Moton and Chapman together at last

Sunday May 9, 2010

Last week, while Sidney Lowe and NC State fans were celebrating the signing of CJ Leslie, another area top player was making his new coach smile.  Emanuel “Poobie” Chapman made his decision to attend NC Central University official this week.  Chapman’s signing is a big one for NCCU coach LeVelle Moton.

This is not just another signing of a PG for a school.  In this case, player and coach have a special relationship. Moton shared some of the history with Trianglehoops.net.

“I’ve had the distinct pleasure of knowing Poobie since he was born” Moton explained.  He continued “every time I saw him throughout the years, he always had a ball in his hands. His basketball IQ, his court savvy, and leadership abilities are unlike any player in his class. He really impressed us last summer by getting the best of Kendall Marshall (UNC), Ryan Harrow (NC STATE), Anthony Chennault (Wake Forest), Tyler Thornton (Duke) while going 3-1 against their respected teams. Great kid who comes from a great family. His mother is a talented author who has done an amazing job raising him. Finally, he comes from my alma mater (ENLOE) and a great coach Tommy Moore.”

Chapman told us “I feel like NCCU is a good fit.”  Poobie also said that he had interest from major Division I programs like Virginia Tech, University of Virginia, and ECU, but no one made an official offer.  A scenario like that would have eaten away at most players, but Chapman said “ I was ok, I knew I could play.”

Some of the first memories Chapman has involving basketball include coach Moton.  Chapman attended Moton’s camps in Raleigh starting at the age of 6.  It was those camps where Poobie would develop and first show off his ball handling, passing ability, and that court savvy mentioned earlier.

Those skills have gained Poobie high regard in basketball circles from an early age.  The PG lived up to the hype, leading the Enloe Eagles the past three seasons.  If Moton would have had his way, we would have an idea of how Chapman would fit into NCCU’s system already.

According to Chapman, Moton has always wanted to coach him.  “He wanted me when he was at West Millbrook(middle school) and then when he was at Sanderson(high school)” Chapman says.  His place of residency kept the two from getting together in those years, but now they will have a chance to make waves on a bigger stage. 

With NCCU transitioning to the MEAC, Chapman will get a chance to play for and against schools with rich basketball histories.  With Moton’s knowledge of his skills, do not be surprised if you see Chapman’s name as one of the conference leaders in assists.  I believe he can be one of the top assist players in the nation. 

Kerry Smith

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