Shady Spring – For most of the season Braden Chapman’s struggled to get his outside shot to fall. A prolific scorer, the first-team all-stater from Shady Spring hasn’t let that deter him.
He stuck with it, found other ways to get involved and make an impact on the game. It all culminated in a terrific week last week for the lefty.
He busted out of a slump averaging 19.3 points per game last week, helping the Tigers to a 3-0 record along the way.
For his efforts Chapman has been named the Week 10 Lootpress Player of the Week by the Lootpress sportswriters. The award is sponsored by Bodyworks and the Law Offices of Brandon Steele.
Never one to lack confidence, Chapman has kept at his craft and found success last week.
“I found my shot,” Chapman laughed. “My teammates were finding me so I’m thankful for them. We were focused all week in practice and that really helped a lot.”
Chapman’s stellar stretch came in the midst of Shady’s gauntlet run to end the regular season. Against Greater Beckley he scored 15 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. He added 14 points the next night against Greenbrier East and capped the week with a 29-point showing against Parkersburg.
“We never worry about Braden,” Shady head coach Ronnie Olson said. “No matter what he’s always going to find a way to get involved and he wants that challenge. He wants to play the best teams and guard the best players. I think you saw that last year when we played (Isaac) McKneely and Poca. He’s constantly pushing himself so it’s no surprise he had one of his best weeks against a couple of really good teams.”
The successful week was a welcome one for the junior who sits under 100 points away for 1,000 for his career. Even when he was struggling he never shot to the point he hurt his team. Being an adept scorer means more than launching 3-pointers, something he understands fully. As such he’s become a lethal scorer in the paint, driving and switching hands to score at the rack.
“It’s not really a confidence thing,” Chapman said. “When it wasn’t falling it it was more about frustration. But my dad always taught me that if my shot’s not falling get to the rack. So I really take that to heart.”
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