Lamar Chapman is in his fourth season on the NIU men’s basketball staff in 2020-21, having been elevated to interim head coach on January 3, 2021. Chapman came to NIU following nine seasons as an assistant coach at Stony Brook University and was promoted to Associate Head Coach at NIU prior to the 2019-20 campaign.
Chapman helped the Huskies capture a share of the MAC West Division title in 2019-20, as well as a top-four seed in the conference tournament, giving NIU a first-round tournament bye for the first time since 2006. The Huskies were on target for just their fifth postseason appearance in school history before the year was prematurely ended by the COVID-19 pandemic.
NIU won 11 conference games during the 2019-20 season, its most in 14 seasons, and Huskie senior Eugene German led the MAC in scoring, became NIU’s all-time leading scorer with 2,203 points and became just the eighth player in program history to earn All-America recognition when he was named to the Lou Henson All-America Team. German also earned First Team All-MAC and First Team NABC All-District honors.
In 2018-19, the Huskies earned 17 victories, tied for the sixth-most in school history, and advanced to the Mid-American Conference Tournament Semifinals for the first time since 2003. German was named to the MAC All-Tournament Team, becoming the first Huskie to receive that honor since 2003, and also earned Second Team All-MAC and Second Team NABC All-District recognition.
NIU recorded just its third win over a ranked opponent in school history when the Huskies defeated 14th-ranked Buffalo on January 22, the first Huskie win over a ranked foe since 1973.
During the 2017-18 season, his first with the Huskies, NIU had one of its best offensive teams in recent memory as it averaged more points than any Huskie team since 2001-02 and scored the third-most points (2,319) in a single-season in school history. German led the MAC in scoring while earning Second Team All-MAC and First Team NABC All-District honors.
In his nine seasons at Stony Brook, Chapman helped the Seawolves to four conference regular season championships, the 2016 America East Tournament title and seven postseason appearances, including Stony Brook's first Division I NCAA Tournament appearance in 2016. During his tenure at Stony Brook, Chapman worked primarily with wings and helped a pair of Seawolves, Muhammad El-Amin and Tommy Brenton, earn America East Player of the Year honors.
Chapman’s nine years at Stony Brook saw the Seawolves post six 22-plus win seasons with 23 all-conference honorees.
Prior to his time at Stony Brook, Chapman spent the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Toledo. In his first season, Chapman helped the Rockets earn their first Mid-American Conference regular season crown in 26 years as Toledo posted a 14-2 conference mark. Chapman helped mentor Keonta Howell, Justin Ingram and Florentino Valencia to All-MAC honors as well as 2006-07 MAC Defensive Player of the Year, Kashif Payne.
Toledo was Chapman's second stop in the MAC as it followed three years as an assistant coach at Central Michigan University. Before beginning his collegiate coaching career in Mt. Pleasant, Chapman was the head coach at Muskegon Heights (Mich.) High School in his hometown, leading the Tigers to a 42-9 overall record and a pair of state semifinal appearances, including a Class B State Runner-Up Finish in 2002.
The Tigers posted a 21-5 record in 2001-02 and won district and regional titles before falling to the eventual state champion. For his efforts, Chapman was named the Muskegon Chronicle Area "Coach of the Year."
In 2003, Muskegon Heights was 21-4 and repeated as district and regional champion before advancing to the state finals where it lost to Grand Rapids South Christian. During his tenure at Muskegon Heights, Chapman coached five student-athletes who received college scholarships.
Chapman played collegiately at Lane College in Jackson, Tenn., where he was named the school's Athlete of the Year in 1991 and 1992. Chapman earned his bachelor's degree from Lane in health and physical education in 1993.
