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| photo - Desert News |
Each spring
there are a few players that rapidly ascend up the high school recruiting
rankings during the spring and early summer. For some of these players the jump
is attributed to a spike in their performance, while for others it is
attributed to increased exposure on the national circuit. For Brekkott Chapman, a 6’8” combo forward
out of Roy, Utah, both of these factors played a part in his rapid ascension
through the 2014 rankings.
Chapman currently
sits un-ranked in Scout.com’s top 100 and at number 87 by Rivals, both of which
were made prior to the spring AAU circuit. When the new rankings are released expect to see
a jump into the top 40.
As a junior,
Chapman averaged 19 points and 8 rebounds a game as he lead his team to a 17-7
record and the Utah 4A state quarterfinals where they lost to Bountiful 50-44.
He finished the year as a top five scorer in 4A, but was held to just two
points in their season ending loss as Bountiful harassed him with physical
defenders and forced him out of his comfort zone.
In AAU and
camp play, Chapman worked hard to get back into his comfort zone playing for
the Utah Prospects on the Under Armour AAU circuit while also attending the
Pangos All-American and NBPA Top 100 camps.
In
Charlottesville, VA for the Top 100 camp, Chapman played both forward positions
on the offensive and defensive ends and looked comfortable in both spots.
“I prefer
the three, but either the three or four is fine,” Chapman said when asked about
his preferred position.
Standing at
6’8”, Chapman has ideal height for a combo forward, but it’s his jumping and
shooting ability that make him a nightmare match-up on the offensive end. On
the first night at the NBPA Top 100 camp, a recruiting analyst noted “I had no
idea he could do that” after watching Chapman throw down another high-flying
dunk. Chapman routinely caught taller defenders off guard as he blew by them on
the wing for a dunk or acrobatic finish while also displaying his smooth lefty
stroke when given space on the perimeter.
During the
three day Top 100 camp, Chapman showed off his dunking prowess and soft outside
touch in every game he played averaging nine points per game. He played on one
of the most talented teams in the camp and scored between seven and thirteen
points in all seven games with a variety of shots from all over the court. He
drained three’s from the wing, but also looked comfortable operating in the paint
where he used fundamental post moves and soft fade away jump shots to keep his
defenders off balance.
Due to his
light frame, Chapman is not as strong on the defensively as he is offensively,
however he was quick to bring up his defensive efforts in Charlottesville.
“Defensively
I’ve been doing really well. I stopped my guy, played really good help defense
and just tried to do what I can do,” Chapman noted
With his
recent play, Chapman has drawn interest from a majority of west coast schools
with Arizona and UCLA being the latest big names to show interest. While the
heavy hitters in the Pac-12 are starting to pay attention it was the three
local schools (BYU, Utah, and Utah State) that were on him the earliest to go
along with Gonzaga and Arizona State. For now, Chapman plans to play out the
summer which includes stops in LA, Milwaukee, and Vegas before deciding on what
schools he wants to visit.
While
Chapman is not sure about what schools to visit, he is positive that his high
school team will make another state tournament run.
“I feel that
we will have a better squad this year with the other juniors coming back that all
work really hard and I think we can make it to the finals,” Chapman said.
When his
play over the past few months, Chapman has shown recruiting analysts and
college coaches his multi-dimensional skill set. After mixing it up as a combo
forward with some of the best players in the country, one can be sure that
Chapman will not shy away from physical play come his senior year.
