2023-24 North Carolina Sports Network
NC Basketball Spotlight, 10-Year Snapshot:
Campbell
By Ben McCormick
North Carolina Sports Network
School: Campbell University
Location: Buies Creek, N.C.
NCAA Division I Member Since: 1977-78
Conference: Coastal Athletic Association (CAA)
CAA Member Since: 2023-24
CAA Ranking Among 32 Leagues (KenPom): 26th (2023), 14th (2022), 19th (2021), 18th (2020)
NCAA Tournament Bids: 1 (1992)
Conference Titles: 1 (Big South in 1992)
Conference 1st-Place Finishes: 2 (Atlantic Sun in 2010; Big South in 2019)
Head Coach: Kevin McGeehan (50 years old, 11th season)
As A Player: Gettysburg College (1991-95)
Record as Head Coach (Through Dec. 17): 160-170 (.485) in 10+ seasons
Previous Head Coaching Experience: none at NCAA DI level; D3 Beaver College (2000-02)
College AC Experience: Beaver College (1998-2000), Air Force (2004-05), Richmond (2005-13)
Assistant Under: Chris Mooney
2022-23 Record: 16-18, 8-10 (7th in 10-team Big South)
2023-24 Preseason Prediction (Coaches): 12th in 14-team CAA
2023-24 Record (Through Dec. 17): 5-6, 0-0 CAA
2023-24 Midseason Ranking (KenPom): #316 nationally (12th in CAA)
Upcoming Schedule Highlights: Morgan State (12/18), at St. Francis-PA (12/30), Delaware (1/11)
CAA Opener: at North Carolina A&T (1/4)
In its final year in the Big South Conference last season, Campbell nearly crept into the NCAA Tournament with an unlikely run through the league tournament. The seventh-seeded Fighting Camels upset two of the top three seeds, Longwood and Radford, en route to the title game, where they suffered a four-point defeat to UNC Asheville.
Now coach Kevin McGeehan’s team has made the move to the Coastal Athletic Association, where it seems unlikely the Camels will punch a ticket to the Big Dance in their first season. The CAA boasts a number of high-quality teams, such as Hofstra, Drexel, Delaware, Charleston and UNC Wilmington, which knocked off Kentucky in Lexington earlier this month.
“I think the opportunity to stretch up into the Northeast and see some of those places and play against some of those really quality teams will be a great, great thing,” McGeehan said.
Campbell lost its leading scorer from 2022-23, fifth-year senior Ricky Clemons, as well as its leading rebounder, Jay Pal, who transferred to San Diego State. Clemons had joined the Camels as a walk-on but became an all-conference performer.
However, the Camels return Anthony Dell’Orso, the 2022-23 Big South Freshman of the Year, who was named preseason second-team All-CAA. The Australian sophomore is leading the Camels in scoring with nearly 16 points per game.
“I’m excited for the competition,” Dell’Orso said. “It’s something that we haven’t faced yet. Being in the Big South for a long time, we sort of knew what to expect, but now it’s just a whole other ball game.”
Campbell returns two additional starters: seniors Laurynas Vaistaras and Gediminas Mokseckas. Mokseckas was the only Camel to start all 34 games last season.
Both Vaistaras and Mokseckas are from Lithuania, evidence that Campbell has not shied away from recruiting outside the United States. In fact, the Camels have seven foreign players, with their home countries ranging from Russia to Turkey to England and more.
It’s been a rough start to the 2023-24 season for Campbell, though. McGeehan’s squad is below .500 on the season, and three of its five wins have come over non-Division I opponents.
