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Blake Fowler recognized at Campbell's homecoming game
CAMPBELL, Mo. - It was a night of remembrance and celebration at Campbell High School’s homecoming basketball game.
As the Camel’s varsity boys team pulled out a close 65-61 win over Malden, Steve Fowler got the chance to induct his son Blake Fowler into the 2024 Campbell Athletic Hall of Fame.
Along with his induction, Campbell High School decided Blake would be the last Camel to ever wear the number one, retiring his jersey into the rafters.
“I’m just thankful for the Man up above and for all my teammates and family,” Blake said following his induction and jersey retirement. “It’s an honor to walk in this gym 20 or 30 years from now and see the legacy that I was blessed to be able to leave here at this program.”
Since his start at Campbell in 2017, Blake has broken many basketball records for the Camels.
He was a Boothell All-Conference selection all four years while also earning the conference's Player of the Year award twice. Blake also held multiple All-District and All-State selections while going on to win the Semoball Awards Basketball Player of the Year in 2021.
This was the same year Blake, coached by his father Steve, carried the Campbells to their first State Championship. They finished the 2021 season with a 25-4 record behind the Fowlers.
Blake was a Prep Hoops Final Four MVP selection in 2021 as well as Missouri Class 2 Player of the Year.
He currently holds the career scoring record for Campbell with close to 4,000 points
As he was able to coach Blake all four years, Steve took pride in watching his son’s name go up in the school’s gym.
“That was a very special moment,” Steve said. “Getting your jersey retired doesn’t happen for a lot of people. It’s a very special thing and I was very proud. Blake worked extremely hard in his high school career. This came from a lot of hard work and grind. A lot of sweat got put into that moment.”
Blake recalls his time at Campbell, playing with a close-knit group of friends he said he started playing with at 9 years old.
He said it was special to see their picture on the wall in the gym with the words “State Champions” next to it. It was even more special to see a few of them at the game to watch his jersey retirement.
“We were fortunate enough to stay close all through high school and I think that gave us a bit of luck,’ Blake said. “Those guys are here supporting me tonight, and that just shows you the bond we had and we still have now.”
Blake went on to play basketball collegiately at Central Methodist University.
As the Homecoming celebration continued, Blake sat next to his father helping coach Campbell to yet another win over Malden.
Although it was a close competition throughout, as Malden overpowered Campbell on the glass in the first half, the Camels were led to victory by senior Layden Kellum and junior Drew Fowler.
Kellem finished with 31 points as Drew went on to score 16 points. Drew shot 6-6 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter to give Campbell a four-point victory.
He also knocked down two three-pointers in the first half.
Meanwhile, Kellum was doing everything for the Camels through the first three quarters.
“Malden was ready to play tonight,” Steve Fowler said. “We knew, as a coaching staff, that Malden was going to be ready to play. We didn’t do a good job of keeping them off the glass and that hurt us. They had bigger size and got more boards. They really wanted to win tonight but our guys found a way.”
Dyentez Dobbins, a junior, led Malden with 21 points. Zach Perkins finished with 12 points to aid in Malden’s efforts.
With this victory, Campbell moves to 5-1 on the season. Meanwhile, Malden is still in search of their first win, now sitting at 0-5.
The Green Wave’s next competition will be on Tuesday, Dec. 17 as they host Charleston at 7:30 p.m.
Campbell's next challenge will be at the Senath-Hornersville Christmas tournament. As the No. 1 seed, their first contest will be against Piggott on Tuesday, Dec. 17 at 6 p.m.
“We’re hoping we can kinda get back on track here,” Steve Fowler said. “I hope we can keep rolling and have a big week.”