Gore Arena / John W. Pope Jr. Convocation Center
The Pope Convocation Center lobby received a redesign in the summer of 2025, bringing about a new era of Campbell Athletics.
State-of-the-Art Locker Room
Wanda Watkins Court
On November 18, 2023, Campbell dedicated its home court in honor of legendary former coach and administrator Wanda Watkins.
Home, Sweet Home
Campbell has compiled a 102-38 (.729) home record in the past 10 seasons.
In 2025-26, the Camels were undefeated in their first 9 home games, ending the year with a 12-2 mark in Buies Creek for the second consecutive season.
The Camels have won nine or more home games every year of the last decade.
Home Court Domination
Campbell has held opposing teams to 50.2 points per game, outscoring foes by an average of 13.5 points when playing at Gore Arena over the last 10 seasons.
Over the same 10 year span, the Camels have held opponents to 40 points or less 30 times at home.
A NEW ERA BEGINS
THE LAST DECADE
The Past 10 Years
(2016-17 Season - Present)
- Big South Champions (2019-20 & 2021-22)
- CAA Runner-Up (2024-25)
- Big South Runner-Up (2018-19, 2020-21, 2021-22)
- Berth to the 2025 WNIT (first WNIT win in program history)
- Berth to the 2022 WNIT (first in program history)
- Berth to the 2020 NCAA Tournament
- Women's Basketball Invitational Semifinalists 2019
- 17 All-Conference team selections
- Nine All-Freshman team selections
- Seven All-Tournament team selections
- Three CAA All-Defensive team selection
- One CAA Rookie of the Year
- Four-Straight Scholar-Athletes of the Year, including the first in program history
- One CAA Dean Ehlers Leadership Award recipient
- Six 20+ win seasons and 194 wins in the past 10 seasons
- Tied for most wins in program history during the 2018-19 and 2021-22 seasons with 23 total
2025-26 SEASON RECAP
Campbell women's basketball capped off another incredible season under the direction of head coach Ronny Fisher.
After being voted to finish fourth in the CAA Preseason Poll, Campbell finished 20-12 overall and 13-5 in the CAA, finishing second in the conference standings and earning a double-bye for the CAA Championship.
DEFENSIVE FORCE
The Fighting Camels returned as one of the best defensive teams in the NCAA.
Campbell ranked No. 11 in the country in both field goal percentage defense and scoring defense, holding opponents to 35.8% shooting and 55.6 points per game.
CU led the CAA and was 20th in the NCAA in blocks per game.
The Camels were one of four teams in the country to hold an opponent to 0 points in a quarter, doing so against Virginia-Lynchburg.
BEST AGAINST BEST
Campbell finished with 13 CAA wins, improving its conference win total in all three years as a member
CU finished the regular season as the No. 2 seed and had a 3-1 record against the other teams in the Top 4
ALL-CAA HONORS
Freshman Jasmine Nivar was named the CAA Rookie of the Year by a unanimous vote. She is the third player in school history to win the award. She was also named to the All-CAA Third Team and the all-rookie team.
Another freshman standout, N'na Konate was named to the all-rookie team and the all-defensive team.
REWRITING THE RECORD BOOK
Freshman N'na Konate tallied 51 blocks, fourth-most for a single season in team history.
Jasmine Nivar was named CAA Rookie of the Week eight times, the third-most in conference history behind Kiki Jefferson and Elena Della Donne. She was one of four freshman in the NCAA win the conference rookie of the week award eight or more times.
Senior Gianni Boone became the 22nd player in team history to score 1,000 career points. She is also tied for 24th with 505 career rebounds.
The Fighting Camels set a new program record with 13 blocks in a win over UNCW.
CU recorded 17 steals against William & Mary, the most against a CAA foe as a conference member.
KEY INDICATORS
Campbell found success when hitting specific marks this season. The team was: 16-2 when leading at halftime 14-1 when shooting 40% or better 16-13 when outrebounding the opponent
CHAMPIONSHIP CULTURE
2021-22 Big South Regular Season Champs
Tied program record with 23 wins on the season, owning a 23-8 record overall and a 15-3 record in Big South play. Marked the fourth 20+ win campaign over the past six seasons.
