By Carson Vercoe | Sports Writer
Senior forward Evan Chatman’s path to Baylor men’s basketball was a winding road with multiple stops along the way. Before getting his shot on the biggest stage and repping the green and gold, Chatman’s college career started 6.8 miles down the road.
Coming out of Harker Heights High School, Chatman was a “late bloomer” and was an unrated recruit according to 247 Sports. McLennan Community College was the only spot that gave Chatman an opportunity to continue his basketball career.
“They were the only school who kind of gave me a chance, honestly,” Chatman said.
Chatman soon found more than just a basketball program at McLennan.
“It was like a family,” Chatman said. “I still keep up with them. That just made my whole journey easier, especially being a freshman. I didn’t know what to expect, but McLennan just made it easy and made it feel like a home.”
Chatman arrived at McLennan with talent but needed to grow into that talent and find his love and passion for the game.
“He was a very skilled player,” McLennan basketball head coach Kevin Gill said. “He liked basketball, but I don’t know if he loved it.”
Gill added that Chatman preferred being on the perimeter, relying on 3-pointers rather than being a physical player. As his collegiate career progressed, he became a dominant presence inside the paint.
Chatman gained experience throughout his freshman season and earned more playing time with each game.
On December 28, 2023, Chatman suited up with the Highlanders for the biggest game of the season against No. 2 Salt Lake Community College.
Chatman started the game, but after five minutes of play, he left the game with a broken foot, ending his season after 12 games.
While the injury could have been seen as a major obstacle, Gill felt it gave Chatman the push he needed to fall in love with the game.
“Sitting on the sideline watching those guys, he developed a real passion for the game, and I think he fell in love with it,” Gill said.
For Chatman, the injury put something into perspective that he hadn’t thought much about before.
“When I broke my foot, I realized that this isn’t forever and I wouldn’t be able to play forever,” Chatman said. “I needed to take it serious and from there on, it made me a better person overall.”
In his sophomore season, Chatman became the player that coach Gill knew he could be. Chatman averaged 15.5 points per game along with 7.5 rebounds, improving on his physicality down low.
“He was a winner,” Gill said. “He wanted to win no matter what he was playing, inside, playing outside, guarding guards, guarding bigger guys.”
Gill is not the only coach to have noticed Chatman’s want to win. Head coach Scott Drew noted that Chatman and his team love to win, coming off exhibition wins over No. 1 Florida and No. 3 Illinois.
“‘Is it about me and my numbers or is it about our team and winning?’ And we got a lot of guys that it’s about the team and winning,” Scott Drew said.
Aside from being physical, Chatman possessed a high basketball IQ that helped him all season long.
“He had a good IQ for the game where he was really coachable,” Gill said. “Then he became a pretty good scorer as well, so he became a complete basketball player.”
Those things stuck with Chatman when he transferred to UAB following the 2024-25 season.
Chatman averaged 8.8 points and 8.8 rebounds a game with the Blazers, continuing to flash his ability to crash the boards. He finished with 281 total rebounds, ranking fourth in the American Conference.
The journey through McLennan and UAB taught Chatman to be confident in his abilities even when the odds are stacked against him.
“Playing at different schools, you always have to recruit yourself, and that’s never easy for anybody,” Chatman said. “Just realizing it’s a part of the process.”
This mindset brought Chatman back to Waco, this time representing a different team.
When Chatman got the opportunity to play at Baylor, it was one he couldn’t believe was real. The fact that Chatman started at a junior college and made his way to a Power Four conference team was one he had to sit back and admire.
“Honestly, it didn’t feel real at first,” Chatman said. “I was surprised. The first week after I saw it, I couldn’t believe it. I was like, man, I’m really about to play at home at the highest level.”
The transfer has allowed Chatman the opportunity to compete at the highest level, something he had been working for since he first stepped on the court as a Highlander.
“When I was coming here, as long as I have an opportunity, that’s all I need,” Chatman said. “It seems like I do, so I just get a chance to compete.”
Chatman feels the difference between him at McLennan and the player he is now is something you could only get from playing at many different levels of college.
“I understand basketball a little bit more,” Chatman said. ” I could make it easier on myself by playing smarter instead of hard sometimes in certain situations. I know what can work in a situation, what I need to do and when to do it.”
For Gill, seeing Chatman is a good reminder of the things that can happen when a player believes he can do great things.
“He put in a lot of work, and he believed in himself,” Gill said. “He took coaching, and he let us coach him. He wanted to reach the highest level he could, and he has.”
Now, Chatman gets to shine on the highest level. For Chatman, the feeling of wearing Baylor across the chest is one of the best feelings.
“I just love the fact that I can play with Baylor at home,” Chatman said. “I’m just happy that I get to wear that name on my chest.”
Chatman was just a player who was overlooked at McLennan, but now at Baylor, Chatman is proving that all some people need is one shot.
