Chris Chaney may not be recognized as the same household name as Jim Calhoun or Rick Pitino or John Calipari.
He may not have the same clout and fanfare and worldwide visibility as some of the game's pioneers.
Despite this, one would be hard-pressed to find a more widely respected prep coach. Chaney is know throughout the NCAA, NBA, and areas across the world as a clinician and innate molder of high-end recruits.
Chaney, whose work has earned plaudits from Calipari to Lute Olsen has won three national prep championships and three Maryland state championships.
He orchestrated a veritable Division-1 launchpad at Laurinburg Institute, where he went 40-0 one season.
Chaney has operated clinics all across the world, etching a name for himself in China, Nigeria, France, Iceland, and a bevy of other locations across the pond.
Instrumental in helping churn out 18 NBA draft picks and possessing more wins than any coach his age, Chaney will now spearhead a new program in National Top Sports Institute in Scotland, PA.
The prep program is located on a college style campus with two gyms, dorms, and a dining hall. While Chaney is still in the process of getting the program out there, he plans on implementing the same system that turned Laurinburg and The Patterson School (NC) into rich recruiting hotbeds which routinely harvested new talent.
"I don't think we're national title contenders or anything like that, but we've got a lot of under the radar type, hard-working kids," explained Chaney, who was most recently at DME Academy in Daytona Beach, Fla.
"We definitely preach the team aspects a lot more. Definitely when you see them, you'll be impressed with some of these guys. They're under recruited and hopefully we'll be playing with a bit of a chip on our shoulder."
Taking unheralded recruits who don't come with a four or five-star billing and making them respectable is part of what makes Chaney appealing.
Chaney and his staff recall a rough-around-the-edges and extremely raw kid named Jordan Hill. Hill did not play high school basketball initially, flying well below the radar before attaining the skill-set that brought him to Arizona and the NBA.
Chaney recalls a similar experience with Hassan Whiteside, who arrived at the doorstep lacking any offers and only minimal interest from low and mid -major programs.
"Really, we're just trying to get the most out of our kids," Chaney said.
"We're going to teach them, basketball-wise, the right way to play. More importantly, teach them the right way to play as a team also. We're taking it one step at a time, focusing on building it the right way. We're trying to take a step this year and get the name out there and keep getting better as the years go by."