Carla Chapman facts for kids

Carla L. Chapman Sibley (born Carla Chapman) is a famous former basketball player. She played for Ohio State University in Ohio, USA. Before college, she was a star on the girls' basketball team at St. Vincent-St. Mary's. Other famous athletes like Jerome Lane and LeBron James also went to that high school after her.

Carla Chapman's Basketball Career

High School Success

Carla Chapman played basketball at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School for four years. Her junior and senior years were especially amazing. She led her team to win two state championships in Ohio (OHSAA AAA). In her final season, she averaged 25 points and 20 rebounds per game. This earned her a spot on Parade Magazine's All-America list. Her great high school career prepared her for college basketball.

College Achievements at Ohio State

Carla played four years of varsity basketball for the Lady Buckeyes at Ohio State University. She was a very strong player under Coach Tara Van Derveer. Carla helped her team win four Big Ten Championships from 1982 to 1985.

During her time, the Lady Buckeyes had impressive seasons:

• 20 wins and 7 losses
• 23 wins and 5 losses
• 22 wins and 7 losses
• 28 wins and 3 losses

In 1985, the Lady Buckeyes made it to the NCAA East Regional final. Carla scored a total of 1,247 points and grabbed 633 rebounds in 99 games. In 1984, she was named first team All-Big Ten. She averaged 15.3 points per game that year. In 1983, she averaged 7.2 rebounds per game.

Awards and Recognition

Carla's amazing skills were recognized with many honors:

• In 1999, she was voted one of the "Sports Figures of the Century" by fans of the Akron Beacon Journal newspaper.
• In 2000, she was inducted into the Summit County Sports Hall of Fame.
• She was also inducted into the St. Vincent-St. Mary's Sports Hall of Fame in 1999.
• In 2006, she was listed among the "50 greatest athletes from Summit County." This list included famous sports legends like Fritz Pollard and Larry Csonka.

Carla Chapman's Coaching and Community Work

Coaching Basketball Teams

After graduating from Ohio State in 1985, Carla returned to Akron. She earned her Master's degree from Akron University in 1994. She then started working for the Akron Public School District. From 1998 to 2001, she coached the Garfield High School Girls Basketball team. She helped them go from losing seasons to winning ones.

Later, from 2003 to 2004, she coached the Garfield High School Boys Basketball team. She was the only female coach of a boys' basketball team in Ohio at that time. After this, she decided to step away from coaching sports.

Making a Difference in Schools

Carla has also had a very successful career off the court. Since 1994, she has worked for the Akron Public School Board. She started as a Family Services Liaison for schools in low-income areas. In this role, she helped students and families with many things. This included after-school programs, health services, and academic help.

In 1997, she became a social services specialist. She helped bring together different groups to support students from kindergarten to 12th grade. From 2003 to 2009, she was a Special Projects Coordinator. During this time, she created a program called Perkins Activities Central. This program was highly praised in Northeast Ohio. It was even featured in a TV documentary in 2006.

Carla Chapman Sibley still lives in Akron, Ohio, with her husband Jeff Sibley and their two children, Raina and Jeff Jr.