Chandler Vaudrin

Growing up in Uniontown, Ohio, Chandler Vaudrin fashioned some of his game after another northeastern Ohio basketball player – superstar LeBron James. 

He marveled how the current Lakers player makes his teammates better on the way to winning the NBA championship with three different franchises. Like James, Vaudrin also returned to his native Ohio, where he now plays for the Cleveland Charge.

Vaudrin, 23, commanded his own team as floor leader and point guard for the Eagles men's basketball team (23-1), which earned a 12-seed in the South Region of the 2021 NCAA Tournament. This was the second highest seeding for an Eagles team, which made its 11th March Madness appearance.

The Eagles won the Big South Championship in the 2020 season but were not able to compete when the NCAA Tournament was cancelled due to the pandemic. Focused on repeating as champions, the Eagles opened the season with a 16-0 run. The team won 21 consecutive games, dating back to Feb. 27, 2020, which at one time was the longest active streak in the NCAA in a Division I school.

Then-Coach Pat Kelsey called the group a driven team that is player-led. He counted on Vaudrin to carry out instructions on the court and help make things happen. Upon his arrival in Rock Hill, the 6-foot-7 redshirt senior turned heads for his size, his leadership, his ambidextrous ability to pass and handle the ball, and his impressive stats, as evidenced by his inclusion as the nation's leader in triple-doubles this season.

“I've been in the business of betting on myself,” Vaudrin said at a press conference before the team's first-round tournament game against Villanova.

As one of the few players in the last few years to transition successfully from a Division II program, Vaudrin made the leap work. He spent the first two years at Walsh University near his hometown.

Growing up in a family that loves basketball, Vaudrin learned from his parents and older brother to develop a mindset to work hard and to pinpoint his weaknesses. He redshirted the 2018-19 season, which helped him work on his game and personal development.

The effort paid off with end-of-season awards. He was named Big South Player of the Year and Big South Tournament MVP.  

As the leader of the Eagles' fast paced tempo game, he averaged 12.2 points, 6.9 assists and 7.2 rebounds a contest. 

“We all know how hard it is to win and what is needed to win,” Vaudrin said about his Eagle teammates.