. Okay, I will show you, I'm going to show you I can get straight A's." Campbell makes it clear that is the reason why he is where he is. 

As Campbell grew, his intent on continuing the sport at a collegiate level was not on his mind, but others thought otherwise. "People told me I was going to go play college basketball, but I didn't believe it." Who knew that those plans were going to change?

Why did Campbell choose a University farther away from home than a much closer one, like Rowan University? While Campbell was a senior at Vineland High School, former Stockton assistant coach Bob Hutchings and head coach Scott Bittner attended "every one of my [Campbell's] high school games," Campbell added. 

He mentioned how he would be in class and his phone would mysteriously ring. On the other end of that phone line would be Coach Hutchings. Stockton University showed a strong interest in Campbell, unlike Rowan University, whose coaching staff Campbell noticed only attended a few of his high school games. Other schools like Montclair State University showed interest, but he had to travel up to North Jersey while Stockton was closer to his hometown. Hutchings would pick up Campbell in his car, showing his strong interest in him playing for the Stockton. 

When deciding on what college to attend, Campbell was told, “Go somewhere you're wanted, not somewhere you want to go." This advice stuck with him as he soon had to make a life-changing decision. 

When Campbell finally arrived for the first time on Stockton's campus, it was an experience that solidified his collegiate decision. He was overwhelmed with the amount of love the campus showed him. Campbell described how the athletics department, Educational Opportunity Fund Program (EOF), culinary department, and many others all showed love; and he knew this was the right place for him. "I hadn't even committed yet," clarified Campbell, and he felt like this was where he had to be. "The first visit did it for me." 

Campbell highlighted how he valued the education part of the University, which had the resources that he needed. Campbell knew that if they were to accept him into the University, then Stockton would be the college he would attend. 

Campbell began his journey at Stockton University in 2019. As he prepared to leave the institution and graduate, after being a student athlete for the past five years, he built a substantial number of basketball career accolades, such as First Team All-American, District Player of the Year, NJAC Player of the Year, NJAC Rookie of the Year, four-time NJAC First Team, Stockton all-time leading scorer and many more.

Campbell left his mark at Stockton University and made a significant impact since he first stepped onto the court. At the beginning of the 2023-2024 season, he was 494 points away from becoming Stockton's all-time leading scorer and 370 points away from breaking the 2,000-point career mark. 

On January 24, 2024 against Rutgers-Camden, Campbell was just a few points away from breaking the 2,000-point mark for his career, which he reached in that game. On February 14, 2024 against Kean, Campbell became Stockton's all-time leading scorer, breaking the record of 2,124 career points by Carl Cochran (1993-97).

What separates Campbell from past players who have come from this program is his work ethic. He has seen many players who have gone through the program who could have done more or equivalent to what he did. This resulted in wasted opportunities, and he doesn't like to waste an opportunity since you only get one life.

While playing basketball at Stockton, Campbell never expected to become the program's leading scorer or even break the 2,000-point mark. All he wanted to be was a good teammate. He wanted to be known as someone who works hard and is a good person. Campbell wants to be remembered as a person who works hard and is a leader.

Freshman guard Andrew Crawford mentioned that when he got to Stockton, he wanted to try to match Campbell's work ethic. "I remember when I came on my visit as a (high school) senior and Coach Bitt wouldn't stop talking about DJ,” Crawford commented on Campbell. “Coach said that he had an incredible work ethic but most importantly was a leader. I guarded DJ every day in practice throughout the year and fouled him a lot. But every day, he never backed down from the challenge and, like he says, "trusted the work" that he put in throughout the years. He plays with no conscience. He could miss his first ten shots but he still takes the next one with confidence."

Head coach Scott Bittner stated, "DJ picked up where other guys left off before him." He mentioned how the program has been lucky to have had a player who is a "gym rat." “He has become a great mentor for other guys to follow." Bittner hopes that the younger players will learn from Campbell since he is always in the gym and learn how and why he has worked out and gotten all the accolades that he has received. "They aren't by accident. They are by hard work," Bittner said.

On the days that Campbell broke the 2,000 career point mark and the all-time leading scorer record, he had two different reactions. On his 2,000th point, Campbell seemed happy and smiled, but when he broke the program record, he just continued the game and had no reaction to breaking the record. Campbell explained his reactions, mentioning how when he broke the 2000-point mark, it was on a dunk, which was "crazy" to him since he had not dunked all season. 

When he broke the program record, he did not like that night. "I didn't like that night because I felt like so much attention was on me and my teammates, and it was a lot of pressure,” Campbell explained. “I just wanted us to play basketball, come out with a win, and call it a night, but I felt like it was a lot of pressure. And I was just trying to stay within the moment and not trying to get excited, not trying to get my teammates riled up. I just wanted us to focus on what we wanted to do, win the game and then we'll celebrate after."

Campbell approaches every game like it's a regular game. He learned over his career that one can't be too high or low in the moment. He could not celebrate, and he mentioned how it didn't click to him that he broke the record until the season was over. 

