Game-changing Nick Chapman bails out Red Knights High, leads spirited comeback
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Nick Chapman didn’t score a point in the first half Saturday night yet the moment the Reading High senior stepped on the court he completely changed the game.
His team was already down 10 points to Spring-Ford, one of the top Class 6A teams in District 1, when he entered late in the first quarter.
Rams senior guard E.J. Campbell was lighting up the Red Knights; he opened the game with a 3-pointer, added another a couple minutes later, then hit a buzzer-beater to push his team’s lead to 13.
Chapman, who hadn’t played since suffering a fractured orbital bone Dec. 27, came off the bench with one thought in mind: Stop that guy.
“He just told me to go get him,” Chapman said of instructions from Red Knights coach Francis Camara. “Don’t let him shoot and don’t let him get to the basket, and that was my mentality.”
Chapman, playing for the first time in 24 days, and wearing a large protective mask that was cumbersome and annoying, dug his heels in and saved the Red Knights.
He made key play after key play, changed the tone of the game, and helped his team dig out of a 14-point hole for an inspiring 59-52 victory in the final contest of the four-game Geigle Classic.
“He’s a game-changer,” said senior teammate Malik Osumanu.
Chapman triggered a 17-2 run in the third quarter and gave the Red Knights (10-6) their first lead at 41-40 when he forced a turnover, was fouled, and hit a pair of free throws.
Chapman all-but clinched the game with 23 seconds left when he hustled to chase down a missed free throw, leaped out of bounds to save it, then flung it off a Spring-Ford player so that Reading would retain possession.
Yadiel Cruz sank a pair of free throws two seconds later, extending Reading’s lead to 57-52 to essentially clinch it.
“(What he does for us) is beyond stats, beyond numbers,” said Camara. “He makes a huge impact in the game. Those are winning players, guys who impact the game without you having to look at the stat sheet. You feel their impact. You can see their impact. That’s Nick Chapman.”
Chapman worked his way into a key spot in Reading’s playoff rotation last season because of his defensive instincts and passion for the game. Rick Perez wanted him on the floor in those final critical minutes of regulation and overtime in Reading’s PIAA championship win over Roman Catholic.
He was an invaluable role player on a talented, senior-laden team a year ago. Now he’s playing a lead role without needing to be the leading scorer, a rare feat in basketball.
“Nick Chapman is one of the best defenders in the state,” Camara said, “and I don’t think there’s opposing coaches who would disagree with that. He just brings a toughness to our team that you just can’t teach, you can’t coach.”
Campbell finished with a game-high 20 points for Spring-Ford (14-4) but most of the points after the first quarter came when Chapman was either on the bench or when defensive switches saw Chapman land on another player. Head-to-head, Campbell might’ve scored once against Chapman.
He didn’t score any points, and had just one shot, in the fourth quarter, when his team managed just seven points and didn’t have a basket over the final four minutes. Chapman made sure of that.
“He was able to shut down their best player and slow him down throughout the game,” Osumanu said. “After he did that, we were able to get rebounds and get out and run.”
This was arguably Reading’s best win of the season, right up there and maybe even better than the win over Berks I rival Wilson, which it accomplished without Chapman Jan. 4.
No argument it was the most exciting, and most interesting, because of that huge early deficit – and because the Red Knights played far from a perfect game.
They showed their age in the first half, allowing Campbell to get open looks, and threw the ball around in the second quarter, when they turned it over six times.
They played long stretches without their leading scorer, Yadiel Cruz, who picked up two fouls in the first quarter and his third two minutes into the second. (He still managed to score a team-high 17 points, including eight of their 14 in the final quarter.)
They fouled Spring-Ford’s Lymir Green as he launched a 40-foot shot with 1.9 seconds left in the third quarter; Green hit three free throws to tie the game 45-45.
They played the final 2:20 without Osumanu, their only interior defensive presence, when he fouled out.
They overcame all the thorns and were left with a rose.
“We stayed the course,” Camara said. “We stayed together. We kept our composure.”
The Red Knights won the game with their defense, as they usually do. They exposed Spring-Ford ballhandling issues with their fullcourt pressure, forcing 19 turnovers over the final three quarters.
“We like to muck up the game,” Camara said, “we like to make it ugly. We truly believe the tougher team will come out on top, and we were tougher team tonight.”
They won it at the foul line, too, making 14-of-16 in the second half and 5-of-6 in the final 30 seconds after Spring-Ford fell behind and was forced to foul.
Camara, excited about his team’s play, wasn’t ready to categorize this the biggest win of the year. Still, he was proud of the effort.
“Listen, every win for us is the best win of the year,” said the first-year head coach. “That is a quality win over one of the best 6A teams in the state, so we’ll take that. That’s great for our confidence, that’s great for our growth.”
Next up for Reading: A Tuesday visit to Berks Catholic, which is 13-0.
“It’s all about us continuing to grow, and we’re growing,” Camara said. “This team’s got it. We’re a tough team full of fighters, full of kids who’ve been doubted their whole life.”
