Another Chapman steals the ball . . . and Reading wins another state title
By Sean McBryan — MikeDragoSports.com correspondent
HERSHEY — The words Chapman and champion are becoming synonymous.
Nick Chapman, as his brother Joey did nearly two years ago to the day, secured the game-sealing steal for Reading High as time dwindled down in a state championship against a favored Philly opponent.
Nick Chapman’s steal with about six seconds left in overtime and his subsequent fullcourt assist to Aris Rodriguez for a dunk capped Reading High’s 63-56 win over Roman Catholic Saturday night at Giant Center in the PIAA Class 6A championship.
It’s the third state championship for the Red Knights and second in the Chapman family. Reading’s first title came on the back of current Los Angeles Lakers guard Lonnie Walker IV in 2017; the next two came with grind-it-out teams that never backed down regardless of the opponent.
Joey Chapman, a dogged defensive player, clinched Reading’s 58-57 win over Archbishop Wood in 2021 when he stole an inbounds pass in the final seconds.
Nick Chapman epitomizes what has now made Reading High basketball the top big-school program in the state. The 5-9 junior guard’s undeterred defense resulted in a steal off Roman Catholic 6-1 senior and St. Joe’s bound point guard Xzayvier Brown to seal the championship victory.
“As soon as I saw him turn his back, I ran in front of him and was hopeful that I’d maybe get that steal,” Chapman said. “Once I got that steal, I knew we were going to win. We had to.”
The Philadelphia Catholic League champion Cahillites’ size advantage was clear; it had the son of former 6-10 NBA player Marc Jackson on the team in 6-8 Shareef Jackson. Senior wing Anthony Finkley, also headed to St. Joe’s, is bigger than any of Reading’s post players at 6-6.
It didn’t matter. Chapman and the Red Knights just kept grinding.
Chapman didn’t get many minutes as a sophomore and only averaged a bucket a game playing in 23 of Reading’s 32 games heading into the championship bout. He carved out a role for himself as his junior season progressed and became more prominent throughout the postseason run.
It’s hard to keep a player who always shows up, works hard, and is unselfish off the court. Chapman only cares if the team is winning, not if he is scoring.
“For this team, I don’t really care about offense,” Chapman said. “I’m all about defense.”
Fittingly, Saturday night he proceeded to score a career-high nine points and, more importantly, scored most of those points in crucial moments.
After Brown converted an and-one to give Roman its first lead since 4:24 left in the first quarter with 5:41 left in the game at 47-46, Chapman drilled a corner 3-pointer to give the Red Knights the lead back and kill the Cahillites’ momentum.
Chapman hit two free throws with 26.4 seconds left to push Reading’s lead to 53-51.
“To be honest,” Chapman said. “I’m not really a good free throw shooter. But they came in clutch and we got the dub. I was like, hopefully I make this first one because I knew if I made the first one I’d make the second one.”
Chapman also had three rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Reading was a whopping plus-10 when he was on the court, the highest of any player. He was part of a Reading bench that outscored Roman’s 19-0.
“We knew we could rely on him,” senior Amier Burdine said. “It doesn’t surprise us, because it’s something we see (every day). We know he can get it done.”
Reading High head coach Rick Perez had no choice but to leave Chapman on the court down the stretch.
“The thing with Nick is he’s such a fighter, man,” said Perez. “He’s just so resilient. All the Chapmans (are). You’ve got Ashanti (who plays for Reading’s girls team) and Joey and then Nick coming up the caboose. He’s the smallest one in the family but that boy’s heart is like no other.
“His mom just has to be so proud. She’s that mama bear that takes care of her cubs. She fights through everything. They go through a lot. That Chapman family shows up every day and goes through a battle every day.”
The Chapmans moved to Reading from Puerto Rico in 2010; the kids have followed the example set by their hard-working single mother, Carmen.
“These past few months have been a little hard for my family and I,” Chapman said. “Maybe this will help us take a step up instead of down.”
All of the perseverance and heart has added another gold medal hanging somewhere in a Chapman household. The clinching play didn’t come on a flashy game-winning shot but on a gritty steal.
Would you expect anything else?
