A new fundraising campaign honours basketball coach Steve Chapman (’82, ’83) and his many contributions to sports and community. 
 
Family, friends, former teammates, and players mentored during Chapman’s 40+ years of coaching recently launched the campaign at an event in Toronto. The goal is to raise $500,000 to support Mount Allison’s new sports and recreation centre — the Scott McCain and Leslie MacLean Centre for Health and Wellness — and athletics programming. A court in the new building will be named Chap’s Court in his honour.
 
“I played for Steve all four years of my time at Mount Allison,” says Brad Ross (’00). “I'm grateful for everything he taught me as a coach and mentor — lessons that extended well beyond the basketball court. But perhaps the most important thing he ever did for me was convincing me to attend Mount Allison in the first place. Those four years continue to shape the best parts of my life today. I know I'm not alone in my appreciation and admiration for Steve, which is why I'm so excited about the Chap's Court campaign and why it was great to reconnect with fellow Allisonians at the Toronto launch event."

Chapman’s career includes coaching at two local high schools and for the National Basketball League’s Moncton Miracles. He is the longest-serving basketball coach in Mount Allison’s history, spending 16 years as head coach of the men’s basketball team. During this time, the Mounties were perennial contenders in the ACAA, including capturing a league championship in 2020 and qualifying for the CCAA National Championships three times in eight years. In 2024, for the first time in school history, the Mounties hosted the CCAA Championships at McCormack Gymnasium, making an impressive appearance in the national semifinal before a capacity-filled crowd of garnet and gold faithful.

Chapman is a proud Mount Allison alumnus — a member of the men’s basketball team from 1978 to 1982 and team co-captain in 1981-82 — and is known as an exceptional leader devoted to excellence in sport and the success of Mounties student-athletes. 

The new sports and recreation centre opens in 2031 and its 26,000 square feet of versatile playing space will include three multi-sport hard courts. The Scott McCain and Leslie McLean Centre for Health and Wellness will house facilities for a variety of sports and recreation activities including varsity, intramural, and club sports.
 
“Attending Mount Allison and the decision to become an educator and coach was life changing,” says Chapman. “To have my name associated with this project is truly humbling. I am sincerely honoured and thankful. For me it’s always been about the story — it’s about the journey, building connections, and fostering relationships along the way. I am fortunate and forever indebted to the many student-athletes I coached and to a loyal support staff who all greatly enhanced my life and shaped my narrative.”

Learn more about supporting the Chap's Court Campaign: mta.ca/chaps-court