Boston Suits Chionuma Well
Zach Chionuma was, without question, one of the breakout performers of the summer.
If his ascension up recruiting lists has to be traced back to a single day, it would be July 9th when he stood out at the New England Elite 75 Showcase. Chionuma was doing a little bit of everything that day – he went left, he went right, he stopped quickly for pull-ups, he got to the rim, and he drilled three-pointers. His total offensive game was on display as he tore up the court at Case Gymnasium.
Boston University head coach Pat Chambers was in attendance that day and the Terriers pursued Chionuma hard for the rest of the summer.
But it wasn’t just BU who came away impressed as Metro Boston director Mo Vasquez says that Chionuma ended the summer with scholarship offers from schools in the CAA, MAAC, NEC, and America East while drawing high interest from some Atlantic 10 schools.
“I told him to visit as many schools as possible to ensure he had a solid base for his decision,” Vasquez said. “It’s always a good idea to sample as much as you can to make sure you make the right choice.”
Chionuma followed Vasquez’ advice and ended up visiting several schools, but on Saturday he decided that he didn’t need to see any more as the six-foot-four combo guard called Chambers to make a verbal commitment.
“He had other schools to compare BU to and his gut said it was the right school for him,” Vasquez said. “I told him it is a great academic school and I wish him the best as I do with all of my guys.”
While academics reportedly played a major role in this decision so did a number of other factors, namely BU’s metropolitan campus and the success of the basketball program last season in Chambers first year at the helm of the program.
Style of play also figures to have been a selling point as the Terriers have adopted the same attacking offensive system that Chambers coached in during his years as an assistant at Villanova.
It is a system that Chionuma is well suited to thrive in, not just because he can score the ball in a variety of different ways, but also because he is a combo-guard with great size, capable of creating match-up problems on the perimeter with his versatility.
Prior to arriving in Boston, Chionuma will return to Marianapolis Prep for his senior season and assume a leadership role on the team that he helped advance to the NEPSAC Class B finals last season.
After that it’s back to Case Gymnasium where Chionuma and Chambers are hoping that his success only continues.
Zach Chionuma