Chatham’s Word commits to play basketball for Division I Coppin State

By Matt Fuchs
Danville Register & Bee
Published: April 17, 2008

CHATHAM — Chatham’s Endia Word has found her new family.

A day after teammate Kelly Montgomery committed to Gardner-Webb University to play softball, the second of the Cavaliers’ five senior basketball players put pen to paper on Wednesday. Word signed a full scholarship to play basketball for Coppin State University in Baltimore.

The 6-foot-2 center averaged 11 points and eight rebounds per game and blocked 41 shots for Chatham in 2007-08. And now she takes her size and low post ability to the Eagles (23-12), who were knocked out of the first round of the NCAA tournament last month by Maryland.

“I am elated,” Word said. “This has pretty much been all excitement for me.”

Word always dreamed that the five, tight-knit Cavs could somehow find a way to go to the same college and continue playing together after graduation. But she also knew that the likelihood of that happening was slim. Word will instead move on to a new family at Coppin State — quite literally in a way, as one of her cousins is an assistant coach with the team.

“I love the coaches, and I really liked the players,” Word said. “I connected with them and we had a lot in common. They reminded me of my high school team. They seemed like a family, and that’s important to me.”

With Word in the middle, it was always a matter of choice for opposing teams. Let Word roam free and concentrate on shutting down the Cavaliers’ outside shooters, or double-up on Word and watch the 3-pointers fly from beyond the arc.

“You could say she’s that anchor. When teams play us, she’s the kid they really have to account for,” Chatham assistant coach Dwayne Waddey said. “They can’t just say, ‘Let her have hers.’

“You pick your poison with us, but the first one they key on is her. (Word) lets the outside shooters have their nights even when she’s not having hers.”

Word helped lead Chatham to an 18-4 record and an appearance in the Region B playoffs.

Word likely won’t remain in exactly the same role with the Eagles, who feature three 6-foot-3 centers (none of whom graduate this year). But the Coppin State coaches will surely find Word a place to play considering that they made their offer to the senior back in September even though Word was suffering from a knee injury at the time.

Word plans on majoring in criminal justice and also pursuing a minor in psychology.