GC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Chapman making most of final season with Maple Leafs

Jan. 19—GOSHEN — Goshen College women's basketball head coach Stephanie Miller has been in charge of the Maple Leafs for over a decade now, and only a few players have a spot on her "elite" list.

One of those players is Goshen College senior Taniece Chapman.

"I'd say I and her teammates feel inspired and motivated," said Miller of watching Chapman perform on the court. "When she gets an 'and-1' or when she puts a spin move on someone, there's not more hollering and yelling among the team compared to when it's her.

"She's just fun to watch. She's a fantastic, all-around skill player, and frankly one of the top players in my 11 years here. Teams don't guard her with one player, they have to throw two or three bodies at her, and that's fun to watch."

Chapman's been a standout for the Leafs since joining the team from Fort Wayne's South Side High School prior to the 2018-19 season. During her freshman campaign, she averaged 10.4 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, while earning 19 starts.

That was just the beginning.

Chapman's evolution continued into her sophomore and junior years where she'd start 56 combined games, earning 13 double-doubles during that span. She finished her junior season averaging 13.2 points and 8.7 rebounds per contest.

"Its been easy to stay so consistent with how much my teammates have motivated me during my career here," Chapman said. "Having them alongside me, as we've continued to play game-by-game, that's something that's always pushed me to want to do more. Just so we could win more games and have more time together. To be able to play with such a good group is just something that you want to continue to do."

This season, Chapman has elevated her game to an even higher level. Through 20 games, she currently leads the team in points (15.0), rebounds (8.7) and minutes (31.3) per game.

"When she came to us, she was extremely talented and always had the motor in her," Miller said. "But it was on and off early on. Sometimes she would turn it on and sometimes she would turn it off. She always had that 'gamer effect' on game day, but she wasn't prepping the way she could've. In four years, the biggest thing that's changed is her focus and motor. Now she's prepping the way she plays in the game, which has really elevated herself to a more consistent, higher level."

So far this season, Chapman has scored in double figures during 19 of Goshen College's 20 games and has six double-doubles during that time. Two of those double-doubles came with 20 or more points, which included a career game against then-No. 24 Mount Vernon Nazarene Jan. 8.

Chapman had a career-best 27 points (11-of-16 from the floor) and 20 rebounds, while playing 39 of the game's 40 minutes. Her effort helped the Leafs beat the Cougars, 69-61, on the road.

"There was definitely a lot of energy during that game," Chapman said. "The energy from my team was just crazy. We were fighting back-and-forth and never gave up at any point in time. We just kept fighting, and we never gave up. Just seeing that (from my teammates) really brought out that fire in me to just keep going and keep pushing through.

"I just knew it was game day, so I automatically had that 'it's time to go' mentality. It was go time. I just kind of had a regular game day vibe where I just woke up, started thinking about the game, thinking about the type of moves I was going to make and, I don't know, it was just there. I showed up, we all showed up, and it was a really great game to be a part of."

Now in her fourth season with Goshen College, Chapman has played in over 100 games — including 95 starts — for Miller and the Leafs. Although she could return for with a fifth year of eligibility, Chapman's already made the decision that the 2021-22 season will be her final one playing for Goshen College.

With just 10 regular season games and the Crossroads League Tournament remaining, Chapman wants to finish her career as best she can for both herself and her teammates.

"I'm just going to take it one game at a time and help get one win after another," Chapman said. "I don't want to force anything or try to jinx anything. I just want to keep pushing through and get to the end of the season."

Chapman's been an unstoppable force for much of her senior campaign, and her growth, in Miller's eyes, has been very impressive. She'll be an imperative key to success if the Leafs hope to make a run in this year's conference tournament.

Beyond the end of this year, Chapman will be a very difficult piece for the Leafs to replace, not only on the court, but on the sideline, in the locker room and beyond.

"The word I think of the most is 'proud'," said Miller when asked what she thinks when she watches Chapman play. "She's always been good, and I've always been proud of her. But it's inspiring to see kids grow up right before your eyes from both a performance and personal level. She's an inspiring kid in terms of her growth, but also in terms of how willing she has been to put her heart and herself out there, to learn and to get better."

Evan Lepak can be reached at evan.lepak@goshennews.com or 574-533-2151, ext. 240326. Follow him on Twitter @EvanMPLepak.