How was the response after he broke the record? Campbell's family didn't have much of a reaction to it. They were more focused on him getting his education and degree. Campbell explained how when he goes home, "It's like a regular world." Nobody in his family plays basketball or plays sports, so when he goes home, he is like, "I play basketball, and everyone is like, okay."   On the other hand, Campbell's friends' reactions were very different. He heard it all around campus, and his friends contacted him. 

Throughout his years at Stockton, he faced many challenges on and off the court. One of those challenges is being a student-athlete. Campbell expressed how he had to overcome the challenge of managing his time. When he first came to Stockton, the EOF Program assisted him with creating a schedule every day so he could map out what he had to do. He mentioned how time management would affect his grades since he spent so much time in the gym, and he would forget about projects he had to do or other things like a presentation he had to do the following day. He stated how it was the biggest challenge, but over his career here, he got better at it.

The Ospreys thought their season was over after a tough loss to The College of New Jersey in the NJAC championship game. The following Monday, after their loss to TCNJ, was bidding day to see who would make the NCAA Tournament. Campbell believed they were done, and nobody, even the coaches, expected to have a chance to get a bid to the tournament. 

Campbell mentioned how he was in the locker room two hours after the TCNJ loss, reflecting on his season in a positive way, saying things like, "Wow, I really did all this stuff." After the game, he messaged Stockton strength and conditioning coach Phil Aumack about how he would take a week off, then get back into his workouts and have his mindset of getting ready for his next chapter in life. After enjoying a nap, he woke up with his phone going off to messages from people telling him how they were in the NCAA Tournament, which confused him. Campbell mentioned how he had to reset his motivation and headspace and get back into it.

The Ospreys fought till the final buzzer but unfortunately fell short to Tufts University, ending their run in the NCAA Tournament and their season. After Campbell and his teammates' final game together, he remembers going up to his teammates and freshmen (he remembers being a freshman and losing a championship). He recalls talking to them and saying, "You guys will be great. Don't let this year be the downfall. Let's keep this a winning program and let's keep this going."

Crawford commented, "He also taught me a lot of valuable things not only to become a better basketball player but a better teammate and person." Crawford has learned from Campbell to always trust the work you put in the offseason. He also wants the team to be super connected as it has been in the past, leading to next season. Campbell reported being in a very good headspace after his final game and after talking with his teammates.

As Campbell's career at Stockton ended, he hoped people would remember his name on and off the court as a good, hard-working person, always in the gym, and just a good human being. Looking back at his athletic and academic career here at Stockton, Campbell would not change anything. One of his best memories of being at Stockton was when he first saw Big Blue packed in for the NJAC championship and the students ran onto the court in 2022. He feels like that was his best experience, cutting the nets down and having a good time that day.

Campbell explained that he is most proud of winning the championship at Stockton. Although the individual accolades are amazing, Campbell describes how basketball is a team sport and how one wants to be remembered as a champion. Proudly, Campbell says, "I left Stockton University as a champion. That's something they can't take away." He is proud he can tell people he was a part of THAT team. 

Looking back at his career, he stated that he tries to live with no regrets. He feels like he did things the right way and feels as if he didn't cheat the process. He took every day step by step and let everything unfold by itself.

What's next for DJ Campbell? So far, Campbell hasn't had much thought about using his criminal justice degree yet. That's after basketball. "That's plan D," he explains; after playing basketball, he wants to get into coaching, where it all began at Vineland High School. He is currently talking to some agents trying to get a contract overseas. Not only that, but Campbell is also working on giving back to the community. He hasn't told anyone what it is, except for me, and he shared that he is working on starting his foundation. It is no surprise that Campbell wants to give back to the community as he has done before.

One thing that should be highlighted about DJ Campbell is the way he gives back. Campbell has hosted his basketball camp in Vineland, New Jersey. The reason why Campbell started playing basketball is because he went to a basketball camp in Vineland. When he was in middle school, his friends mentioned how his high school was hosting a basketball camp for the incoming first-year students. They continued mentioning how Campbell can play basketball. He exclaimed back how he couldn't play. Eventually, Campbell went to the camp. Later, the coach asked him to come out to the summer league team, which he did. He played really well and since then he has progressed. 

This is where the idea Campbell hosting his own basketball camp originated. He started the camp because Vineland only had a few basketball activities for kids. Campbell proudly emphasized, "I wanted to give the kids the same opportunity. Maybe the camp I have would change a kid's life and perspective on life. Maybe if I play this sport, I can take it somewhere and help my family be successful. You never know."

Coach Bittner commented on Campbell, "He came in as an 18-year-old and is leaving as a 23-year-old. Now I can envision him being a mentor to kids, teaching and coaching. I think he has a natural gift for that stuff. I wouldn't have told you that five years ago."

Coach Bittner acknowledged Campbell by commenting, "You kinda realize how special of an opportunity it was to coach a kid like DJ. It would be great to be friends with him forever. You're not supposed to have favorites, but of course, you have favorites, and DJ will go down as one of my all-time favorites because he loves basketball as much as I do. He is just a better kid than he was an athlete."

Coach Bittner best summed up DJ Campbell by saying, "He walks into a room, and the room lights up, and you're always happy to see him. I'm going to miss him. You love a lot of your kids, and DJ is no different."