Mark Campbell has been on both sides of the Civil War in recent years, but this year’s matchup is one of a kind for Oregon’s associate head coach.

Of this weekend’s 10 projected starters, Campbell served as the lead recruiter for eight.

“This Civil War, this season, it’s unique just because there’s a lot of kids that I was heavily involved in and was a point person on recruiting at Oregon State and Oregon,” Campbell said in an interview on Tuesday. “In some ways that will be fun, but once that jump ball goes up, we have to figure out how we can get a win for the Oregon Ducks.”

Campbell spent four years on Oregon State head coach Scott Rueck’s staff before joining the Ducks’ staff in 2014. He was the program’s associate head coach during his final year.

The two starters he didn’t recruit are Oregon’s Lexi Bando, who had committed to Kelly Graves at Gonzaga, and Mikayla Pivec, a freshman for the Beavers.

Campbell, in his seventh season coaching women’s basketball, spoke this week publicly for the first time about his decision to leave Corvallis. He had previously declined interviews in the lead up to Civil War games.

He said although most thought his decision revolved solely on basketball, he had considered what was best for his wife and two daughters.

“I think that’s the easy, knee-jerk reaction that most people come to a conclusion on — that it’s based on money or based on basketball,” Campbell said. “It’s so much more than that.”

His mark on Oregon State’s success is tangible. He worked to sign Jamie Weisner and Ruth Hamblin to Oregon State, who advanced to the NCAA Final Four last year.

“It was a great chance to learn from Scott and leave my fingerprints on the program,” Campbell said. “Over these last three years, watching it from afar and a [from] distance, I’ve taken great pride in their success. … That’s been fun. But when it comes to the Civil War, I’m obviously locked in on doing everything I can to help our team and program figure out how to get a win.”

In recent years — especially in Oregon’s nationally ranked 2016 class — Campbell has gone head to head with Rueck and the Beavers on the recruiting trail. Current freshmen Sabrina Ionescu, Lydia Giomi, Sierra Campisano, Ruthy Hebard and Mallory McGwire all visited Corvallis.

In addition, Oregon 2017 signee, Satou Sabally, visited just two NCAA programs: the Beavers and Ducks.

“We recruit against each other often,” Campbell said. “Fortunately we have been able to close a majority of them.”

He believes “relationships trump location” as the Beavers and Ducks have both attracted top players to the Willamette Valley.

“There’s nothing more important in the process than building a meaningful relationship with these kids and their families,” Campbell said. “That’s something I feel I’ve been able to do really well.”

Back on the court, the Ducks will rely on Campbell’s recruiting efforts this weekend as they seek to break a 11-game Beaver winning streak. An Oregon win would be the program’s first since 2011.

“It’s great for the state and both universities,” Campbell said. “The support for [the Civil War] is awesome. I enjoy it.”

Follow Jonathan Hawthorne on Twitter @Jon_Hawthorne

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