Girls Basketball: ‘Tenacious’ Macy Chapman sets tone for Hilliard Bradley Jaguars

Steve De Dent loves defense, which is why the fourth-year Hilliard Bradley girls basketball coach sings the praises of Macy Chapman.

The senior point guard not only gets the offense in motion for the Jaguars, but De Dent said she is one of the best defenders he has ever coached. That’s high praise coming from someone who has coached high school basketball since 1983.

“Macy is flat out the best defender in central Ohio, in my opinion,” said De Dent, who led the boys programs at Hilliard and then Davidson from 1991-92 to 1999-2000. “She just plays hard, she’s tenacious and she anticipates so well.

“She might be the second-best anticipator I’ve coached, and the first one was a guy named Mike Furrey (a 1995 Hilliard graduate who played football at Ohio State and in the NFL). The difference is you could throw a ball four feet away from Mike, and he could catch it. That’s how good of an athlete Mike was. Macy will get her hand on it. She might not catch it, but she’ll get a hand on it, deflect it and make it go somewhere else. And even then, she may go get the ball.”

The 5-foot-9 Chapman has come a long way from being primarily a distributor and lock-down defender to a player expected to also contribute offensively. Through 14 games, she led the Jaguars in scoring (17.3 points per game), rebounds (7.3), assists (2.2), steals (4.6) and deflections (3.7).

“In the past, I was more of a passer, getting assists, and I knew my role was more on the defensive side than offensive,” Chapman said. “My other teammates, the twins — (2021 graduates) Carly and Chloe Callahan — were the shooters, and I let them do that.

“This year I definitely had to change roles. Last year, the twins were a big part of our team and they were leaders. This year I had to learn to be more of a shooter because I wasn’t a shooter last year. Now I’ve learned to be an all-around player.”

Last season, Chapman was second-team all-OCC-Central Division, averaging 7.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.9 steals.

De Dent said Chapman is taking the necessary steps to become a well-rounded player. She leads the team in percentage for 3-point shots (11-for-32 for 34.4 percent), 2-point shots (72-for-135 for 53.3 percent) and free throws (65-for-85 for 76.5 percent).

“Macy has improved her game offensively, and she’s shot the 3 better,” said De Dent, whose team was 6-8 overall and 1-5 in the OCC-Central before playing Upper Arlington on Jan. 21. “She’ll make people think that she’s going to attack the basket, she’ll back away and then — boom — all of a sudden, she’s back at the basket again.

“And for a right-hander, she loves going to her left. She can go to her right, but she loves going to her left. She’s really improved her game in four years.”

Chapman said playing defense came naturally to her until joining the varsity as a sophomore, when she quickly discovered there was more to learn about shutting down opponents.

“To be a defender, you have to be able to play with your feet,” she said. “I learned that the hard way my sophomore year when I started playing varsity. I would reach for the ball and get fouls. I was used to getting steals, but on varsity you had to stay in front of them or they’d beat you.”

Chapman would like to play at the college level, but has not decided on a school.

“I have to work on the little things and be consistent with my shot form and making free throws,” said Chapman, who has a 4.0 GPA and wants to major in business. “I found a love for (basketball), and I enjoy the games with everyone in the stands and having that bond with my teammates. I like working together with my team, and it’s fun celebrating a good win with your team and knowing all of the hard work from practice paid off. I want to keep that going.”

shennen@thisweeknews.com

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This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: Girls Basketball: Chapman sets tone for Hilliard Bradley