Why Did Camp Wagner Stay?

Indiana State’s Leading Returner

(St. Louis, MO) – Camp Wagner was one of the first Missouri Valley Conference players to announce that he would return for another season in the league. The Indiana State (14-18) guard feels a sense of loyalty to the Sycamore coaching staff and appreciates the spiritual climate on his campus.

As Indiana State’s returning scoring leader, he will carry a heavier load this season and it is first season in the last four that he will be playing in the same place as the previous campaign. Wagner played high school basketball in Texas and then played a post-grad prep season at Link Year Academy (Branson, Missouri).

After leaving Link, he signed with Rice University, but one coaching change later, he was looking for a new basketball home and ended up in Terre Haute. Coach Matthew Graves got to know Wagner during his time at Link and that relationship paid dividends in Graves’ first season has the Sycamores’ head coach.

Camp Wagner at Indiana State

Wagner arrived at Indiana State with some knee problems and worked his way into a healthy place and into a prominent role during Graves’ first season. He finished averaging ten points per game and converting over 38% of his long-distance shot. His 83 triples were the Valley’s third highest number.

Thirteen times he topped ten points in a game and four times he got to 20. His 31 points at Belmont were his season and career high. Eleven of those double digit performances came during the season’s final 22 games and three of his four twenty-point performances occurred during the season’s final nine contests.

After enjoying his first MVC season, his teammates and Graves, Wagner decided to return for his junior season. Several of his teammates followed suit. Roommate Derek Vorst, wing Bruno Alocen, guard Jayan Walker and others will also return.

Wagner says the biggest reason for returning traces back to Graves and the rest of the coaching staff.

While Wagner averaged 26 minutes per game, he topped 30 minutes of action during the season’s final nine games. As he got more and more healthy, he earned more playing time. Graves always believed in the 6’6 guard and he was healthy enough to contribute.

Wagner says he enjoys playing for the light-hearted, but very direct Graves.

Getting to Know Camp Wagner

Wagner grew up in the Dallas area, but is an admitted ‘late bloomer’ in terms of his physical height and size. He didn’t receive much notoriety and his recruiting options were small after graduation from high school.

He had grown up going to a youth sports camp in Branson, Missouri. An offshoot of Kanakuk Kamps, is the now, highly acclaimed basketball post-grad prep school, Link Year Academy. We was offered the opportunity to grow his game and his faith at Link and jumped on the chance.

He averaged over 16 points per game during the demanding Link Year schedule.

Wagner says his year at Link was highly profitable.

Some of his basketball role models were the Steph Curry and Klay Thompson-led Golden State Warriors. I also asked about his first name ‘Camp’.

During our entire interview, we discussed his uniform number (8), more about his returning teammates (there are several) and the NIL opportunities for Indiana State athletes.

Head to YouTube to watch our entire conversation or to Valley Hoops Insider Podcasts to listen.

Camp Wagner will be one of the key focal points of the Sycamore offense this coming season.

Do Good

 

Editor: Cover photo of Camp Wagner, courtesy of gosycamores.com.