Why Fayetteville’s Kurtis Darden left high school coaching to join Campbell basketball

Kurtis Darden still has his student ID card and a dorm key from his time at Campbell University. 

Twenty-two years after playing basketball as a freshman for the Camels, Darden is returning to Buies Creek as the program's director of basketball operations. 

“That being the start of my college basketball playing career and now being the start of my college coaching basketball career, it’s just exciting,” said Darden, a Fayetteville native who spent the last 12 seasons as a head coach at the high school level. 

“I feel like I have some unfinished business in the Creek.” 

Campbell head coach Kevin McGeehan announced last week the additions of Darden and Mike Summey to the coaching staff. Summey, a Hickory native and N.C. State graduate, was an assistant coach for the Wolfpack the last two seasons. 

Prep standouts:Best of 910Preps: Fayetteville's High School Boys Basketball All-Stars

Coaching change:Why Jeremy Ingram took the challenge of the Seventy-First boys basketball job

Darden played at Seventy-First before joining the Camels ahead of the 1999-2000 season. After one season he transferred to Pfeiffer, graduated in 2003, and was commissioned into the U.S. Air Force. 

Over the past dozen years, Darden has coached at a pair of private schools in Fayetteville. He spent a decade at Village Christian Academy, where he led the Knights to NCISAA 2A state titles in 2016 and 2017.

He coached two seasons at Freedom Christian Academy before joining the Camels.

“It’s always been a desire of mine to coach at the next level. … I don’t think it was at the perfect time, but it was one of those things where there’s never a perfect time,” Darden said. 

“I think it was mainly an opportunity to work with Coach McGeehan and stay right here locally. The area’s been good to me in my coaching profession, so it just kind of made sense.” 

As a high school coach, Darden led his teams to a 243-83 record.    

"Kurtis has been an excellent high school coach in the area during my entire tenure here in Buies Creek," McGeehan said. "He has built many authentic relationships with fellow coaches and players alike. Those qualities along with being highly organized and motivated will allow him to be an incredible asset as director of operations."

After so many years as the guy in the first seat on the bench, Darden looks forward to learning from a different perspective. 

“I like to compete, but I’m very excited about this opportunity because I’ve never been an assistant coach or just on a staff,” he said. 

“I’ve always been a head coach, so I’m excited to just be a puzzle piece in something and doing whatever it takes for the team, Coach McGeehan, and the rest of the staff to be successful.” 

Darden joins a program that has won 105 games with three postseason berths over the last six seasons. Both of those marks are Campbell’s best in its Division I era, which dates to 1977. 

Led by Chris Clemons, the Camels won the 2019 regular-season title in the Big South Conference. Campbell last made the NCAA Tournament in 1992. 

Darden hopes to be a part of the program’s next trip to the Big Dance. 

“When I was a player there as a freshman, I didn’t play much, but all I could think about was getting to the tournament,” he said. 

“While that’s not the most important thing in the world, when you think of Division I basketball, you think of March Madness and wanting to be a part of that.

” 

Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on Twitter.