Learn About Our CEO
Rashawn Chapman, known to the majority as Coach Stix, is a proud native of St. Louis, Missouri. He grew up in a house of six, which consisted of a mom and dad, two older brothers, and a little sister. Starting at the young age of 3, he grew a strong love for the game of basketball. He spent the majority of his childhood going to parks with his dad and brothers. His dad instilled in him a passion for the game, but the main priority was keeping God first in their household. Like many young athletes, his ultimate goal was to be a college basketball player and make it to the pros. Even if he didn’t make it to the NBA, he always knew that his God-given purpose was to help others through his gifts.
He attended Hazelwood East High School for all four years, and in his time, he helped lead the Spartans to a winning record, making it all the way to the district championship. Although they lost, his basketball journey was just getting started. Out of high school, he was offered a full-ride scholarship to Olive Harvey College, which was his first institution. He then ended up jumping around different junior colleges, trying to find the perfect fit (Mineral Area CC and Butler CC). Finally, he ended up going to Miles College, a Division 2 college in Fairfield, Alabama, which was 10 minutes away from Birmingham. Here, he won the SIAC Championship, which was the first time this had been done in school history! Because he battled with injuries, he was not able to play at his best; but nevertheless, he remained driven and ultimately a winner.
In 2020, after college, he still pursued his dreams of playing pro. He went to two NBA G-league tryouts where he did extremely well. Out of 200 players, he was selected for the top 20. While he didn’t make it the first time, he was offered to go play on the TBL team in Dallas, Texas. Intrigued by the offer, he decided to go back home and train the youth in his city. Once he was back in the city, his eldest brother gave him an idea to pour into the youth of St. Louis via basketball. Little did he know, a new passion had arisen. He started in his community, attacking his new journey with the motto, “one kid at a time.” This led to him volunteering to coach at the Emerson YMCA, all the while helping with different basketball programs in St. Louis.
Although he enjoyed helping other programs, he had a bigger vision that would satisfy the need he saw in his city. He noticed that most people he ran across focused on just winning games. He wanted to emphasize the need for development in every player, which is a win in itself. With his upbringing, family support, and teachings through his basketball history, he believed that he was the best person for the job, and his product would reflect excellence.
Since then, his program has grown to helping hundreds of kids and has become a hub of basketball excellence for St. Louis. Remembering the foundation his dad set, he’s always reminded to keep God first, and to be a positive role model that the youth and others can look up to. He is grateful for all of the support he has received over the years from his family, friends, coaches, and anyone that helped the program gain success.