Earned first automatic berth to WNIT in program history
Led the Big South and ranked #9 nationally in scoring defense allowing 53.4 points per game
Ranked #13 in the country and #1 in the Big South holding foes to 26.3% shooting from beyond the arc
Dished out 15.3 assists per game ranking #42 in the country and #1 in the Big South
Made 7.4 three-pointers per game ranking #51 nationally and #1 in the Big South
2019-20 Big South Champs
Posted a 21-8 overall record during the 2019-20 campaign including a 16-4 mark in Big South play to mark the third 20 win season in four years
Led the Big South in scoring margin (8.8 ppg)
Ranked #4 nationally and #1 in the Big South in scoring defense allowing just 52.3 points per game
Ranked #26 nationally and #1 in the Big South in field goal percentage defense holding opponents to 35.9% shooting from the field
The Camels tied a program record for most conference wins in a season with 16
Nationally Ranked Defense
Campbell is the only NCAA Division I program to be ranked within the top 10 nationally for scoring defense in seven of the past 10 seasons
- 2016-17 | 49.6 PPG Allowed | 1st nationally
- 2017-18 | 51.9 PPG Allowed | 3rd nationally
- 2018-19 | 56.3 PPG Allowed | 18th nationally
- 2019-20 | 52.3 PPG Allowed | 4th nationally
- 2020-21 | 52.3 PPG Allowed | 5th nationally
- 2021-22 | 53.4 PPG Allowed | 9th nationally
- 2022-23 | 52.5 PPG Allowed | 8th nationally
- 2023-24 | 55.1 PPG Allowed | 8th nationally
- 2024-25 | 58.5 PPG Allowed | 52nd nationally
- 2025-26 | 55.6 PPG Allowed | 11th nationally
Campbell has been ranked in the top-30 nationally for both field goal percentage defense and 3-point field goal percentage defense in six of the past 10 seasons.
Over the past 10 seasons, the Camels have held 43 opponents to 40 points or less and 118 opponents to 50 points or less
The Camels led the CAA and ranked 8th nationally in scoring defense, holding foes to 55.1 points per game in 2023-24
Christabel Ezumah (pictured right) was named to the CAA All-Defensive Team after ranking 2nd in the CAA and 44th nationally with 55 blocks in 2023-24. She completed her four-year career at Campbell ranking 2nd all-time in program history with 131 blocks.
Gemma Nunez was named to the CAA All-Defensive Team in 2024-25 after ranking 2nd in the CAA and 58th in the country with 73 steals
N'na Konate was named to the CAA All-Defensive Team in 2025-26 after ranking 2nd in the conference and top 50 nationally with 51 blocks
In 2024-25, the Camels ranked 3rd in the CAA in scoring defense, 2nd in turnover margin, 4th in rebound margin and 2nd in assist/turnover ratio.
The Camels have ranked in the top-100 nationally in three pointers made per game in three of the past five seasons
A different Camel has set or tied the single-season three pointers made program record in five of the last 10 seasons:
- Shy Tuelle (2023-24) | 80 threes made
- Faith Price (2021-22) | 75 threes made
- Kianna Speight (2019-20) | 66 threes made
- Summer Price (2017-18) | 64 threes made
- Caroline Bowns (2016-17) | 64 threes made
Tuelle (pictured left) finished her storied career at Campbell as the program's all-time leader in three pointers made with 301 total and ranks 7th in Campbell history with 1,430 career points
CAMPBELL UNIVERSITY
150+ programs. 10 academic divisions. 1 mission.
Campbell University is a private, Christian university located in the prestigious Research Triangle area. The region is a nexus of businesses, educational institutions, and governmental organizations that give our students quick access to internship, research, and networking opportunities, as well as cultural and social outlets.
- Ranked as the 27th best regional university in the south (2018 U.S. News & World Report).
- Campbell enrolls nearly 6,500 students, including more than 4,500 undergraduate and graduate students on its main campus.
- College Choice ranked Campbell as the No. 1 best Christian University (2015).
- Bloomberg Business selected Campbell as the No. 1 most underrated law school in the country as it features a 100 % passing rate on the state bar.
- One of three private N.C. colleges (Campbell, Duke, Wake Forest) to achieve the highest possible accreditation.
- Only N.C. private university with professional programs in law, medicine and pharmacy.
- Campbell has one of only five medical schools in N.C. and was the first new one to open in more than 35 years. The School of Osteopathic Medicine is the first and ONLY in the state.
- Campbell features a 16:1 student-to-faculty ratio to allow for personal instruction.
- Campbell features the ONLY trust and wealth management undergraduate program in the U.S. and the ONLY four-year degree in homeland security in the state.
OSCAR N. HARRIS STUDENT UNION
Graduate programs are offered on main campus and at the Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law, located in the heart of downtown Raleigh.
