Eppley calls Caldwell

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By Steve Behr
sports@wataugademocrat.com

The chance to play college basketball right away was too much for Chad Eppley to pass up.

The Watauga shooting guard made it official Tuesday by signing a letter of intent to play at Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute. Eppley signed his letter at the Watauga High library.

“I wanted to play college basketball and right now, it seems like the best option,” Eppley said. “I want to play right off the bat and I feel like I can come in and help them.”

It didn’t hurt that Caldwell Community, which went 18-7 last year and grabbed a share of the Tar Heel Conference championship with Davidson County Community College, is located just down the road on U.S. 321 in Lenoir.

“It’s close to home, too,” Eppley said. “I can live at home while in college. It’s a good driving distance.”

He shares the team record with seven 3-pointers made in a single game, that coming against A.C. Reynolds in a Watauga victory on Feb. 5.

“He’s a kid with an excellent work ethic who loves the game,” Watauga head coach Rob Sanders said. “He’s an excellent student athlete. It’s a lifelong dream for Chad. He hasn’t had all the luck as far as his health goes while in high school, but he’s never let it get to him. He kept working hard and became a part of our team and we’re just tickled that he’ll have the opportunity.”

Eppley missed out on half of his junior season because of a bout with mononucleosis. He was healthy his senior season with the Pioneers, who finished 10-16 overall, 4-8 in the Northwestern 4-A Conference.

Though a fifth-place finish was not what the Pioneers expected, beating regular-season NWC champion East Burke helped take away some of the pain that the sub- .500-season left. Watauga knocked off the Cavaliers in the first round of the state playoffs and then narrowly lost to Greensboro Page in the second round.

Eppley said that was a prep career highlight.

“Winning that game after they won the NW4A regular season, and then we knocked them off in the state playoffs,” he said.

Eppley said he received attention from Methodist, Brevard and got letters from Mars Hill and Tennessee-Martin. Caldwell head coach Mike Hainrihar, who also signed East Burke’s B.J. Boughman, South Caldwell’s Jacob Lail and Phillip Robinson and Caleb Ramseour from Linconlton, liked the fact that Eppley is a good person and a good basketball player.

“He’s a quality kind of kid and a quality player,” Hainrihar said. “I like the system he’s coming from. You can tell he’s well-coached. He’s a kind of swing player that fits into our style.”

Hainrihar said Caldwell will run the floor much like Watauga did when the Pioneers switched to an uptempo offense during the second half of the Northwestern 4-A Conference season. Caldwell won the conference championship game 131-111.

“We like to get up and down (the court),” Hainrihar said, who took over the program as head coach last year. “At the same time, you have to be sure you’re able to run halfcourt sets. I feel that Chad can do that.”

Eppley said he would like to get into elementary education and in coaching and will take classes at Caldwell in those fields. He eventually would like to transfer to a four-year college and get his degree. Playing basketball would be a bonus.

“I want to play at a four-year school eventually,” he said.

“I’m trying to prepare myself the best I can,” he said of switching academically to a four-year school. “Hopefully, it will be fine.”