EDWARDSVILLE - Metro-East Lutheran boys basketball point guard Christopher "Champ" Chipman's dream of playing in college has come true. Chipman took the next step in his playing career recently and signed a letter of intent to play for Gordon College of Wenham, Mass., in suburban Boston, and will play for the Fighting Scots next winter.

Chipman, who averaged 4.8 points and 1.6 rebounds-per-game in the abbreviated 2020-21 season this past winter, to go along with 27 assists and 15 steals, helped the Knights to a 10-5 record this past season, and is looking forward to the opportunity to play for the NCAA Division-III school, who plays in the Commonwealth Coast Conference with school such as Endicott College, Roger Williams College, and Western New England University, among others, and will bring many good qualities to his new team.

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"Champ" Chipman is the Farmers Insurance Ronald Harris Male Athlete of the Month for Metro East Lutheran High School.

"High energy, leadership is what it is going to take at Gordon College," Chipman said in a post-ceremonies interview. "I'm going to be the point guard there, so I intend to be very vocal and just lead by example."

Chipman's leadership qualities and enthusiasm was an important part of the Knights' success on the court, and he's looking forward to playing for Gordon.

"Oh, definitely," Chipman said. "I was very excited to even get a roster spot. I'm so happy that the whole coaching staff reached out to me, especially coach (Tod) Murphy. He just offered me this position, so I intend to make them proud and work my tail off to earn that role on the team."

Chipman was attracted to Gordon after he and his family did research on the school and its campus after never hearing of the school before his recruitment.

"Well, honestly, before the coaches reached out, I had never heard of Gordon College," Chipman said. "I hadn't even looked that far into Boston, I'd only looked pretty much in the midwest. And from that initial E-mail he sent saying he had an interest in me, we began to do more and more research, and the more I researched, the more I realized I think I'll like it out there. There's a beach - it's different from here," he said with a smile and laugh. "It's a little colder, but I think It'll be a good experience. Something new, and I always look to challenge myself."

Knights' head coach Anthony Smith feels that the signing of Chipman is a big moment for both the school and the boys' basketball program.

"It's a great time, great publicity for the school," Smith said, "great publicity for the program. We try to do it the right way, and get kids off to college right."

Smith also knows that the Scots are not just getting a quality basketball player, but a quality person in Chipman.

"He's a high-energy guy," Smith said, "he really works hard on games. He's not only a kid that plays hard, but when you tell him 'hey, I need you to get the ball over here,' or I tell him you need to work on this move, he's working on it after practice. That's one of the things I think that they're really going to like. He's a gym rat. He likes to be in the gym, and he's going to work his butt off to get to be a good player."

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The important thing is that Chipman will get an opportunity to play in college and do quite well.

The Scots are very much looking forward to having Chipman on their team.

"We are excited to welcome Champ Chipman to the Gordon community and our basketball program!," said assistant coach Didier Dinh in a statement. "Champ is a dedicated and high character student-athlete who will sharpen all members of the team, and we look forward to coaching him!"

Smith is equally proud of Chipman as well, and knows he'll bring high character and personality to Gordon.

"You know what? "In lieu of being a good basketball player, he's a really, really good person," Smith said. "Talking to him, he's always a 'yes sir, no sir' guy, and he's really a pleasure to be around. And for the time he and I spent together, which I think was three years, he really did everything he was supposed to. And like I said, as I tell everybody, he's a much better person than he is a basketball player. That's what we want around here, is really quality people."

Chipman considered approximately 40 schools, including Dominican College in Chicago, before settling on Gordon.

"The main thing is where I felt it would be the best academic fit and athletic fit," Chipman said. "And I think Gordon College fulfilled that."

Chipman plans on majoring in a STEM program, either biology or mechanical engineering, with an aim of making either a career after basketball. Chipman is looking ahead to the challenges that lie ahead for him and will have very special memories of his time playing for the Knights.

"I'm going to have several special memories," Chipman said with a laugh. "Just those 5 a.m. practices, those tough games, but also the celebrations, going out to eat, laughing, joking around with my friends, working hard. It's going to be several memories."

Smith is looking forward to seeing Chipman succeed at the next level, both academically and athletically.

"I think he'll be fine," Smith said. "I think he's a really good academic student, and then, as far as basketball goes, he's going to work his butt off up there for that too. So I think he'll be just fine. They're getting a good one. I'm happy for him and his family, and that's all we work for, is getting kids to college. He has a chance to go play some college ball, which is a plus."

Chipman is also looking forward to the opportunity to play college basketball as well and plans on taking full advantage of the chance.

"Exactly," Chipman said."I'm going to continue to work throughout this summer, all the way up until the season starts, so I can be as prepared as possible."