ACADEMICS
COACHING STAFF
Head Coach Ali Jaques
Coach Jaques was named Head Coach on May 15, 2026
She is the fifth head coach in school history, and just the third in the D1 era (since 1986)
Coach Jaques brings nearly 30 years of coaching experience, including over 100 wins as the head coach at Siena College
A 1998 graduate of NYU and four-time member of the Dean's List, Jaques won the 1997 Division III National Championship and went to one Final Four and two Sweet 16s
Prior to Campbell:
Associate Head Coach, Rhode Island (2024-26) Helped lead the Rams to program-record 28 wins and a berth in the NCAA Tournament
Associate Head Coach & Recruiting Coordinator, George Washington (2023-24)
Recruiting Coordinator, Seton Hall (2022-23)
Head Coach, Siena College (2012-21)
Associate Head Coach, Northwestern (2008-12)
Assistant Coach & Recruiting Coordinator, George Washington (2006-08) Back-to-back Sweet 16 appearances and nationally ranked both seasons
Assistant Coach at Dayton (05-06), Furman (02-05), Sacred Heart (99-02) and Rider (98-99)
Support Staff
USING OUR GIFTS AND TALENTS TO HELP OTHERS IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
TRADITION
Hall of Famer | Wanda Watkins
Wanda Watkins
Wanda Watkins, who spent 35 years as head women's basketball coach at Campbell, became the school's seventh inductee into the Big South Conference Hall of Fame on May 31, 2019
Watkins spent 35 years as Campbell's women's basketball head coach before retiring after the 2015-16 season, and her official tenure in the Big South totaled 14 years from 1986-94 and 2011-16. She went 230-145 overall during her time in the Big South, which included a 135-67 record in conference games -- still the third-most overall and league wins among the Big South's women's basketball coaches.
A two-time regular-season champion (1988, 1991), Watkins directed the Camels to the first six Big South Championship games, and finished 16-12 in the conference tournament with a title in 1989. Her six title game appearances remain second-most in league history. Watkins was voted Big South Coach of the Year twice (1987, 1991) and won at least 20 games five times during her time in the conference.
She retired as the 29th-winningest head coach in NCAA Division I women's basketball at 549-443, and in 2015-16 was one of 14 active coaches in Division I to serve 30-plus years at the same institution. Watkins finished her career with 10 conference championship game appearances (six – Big South, four – ASUN) and won two crowns, as her 2000 squad clinched the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament berth.
Watkins, who was Campbell's first female athletic scholarship in 1975, was named the team's graduate assistant in 1979, was hired as the school's first full-time assistant coach in 1980 and was promoted to head coach in 1981. She graduated more than 95 percent of her student-athletes while at Campbell
After retiring from coach, Watkins served as Campbell's Senior Associate Athletics Director after moving into the Senior Woman Administrator position
Also Campbell's Interim Director of Athletics in 2018-19, Watkins has also sat on various Big South committees, and was inducted into the school's Athletics Hall of Fame in 2017
In June 2022, the Big South named its female athlete of the year award in honor of Watkins
Wanda Watkins Day
On November 18, 2023, Campbell University dedicated the playing surface at the John W. Pope Jr. Convocation Center / Gilbert Craig Gore Arena in honor of Watkins.
Wanda Watkins Court at Gore Arena was unveiled during pregame festivities on Wanda Watkins Day in Buies Creek. Hundreds of Watkins' former teammates, players, coaches, staff members, family and friends were in attendance to honor the Campbell icon
Following a video tribute, University President Brad Creed, and Director of Athletics Hannah Bazemore escorted Watkins to halfcourt. Members of the 2023-24 Campbell women's basketball team then unveiled the two large logos bearing Watkins' signature on the floor
#ProHumps
Luana Serranho
Tonisha Baker
Kiera Gaines
RaeChaun Edwards
Other #ProHumps
- Gaylord Perry - Major League Baseball pitcher from 1962 to 1983; Baseball Hall of Fame class of 1991; Five-time all-star; Two-time Cy Young Award winner
- Jim Perry - Major League Baseball pitcher from 1959 to 1975; 1970 Cy Young Award winner
- Fred Whitfield - Former President of the Charlotte Hornets
- Michelle Koh - Women's golfer, 2016 Olympian for Malaysia
- Paul Green - Pulitzer Prize winner for Drama in 1927
- Chris Clemons - Former Campbell men's basketball guard; Fourth all-time scorer in NCAA history with 3,225 points
- Ryan Thompson - Current MLB pitcher with the Arizona Diamondbacks
- Cedric Mullins - Current MLB outfielder with the New York Mets. Former Silver Slugger and All-Star.
- Zach Neto - Highest MLB draft pick from Campbell at No. 13 overall in 2022 by the Los Angeles Angels, became first player from draft class to be called up in April 2023
- Melody Paige - Campbell volleyball alum (2019-23) signed professionally with Prerov in the Czech Republic
- Jenny Tait - Former Campbell volleyball player who played professionally and went on to play for the Australian national team
- Ashley Clark - Former Campbell women's soccer player (2011-15) who plays professionally for Tampa Bay FC of the USL Super League
- Katie Lockwood - Former Campbell women's soccer player (2019), currently plays for Hearts Women of the Scottish Premier League
- Ryann Torrero - Former Campbell women's soccer goalkeeper (2010-12), Member of Chilean national team and currently plays professionally with Colo-Colo in Chile