When St. Paul Johnson High School guard DeWayne “Weezy” Givens—along with teammates Jay Tinsley, Kajon Jordan, Dhmani Tucker, Kenny Turner, Colin Moore, and Jalani Mays—led the Governors to the 2023 City Conference boys basketball championship this past winter, it was a special moment for him and his grandfather, Barron Chapman.
“We’ve really come full circle,” Chapman said of his grandson’s accomplishment. “I’m very proud of him.”
How have they come full circle, one might ask.
In 1983, Chapman was the starting point guard during his junior year at St. Paul Johnson, leading his team—along with Wayne Ellis, Scott Ackerson, Chris Garrett, Monte DeBerry, Darren Chapman, Tony Adkins, Coy Nelson, Scott Marks and Kerry Hill—to the city conference title.
With that you have a family connection in high school sports that couldn’t go unnoticed. The paths grandpa and grandson took to achieve similar success at the same high school were different, but the fascinating fact remains that their accomplishments came 40 years apart.
Here’s a closer look
In 1983 St. Paul Central was the four-time defending conference champion and Johnson had some talent that showed signs of success during the 1981-82 season, when the ‘B’ squad (junior varsity) team, led by Chapman and DeBerry, were city champs, and the varsity placed third.
The following season, with Chapman at point guard and Ellis leading the team in scoring, the Governors went undefeated at 16-0 in conference play and were one game away from the Class AA state tournament before losing to the eventual champion, Woodbury.
In 2023, Givens, a 5’11” guard, came full circle on his own to lead Johnson to its second consecutive city championship, while being named St. Paul City Conference Player of the Year. The Governors’ quest for a Class AAA state tournament stopped with a 76-62 loss to Mahtomedi.
Talk about coming full circle, Givens starred as an eighth-grader for the Governors before attending different schools in ninth, tenth and eleventh grades, ultimately coming to his grandfather’s alma mater, where he was also a star on the football team.
Givens recently signed to play basketball at Central Lakes Community College. No matter what happens, he and his grandfather will always be able to look back on their accomplishments.
It’s all in the family.
Support Black local news
Help amplify Black voices by donating to the MSR. Your contribution enables critical coverage of issues affecting the community and empowers authentic storytelling.
