By Zach Cooley
Ty Campbell achieved his 1,000th point on Jan. 31 as the shooting guard for the George Wythe High School varsity basketball team at a home game against Giles.
“It really felt great,” the senior recalled. “Everything happened so fast and the emotions of the moment were just incredible.”
Ty recalls scoring a point and the game suddenly being stopped as his teammates rushed the court with hugs of congratulations.
At first, he wasn’t even aware of what had happened.
“I couldn’t believe I made it,” he said.
That achievement meant more to Ty than most people could possibly know. He is the fifth person in his family to succeed in this feat after his father, uncle, great uncle and paternal grandfather. No one is prouder of him than his dad, Doug Campbell, who serves as the girls’ varsity basketball coach at George Wythe.
“He is always the guy I look up to and still do,” Ty stated in regards to his father. “He’s an incredible guy and was a heck of a player.”
Ty also wanted to credit his mom, a Honaker graduate, Nikki Jesse Campbell, who was a star player in her high school days.
“It is incredible to have my name up there with those guys in my family,” he reflected. “I’ve admired and wanted to be like them all my life.”
However, thanks to his dad, Ty says he never felt pressured to hit the 1,000-point mark.
“You’re not me,” Doug told his son. “Just play your game and be great.”
“That really took the pressure off me,” Ty noted. “It enabled me to play the game I know how to play.”
Verbally committed to play basketball for the University of Virginia at Wise for the next four years, Ty says he plans to study exercise science.
“I’m definitely excited for that,” he said. “I’ve worked really hard for it.”
Doug Campbell achieved his 1,000 points at J.I. Burton High School in Norton in 1995 with much the same excitement as his son. Upon graduation, he was his high school’s all-time lead scorer, a record previously held by his uncle.
“I was just glad to be there with my dad and uncle,” he recalled. “I wanted to break my uncle’s record.”
The thrill of seeing his son reach the same achievement made him clearly emotional.
“As a parent,” he said, choking up. “To see your child reach his goal is the greatest feeling in the world.”
However, it is Ty as a human being that makes his dad the proudest.
“I often hear what a great, mannerly, well-spoken kid he is,” Doug complimented his son. “His sports will fade away, but his character never will.”
“It means a lot to me that Ty will have a seat at our family table in the 1,000-point club,” he added with a smile. “It is a bond that Ty and I will always have.”
More than that, Doug is grateful for the memories they have on the basketball court together capturing rebounds in each other’s honor.
“It’s just really special times together,” he recalled.
However, Doug is not fond of discussing his own achievements, but would rather focus on those of his son.
“My time has passed,” he stated. “This is his time and I want him to embrace these special achievements and enjoy them.”
Doug is also happy that he will have further opportunities to see his son in action as a college basketball player.
“I look forward to still grabbing those rebounds for him for another four years,” Doug said proudly of Ty. “I’m glad he has the chance to continue playing.”