2023-24 Campbell Camels
(5-6, 0-0 CAA; through Dec. 17)
Starters
G Tasos Cook, Jr. — 22 mpg, 5 ppg, 2 rpg, 51% FG, 75% FT, 33% threes, 12/11 ATO, 0 blocks, 9 steals
(6-2/200); 2023 Vincennes transfer (NJCAA all-region); also Stetson (2021-22); from Columbus, Ohio
G Elijah Walsh, So. — 17 mpg, 5 ppg, 3 rpg, 42% FG, 73% FT, 20% threes, 6/8 ATO, 2 blocks, 7 steals
(6-5/185); 2023 reserve with Camels; all-state at The Master’s Academy (Fla.); from Leeds, England
G Anthony Dell’Orso*, So. — 31 mpg, 16 ppg, 6 rpg, 46% FG, 76% FT, 36% threes, 24/31 ATO, 3 blocks, 18 steals
(6-6/190); 2023 Big South FOY (29 mpg, 13 ppg, 6 rpg); from Marcellin HS and Melbourne, Australia
F Laurynas Vaistaras*, Sr. — 22 mpg, 10 ppg, 4 rpg, 55% FG, 79% FT, 31% threes, 28/16 ATO, 1 block, 11 steals
(6-6/215); 4th season with Camels; played on Lithuanian Junior National Team; from Plunges, Lithuania
F Colby Duggan, Fr. — 17 mpg, 5 ppg, 2 rpg, 43% FG, 58% FT, 35% threes; 5/5 ATO, 2 blocks, 4 steals
(6-7/210); 2023 prep signee from Monson HS, Phillips Academy Andover and Monson, Mass.
Key Reserves
G Gediminas Mokseckas*, Sr. — 24 mpg, 6 ppg, 2 rpg, 40% FG, 71% FT, 30% threes, 20/13 ATO, 1 block, 3 steals
(6-4/200); 4th season with Camels; from Archbishop Ryan HS (Pa.) and Vilnius, Lithuania
G Jasin Sinani, Jr. — 21 mpg, 5 ppg, 3 rpg, 44% FG, 89% FT, 30% threes, 21/16 ATO, 4 blocks, 9 steals
(6-3/195); 2022 Wisconsin-Milwaukee transfer (reserve); from Oak Creek HS and Oak Creek, Wis.
G/F Mason Grant, r-So. — 20 mpg, 6 ppg, 3 rpg, 55% FG, 67% FT, 33% threes, 0/11 ATO, 12 blocks, 8 steals
(6-5/205); 2023 reserve, 2022 redshirt with Camels; from Porter-Gaud HS and North Charleston, S.C.
F Alex Kotov, Gr. — 17 mpg, 5 ppg, 4 rpg, 43% FG, 55% FT, 0% threes, 12/16 ATO, 7 blocks, 6 steals
(6-10/230); 2023 Illinois State transfer (reserve); also Daytona State CC, Palm Beach CC; from Moscow, Russia
*—returning starter (started at least 50% of current team’s games last season)
Campbell Camels
10-Year Snapshot
Season — Overall, League (Place), Postseason
2022-23 — 16-18, 8-10 Big South (7th), no postseason (Kevin McGeehan)
2021-22 — 16-13, 8-8 Big South (5th), no postseason (Kevin McGeehan)
2020-21 — 17-10, 11-6 Big South (3rd), no postseason (Kevin McGeehan)
2019-20 — 15-16, 6-12 Big South (10th), no postseason (Kevin McGeehan)
2018-19 — 20-13, 12-4 Big South (t-1st), NIT 1st Round (Kevin McGeehan)
2017-18 — 18-16, 10-8 Big South (4th), CBI Semifinals (Kevin McGeehan)
2016-17 — 19-18, 7-11 Big South (7th), CIT Quarterfinals (Kevin McGeehan)
2015-16 — 12-18, 5-13 Big South (8th), no postseason (Kevin McGeehan)
2014-15 — 10-22, 4-14 Big South (10th), no postseason (Kevin McGeehan)
2013-14 — 12-20, 6-10 Big South (8th), no postseason (Kevin McGeehan)
*—conference champion
NOTE: Please visit the North Carolina Sports Network’s 2023-24 profiles and 10-year snapshots for all 19 Division One men’s basketball programs in North Carolina AND check out our college basketball content on our YouTube channel.
Appalachian State Mountaineers, Sun Belt Conference
Charlotte 49ers, American Athletic Conference
Davidson Wildcats, Atlantic-10 Conference
East Carolina Pirates, American Athletic Conference
Gardner-Webb Runnin’Bulldogs, Big South Conference
High Point Panthers, Big South Conference
NC Central Eagles, Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
North Carolina A&T Aggies, Coastal Athletic Association
UNC Asheville Bulldogs, Big South Conference
UNC Greensboro Spartans, Southern Conference
UNC Wilmington Seahawks, Coastal Athletic Association
