"Rule that doesn't make sense": Craig Campbell fails to meet coaching requirements at Fresno State

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- There's an opening for the position of head coach of the Fresno State women's basketball team but one of the area's top coaches will not be considered.

Craig Campbell, the long-time head coach of the Clovis West girls basketball team, told Action News he was interested in applying for the position but failed to meet the "Minimum of five (5) years basketball coaching and/or playing experience at the NCAA or professional level."

Campbell reached out directly to Garrett Klassy, the school's athletic director, about making an exception but tells Action News the school will not budge with this requirement.

He says it's "a little disappointing" and that he told Klassy he hopes the school will reconsider.

In his 30+ years of coaching at Reno High School and Clovis West, Campbell has won 768 games including two state championships (won the 2017 open division title with the Golden Eagles).

He's also coached seven McDonald's All-Americans when leading his NIKE EYBL team (AAU) including Donovyn Hunter from TCU and Morgan Cheli at UCONN, two players in this year's Elite 8.

The five year requirement at FS has frustrated other applicants in the past including Quincy Pondexter who wasn't looked at before the school hired Vance Walberg to be the head coach of the men's team. Pondexter is now an assistant coach at USC.

Campbell acknowledges he may not be the right man for the position, with former head coach Adrian Wiggins applying for the same job, but he's frustrated that the school wouldn't look at someone with his resume.

He cited coaches like Alabama's Nate Oats and UCONN's Dan Hurley who made the jump straight from high school to college who found success. "Is it common? No," he told Action News. "But the success we've had at Clovis West isn't common either."

This past season, CW finished with a record of 33-1 with the Golden Eagles lone loss coming in the semifinals of the open division playoffs to Archbishop Mitty, the eventual runner-up to Etiwanda. "Elite coaches are elite coaches," he went on to say.

San Jose State has a similar opening, a position Campbell says someone at SJSU told him to apply for.

Their required qualifications state "College basketball coaching and/or professional playing experience or equivalent," but there is not requirement for years coached.

Campbell isn't interested in the Spartans' position because of his two young kids growing up in the Fresno area but hopes by sharing his story, Fresno State can change a rule "that doesn't make sense."

The full list of key qualifications for the head coaching position at FS can be found here.

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