He’s the Spark That Lights the Fire at Clemson

If you look close--very close--you might catch a glimpse of the spark that drives Clemson’s Elden Campbell.

You’ll see it on his face for a split second when Campbell uncoils under the basket for a rim-rattling dunk. Or when he leaps high above the Littlejohn Coliseum floor to smack away an opponent’s shot.

But most of the time, the force that drives Clemson’s all-time scoring leader stays dormant--at least to the casual observer.

Most of the time, you’ll see the same Campbell that Morningside High School fans saw in 1985 and 1986. You’ll see Campbell’s familiar trance-like stare, his long, leisurely stride, and the moves so fluid that it seems as if basketball might be too easy for him.

It isn’t. Trust Ron Randle, who coached Campbell at Morningside.

“We’ve heard the same things since Elden was a junior in high school,” Randle said. “That he looks like he’s coasting, or like he’s not giving 100%.

“But you don’t get the numbers that Elden has put up in his college career by coasting up and down the court. You get it by hard work. So don’t look at the style, look at the results.”

When Campbell sank a free throw for his first point of the game against North Carolina on Feb. 24, he became Clemson’s career scoring leader, breaking the mark of 1,760 set by Butch Zatezalo in 1968-70.

In his four-year career at Clemson, the 6-foot-11 Campbell has blocked 324 shots--more than any other active Division I player in the nation. Campbell has blocked at least one shot in 37 consecutive games.

He’s Clemson’s leading scorer this season, averaging 17.2 points per game. And despite playing center, he leads the Tigers in steals with 50.

When Campbell poured in 22 points against Duke on the last day of February, he helped give Clemson--a school known more for football--its first Atlantic Coast Conference championship in basketball.

“I feel like I did something here, helped to make a mark,” Campbell told the Greenville (S.C.) News after the 97-93 victory over Duke. “It’s a great way to cap the four years, but it’s still not over with. There is still much more I want to accomplish.”

Campbell and the 17th-ranked Tigers (24-8) meet Brigham Young (21-8) today in the first round of the NCAA Tournament’s East Regional. The game will be televised by ESPN starting at 9 a.m. PST.

As usual, Campbell will be paired in the post with 6-11 junior forward Dale Davis, the ACC’s top rebounder, in one of the finest front-court tandems in the nation.

The rest of the country calls them the “Duo of Doom.” Their teammates call them “Big E” and “The D Train.”

Campbell and Davis, who are roommates, simply call each other “big man.”

Clemson’s twin towers are a study in contrast. Campbell usually wanders the court with the placid glaze that is his trademark. Davis, a sturdy 225-pounder, wears a threatening scowl for everyone on the court within glaring range.

Campbell, from Inglewood, grew up in a big-city environment. Davis is from little Toccoa, Ga., a landlocked town in the country. But the two are close buddies anyway.

“One of us will make a nice shot or get a rebound, and he’ll give me that look,” Davis said. “I know what the big man is thinking.”

Things still can get a bit crowded under the hoop for the slender, 215-pound Campbell, even with Davis to help him patrol the post. Especially in games when the Clemson guards--definitely not a straight-shooting group--are off the mark.

“Teams collapse on us now before we even get the ball,” Campbell said. “But if you let them frustrate you, they’re getting their job done.”

Despite the added pressure, Campbell has continued to post big numbers on defense. This year he’s averaging 8.4 rebounds, second on the team to Davis’ 11.

Campbell’s shot blocking has been legendary since his days at Morningside.

In Clemson’s regular-season finale, Campbell rose up against South Carolina standout Joe Rhett and swatted Rhett’s first shot of the game deep into the stands. Rhett finished the game with only two points.

“Sometimes, when you feel the crowd getting into the game, a hard blocked shot into the fifth row can get the crowd into it even more, and help you in the long run,” Campbell said.

Still, offense is the facet of Campbell’s game that Clemson fans appreciate the most. Since his sophomore year, Campbell has shot roughly 60% from the field and has averaged more than 17 points a game.

His best scoring season was 1987-88, when Clemson Coach Cliff Ellis first put him into the starting lineup. Campbell averaged 18.8 points a game that year.

But Ellis, for one, feels that at times Campbell could have done even more.

Now and then the coach has benched Campbell, a three-year starter, when he felt that his center needed extra motivation.

One of those times came shortly after Christmas, when Clemson lost to Villanova at the San Diego Sports Arena and Campbell was mired in a shooting slump.

Campbell watched Davis start the next game, against Niagara University, then came off the bench nine minutes later to score 21 points and grab 11 rebounds.

Despite that performance, Campbell stayed in Ellis’ doghouse. The coach left Campbell on the bench at the start of Clemson’s ACC opener at North Carolina State.

When Campbell finally got into the game, he responded with a 29-point, 14-rebound effort in a two-point Clemson loss. He followed that with 26 points and 11 rebounds in a starting role against Maryland and was named the ACC’s Player of the Week.

“There have been times when I’ve felt I needed to get his engines more revved up,” Ellis said.

Campbell doesn’t blame Ellis for the lessons.

“It’s probably something that needs to be done,” he said. “You can’t coach talent, but you can coach other things.”

Campbell’s raw ability has convinced many observers that he has what it takes to be a solid NBA player. He is projected as a high pick in this year’s draft.

“Campbell has the finesse and the overall game to be a high first-rounder,” said Marty Blake, the NBA’s director of scouting. “He has the fluid motion and certainly has the shot-blocking ability to make it.”

Morningside’s Randle, who has compared Campbell’s shot blocking to that of Patrick Ewing, agrees.

“Elden’s numbers indicate that he’s doing something right,” Randle said. “The pro scouts are going to look at the raw data. Elden also is a good, God-fearing young man with a supportive family, and those things have to be put into the equation as well.”