BGSU senior guard Javontae Campbell made history on Sunday, tying the program single-game steals record with eight swipes in the team’s 83-60 victory over Le Moyne.

“Now, he’s using both hands, and it’s like having two defenders out there. He’s incredibly smart, and loves baiting people into passes,” Bowling Green head coach Todd Simon said. “He’s put on 10 to 15 pounds of muscle. He’s healthy, and you’re seeing a very intelligent basketball player at his best.”

Campbell’s defense helps to get the team started on the offensive end, as they can get out into open space and run.  

“We got a guy named Javontae Campbell, who is super-fast and makes it easy to run in transition,” sophomore guard Josiah Shackelford said.  

The senior is looking at another hot start to the season on the defensive end. Through the first three games, he has 17 steals, the most in the country, and is averaging a steal every five minutes of playing time.  

“It’s rewarding, though, especially because of how we’re doing it. We’re a team that gets stops—we’re tough and gritty. We’re forcing shot-clock violations, five-second violations, getting 20-plus deflections and 24 steals,” Simon said. “We want every opponent to have a tough day when they step on the floor against us.”

After a season where Campbell had 90 steals, which broke the Bowling Green record for a single season, he is already on pace to beat a record he had set. 

“The crazy thing is, last year he got most of his steals with one hand—he’d reach across and protect with the other and still make plays. He had 90 steals like that,” Simon said.  

Campbell is going to continue to make runs at program records through the season, but at the end of the day, he loves being a part of the team.  

“It was fun; it’s great to be a part of something in this program,” Campbell said.