By Jim Fenton

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- His 2024-25 season with the Bridgewater State University men's basketball team was interrupted for 10 games due to a left ankle injury.

Josh Campbell (Plymouth, Mass.) had averaged 18.8 points and 5.4 rebounds in the Bears' opening five games before getting hurt on Nov. 19, 2024, an ailment that kept him sidelined until Jan. 18, 2025.

Campbell was able to play the final 11 games and earned a spot on the All-Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference second team, averaging a team-best 17.6 points on 50 percent shooting with 4.8 rebounds.

Entering his junior season this winter, Campbell was hoping to be there from start to finish for the Bears after dealing with the aggravation of being hurt a year ago.

But last Nov. 10, two days before BSU's opener against the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, Campbell hurt the very same ankle on a dunk in practice.

"It was unfortunate timing," said Campbell. "I went up for a dunk and rolled my ankle. It folded over on me, a bad high ankle sprain.

"It was one of those moments where you know it's not going to be good."

This time, Campbell had to miss the Bears' first nine games of the season, and he was unable to debut until the start of their two-game trip to Las Vegas, Nev. on Dec. 28.

BSU went 1-8 in his absence and is 4-3 since he returned to the lineup, going 3-2 in the MASCAC.

"It was really frustrating because I was out for the same exact injury last year," said the 6-foot-4 forward who played at Archbishop Williams High. "My whole goal was to stay healthy. I made it through the whole preseason, ready for my first game, and then I'm out with the same injury for the same exact amount of time."

Campbell was out for seven weeks and had to bide his time until the ankle got healthy once again.

After going through the same routine in the '24-25 season, it was a tough stretch for the captain.

"For the first couple of days, I was so upset," said the business major. "Then you just have to think about, 'What can I do?' We have four or five freshmen on the team. I can sit there and give advice from the sideline or sit there and think, 'Oh, no, not again.'

"You have to work on what you can do and count down the days until you get back."

The return to the lineup occurred in Vegas when the Bears defeated Whittier of California, 88-74, three days after Christmas.

Campbell scored 23 points in 19 minutes off the bench, making 9 of 17 shots in his first game since the MASCAC tournament last February.

In seven games with five starts this season, Campbell is averaging 13.7 points on 47 percent shooting with 5.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists.

"I've had some good games and some not-so-good games," said Campbell. "I'm just grateful to get back.

"My shot (has been off). I can feel it. I know I have to keep shooting and it'll come back to me. (The ankle) is definitely a lot better. It's not 100 percent, but we're getting there."

Campbell said he dealt with ankle ailments while in high school, but he stepped right into the BSU rotation as a freshman in the 2023-24 season, starting 15 of 24 games and averaging 12.3 points on 53 percent shooting.

Then came the injury early in his sophomore season and a strong finish once he returned in mid-January last year.

"I had a lot of injuries in high school so I'm kind of used to being injured," said Campbell. "It's hard to get through it mentally, but it's something every athlete has to go through."

To get ready for the 2025-26 season, Campbell did extra preparation in the offseason to get as fully prepared as possible.

"I put in tons of work last summer," said Campbell. "For the first time in my life, I hired a trainer (former standout BSU guard Rocky DeAndrade). We were training all summer. It stinks to have it almost go to waste because I was out of shape when I got back."

Now, Campbell is in the starting lineup again, shaking off the rust and lookin to help the Bears get into a groove as the season moves on.

"It's good to have our full team back," said Campbell. "It was tough to be injured right before the season. It felt like a damper on the team. It's good to have everyone back and have everything flowing."