EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – Rodney Lewis took over as the head boys basketball coach at Chapin ahead of the 2018-19 season. Lewis helped engineer the Andress teams that went to the 2015 Final Four and has now rebuilt the huskies into the Sun City’s hoops powerhouse over the last six seasons.
Chapin’s incredible run now includes three Sweet 16’s, an Elite Eight and currently, an incredible, 64-game winning streak against other El Paso teams.
“If I’m being honest, I didn’t even know what the number was until people started talking about it,” said Huskies senior guard Brandon Hymes.
This year’s squad could be Lewis’s best at Chapin and with a tough game at northeast rival Andress looming on Friday, the Huskies have dreams of River Walkin’ in March at the Final Four in San Antonio.
Chapin’s 64 game winning streak against El Paso teams is one of those stretches you hear about, but don’t typically see firsthand.
“Our goal is to keep increasing it and I want to hopefully get it up over 100,” said junior 6’10 center Jayden Leverett.
It spans back to late January, 2021, when Andress upended the Huskies during the COVID-19 year. It’s stretched all the way through the most successful run in Chapin hoops history: Back-to-back-to-back Sweet 16’s and an Elite Eight last year for the first time ever.
“I play that game over a lot in my head,” Hymes said about Chapin’s nail-biting Elite Eight loss to Mansfield Summit last March. “I wish we could’ve done a little bit more to win that game because we could’ve gotten far, but I also know that there’s a lot we could do this year to get there and get farther.”
Now, the Huskies are eying more. Ranked fourth in the state of Texas in Class 5A, Chapin has beaten teams ranked in the top-10 in the Lone Star State and lost to nationally-ranked Faith Family by a single possession in overtime at an out-of-town tournament in November. Come playoff time, they’ll be battle tested.
“I really think we can win state. We’ve played some really good talent. I’m excited to be in San Antonio playing for my ring,” said Leverett.”
They don’t have the individual star power they did with KJ Lewis (now a freshman at Arizona), but no Huskies team Rodney Lewis has had plays as well together as this one, or can ratchet up the defensive intensity as high.
“The energy level is different, the chemistry is better than any team I’ve ever played with,” said senior forward Mudia Gbowa.
Chapin thinks a Final Four run is firmly on the table; if they make it to the River Walk in March, their unselfishness and defensive prowess will be big reasons why.
“We have to speak it into existence, if you don’t believe, it’s not going to happen,” said Chapin assistant coach Daniel Castillo.
The Huskies will try to extend their winning streak over El Paso teams to 65 games on Friday night at 7:30 p.m. on the road at Andress.
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