One of Napoleon’s famous mantras is “One bad general is better than two good ones.”

Marianne Campacci Don’t tell that to Brookdale Community College. Eleven years ago then- Athletic Director Jack Ryan did the unthinkable. He hired two head coaches, Marianne Campacci and Joanne Cobb, for the women’s basketball program.

More than 200 wins later and three trips to the national tournament, it’s easy to call what appeared to be a gamble a huge success.

Campacci and Cobb debunked the idea that two head coaches couldn’t coexist.

“We’ve never had a fight,” Cobb said.

Both Campacci and Cobb pointed out that sharing a similar coaching philosophy has helped make the system work as is the fact that they have become best friends through basketball.

C

ampacci’s 35-year

coaching career began at St. Peter’s in Point Pleasant. At the same time, Cobb was coaching St. Rose of Belmar, where she began her coach career after a stint as a referee.

Joanne Cobb “We coached against each other and it was a friendly rivalry,” said Cobb, who has more than 30 years of coaching experience herself.

It was then they noticed their coaching styles were similar.

When their children were playing AAU ball, Campacci and Cobb were finally on the same side and they and their families became best of friends. There was no AAU team in the Shore area at the time, so they started the Shore Stars program, which they ran for 12 years.

When Brookdale was looking for a coach for its women’s program, they decided to go as a package deal.

“I told Joanne let’s give it a try,” recalled Campacci. “Let’s see if we can get it going.”

Campacci pointed out that being involved in AAU basketball helped their recruiting.

In time, the coaching tandem has turned the program into a national power. The Blues have won eight Garden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) titles and made those three trips to the national championships where their highest finish was fourth in the country.

It was on Jan. 12 at BCC when Campacci and Cobb recorded their 200th career win together when the Jersey Blues defeated Middlesex, 79-49.

“It went by so quickly,” Campacci said of the 200 wins. “It’s been fun.”

Michelle Blum (Howell) and Brielle Martinez (Hamilton) led a balanced Brookdale effort with 14 points each. Off the bench, Kayla Borden (Freehold Township) provided a spark by scoring 10.

The Blues are currently 12-0 and ranked fourth in the country among Division III junior colleges. They are 10-0 in GSAC play.

ooking ahead and keeping the Blues on the winning path is all the BCC coaches are thinking about. The Blues have the chance to have a very special season.

“We’re deeper then we thought we’d be,” Cobb said. “We’re able to consistently change our offense and defense. Our kids off the bench are really good.”

Just before capturing their coaches’ 200th career wins, Brookdale reaffirmed its national ranking by easily beating Roxbury (Mass.), ranked No. 10, 82-64, at Brookdale.

Vicki DeTata, the freshman point guard from Brick Township, paced the Blues with a career-high 26 points. Howell grad Blum added 17.

Martinez and Tia Curtis (Monmouth Regional) also hit double figures for the Blues with 12 and 11 points, respectively.

That was BCC’s second straight win over a ranked team. The Blues beat Passaic, ranked 10th, 66-52, in Passaic.

Martinez leads the Blues in scoring (13.2) and rebounding (9.6). Blum is averaging 12.9 points per game and 5.0 rebounds per game, and DeTata is scoring at an 11.3 clip and leads the team in assists, dishing out 5.6 a game.

Despite not having any one player pulling down double-figure rebounds per game, the Blues are averaging 53 rebounds a contest. Keansburg’s Kerriann Cassarello (5.4) and Riad Zanetich (4.9) have been big helps off the bench. Cassarello (Point Pleasant) leads the team in blocked shots (2.3 a game) and is the anchor of the team’s pressure defense.

Brookdale’s depth allows Campacci and Cobb to have a flexible team that can play a variety of ways.

“They’re a very, very smart team,” Cobb said. “They figure a way to do it.”

After a long road trip, the fourthranked Blues return to their Middletown campus home, the Collins Arena, on Tuesday (Jan. 26) to play GSAC rival Ocean County College.