Chris Cameron named Albany State interim
men's basketball coach
July 17, 2006
Chris Cameron had
no idea when he accepted an offer to work as an assistant coach
with the Albany State University basketball team that a few
short years later he’d be the man running the show at
the storied Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference institution.
Albany State photo
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Chris Cameron |
Cameron will get
that chance during the 2006-2007 season, as he was officially
elevated to interim head men’s basketball coach at ASU
Monday by University Interim Athletics Director Joshua Murfree.
“You get
a lot of positives with Chris,” Murfree said. “He
has a connection with the team; the student-athletes have confidence
in him and they’re comfortable with Chris calling the
shots. Plus, he was a great basketball player here, so he’s
well-known in the community.
“We figure
the best way to approach (the coaching vacancy) is to give
Chris a chance to take the team through a season. We’ve
taken that pressure off him, so now he can concentrate on getting
ready for the season.”
A three-time All-State
selection and Region 1-AAA Player of the Year at Dougherty
High School, Cameron played four years of professional basketball
in Iceland, Finland, Mexico and San Diego after a stellar collegiate
career at Tulane University. He served as an assistant to former
ASU head coach John I. Davis for four years.
“When I took
the job here as an assistant, I knew Coach Davis was not planning
on staying in coaching too much longer,” Cameron said. “I
learned as much as I possibly could from him; I approached
the job as if I were preparing to become a head coach. I feel
like the opportunity to serve as interim head coach here is
the opportunity I’ve been waiting for."
“My mom and
dad both went to Albany State, and after returning here (as
an assistant coach), I was surprised at the strong ties that
existed at the University for me. I’m very excited about
getting out into the community and telling folks about Albany
State basketball.”
The ASU team returns
all five starters and nine of its top players from a squad
that finished 16-13 during the 2005-2006 season and was fourth
in the SIAC tournament.
“Having so
many players back from last year should be a big plus,” Cameron
said. “I’ve been recruiting a few players since
Coach Davis announced his resignation, but the uncertainty
about the situation here made things difficult. We had a couple
of players who opted to go somewhere else because they weren’t
sure of my situation.
“It will
be much easier to sell the kids on the program now that they
know I’m going to be here.”
Murfree said Cameron’s
involvement with the ASU team as an assistant and his continued
work with summer camps on the University campus helped in the
decision to hand the reigns over to the former assistant.
“Chris understands
where the basketball program is right now, and he knows the
student-athletes on the team,” Murfree said. “He’s
also been here on campus, running the summer camps, conducting
the business of the program. We made this decision based on
those factors.”
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