Upper Moreland father/son making most of time as boys basketball coach/player

WILLOW GROVE — Jason Campbell didn't get to see most of son Colson's Upper Moreland basketball games live when Colson was a freshman in 2021-22 because he was the head coach at Central Bucks South.

Determined not to let it happen again, the elder Campbell resigned in 2022 after 18 seasons and 225 wins at South, then Upper Moreland head coach Dan Heiland offered him a job as an assistant on his staff. Campbell jumped at the chance and is in his second year coaching Colson and the Golden Bears.

"I'm grateful," said Jason Campbell, who still teaches business education at CB South. "I'm loving it. It's been fantastic. It's a unique opportunity and a privilege."

Colson earned second-team All-Suburban One League Freedom Division honors in their first season together as father/son and coach/player and he is having a solid junior campaign for the 5-2 Golden Bears, who are 3-0 in the SOL Freedom. Colson Campbell scored a team-high 16 points with five steals in Tuesday's 76-52 home win over Springfield-Montco.

"Jason and Colson have a great dynamic on and off the floor," Heiland said. "On the floor it's coach and player and off the floor it's father and son. They both understand the expectations when they are player and coach. Jason coaches Colson just like he would any other player in our program — being tough on him when he needs to hear it, as well as giving words of encouragement."

Jason has helped coach Colson since his son began playing basketball in kindergarten, including on Upper Moreland travel teams in elementary and middle school.

"I didn't want to be the dad that forced him to do basketball," Jason Campbell said. "I always approached it as teaching him the game, picking my moments to get a little tougher with him and knowing when to pull back because I have to go home with him."

Colson, a 6-foot guard, is accustomed to his dad being his coach and enjoys the experience.

"It's pretty normal for me now," he said. "He knows me so well. He knows if something's off with my mindset and how to fix it. He's good at teaching the little things, the fundamentals, like holding my follow through on my jump shot and jumping off the right foot."

Colson treats his dad like another coach on Heiland's staff, as opposed to his dad who's a coach.

"At the end of the day, he coaches everybody on the team," said Colson, who plans on playing ball in college. "When he critiques the little things, I can't get angry. He's just trying to make me better."

Jason Campbell said Colson's ability to absorb information and apply it minimizes the need to admonish his son, though he did yell at Colson for an errant inbound pass in last Saturday's non-league game against Harriton.

"I don't have to ride on him," the dad said.

As a result, the coach/player and father/son relationships seem to be working well.

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"Jason gets to enjoy not only our team's success but his son's," Heiland said. "He gets a unique seat in this journey with Colson and gets to share in many memorable moments together. I know they both do not take this opportunity for granted."

Younger brother Cannon is a 5-10 eighth grader who Jason Campbell plans to continue coaching at Upper Moreland. Cannon could potentially earn some minutes next year as a freshman when Colson would be a senior, which Colson said would "be really cool," though the Golden Bears have some quality players who'll be back next season.

In the meantime, Jason Campbell is thrilled he gets to coach his oldest son and see him play live, rather than on tape.

"It's been pretty precious," Jason Campbell said of coaching Colson at UM. "Time goes by so fast."

Tom Moore: tmoore@couriertimes.com; @TomMoorePhilly

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Jason Campbell loving he gets to coach son Colson at Upper Moreland