Kam Chumbler – A Leader On and Off the Court

It has been a sad week for many in McCracken County and the surrounding area, as Kam Chumbler lost his life Tuesday to an accidental gunshot wound. He was just 20-years-old.



Kam was a distant cousin of mine, but I did not know him anywhere near as well as many you’re about to hear from. Kam’s legacy is deep. Deeper than his career at Lone Oak High School and McCracken County High School. Much deeper than that. Evidence of that was no clearer than at Baptist Health of Paducah’s ICU waiting room earlier this week where hundreds of family, classmates, friends and even some strangers gathered to pray for Kam to pull through. Tears were shed along with occasional moments of laughter as hundreds of memories of Kam were shared.



Kam’s accomplishments were many. He was a member of the inaugural graduating class of McCracken County High School. He was captain of the first ever McCracken County Mustangs basketball team when they won the Second District Championship, First Region Championship and made an Elite 8 appearance in the KHSAA Sweet 16 Basketball Tournament. Kam was selected Varsity Most Valuable Player three years in a row, twice at Lone Oak High School, once at McCracken County High School. Kam was selected for the All District Team for three years, won All Purchase Player his senior season, he was an All Region Tournament Player for two years, First Region Tournament MVP, and a member of the KHSAA Sweet 16 All Tournament Team in 2014. Kam was the recipient of the Joey Fosko Scholarship Award, received Honorable Mention for All State Basketball and Academic All State for four seasons. He received a scholarship to play basketball for Shawnee Community College Basketball and was also a student and basketball player for West Kentucky Community and Technical College.



Kam was known on the basketball floor for being clutch. His nickname among many of his friends and teammates was “Kam2Clutch”. It was a nickname much deserved. On February 21, 2013, Lone Oak was trailing Paducah Tilghman by one point, 49-48, with 31 seconds left in the 2nd District Championship game. Kam Chumbler received a back screen to fade to the left wing where he was passed the basketball and drained a three point shot with 20 seconds left to help Lone Oak win the 2nd District Championship over Paducah Tilghman, 55-54. Fast forward a year later as McCracken County took on Marshall County for the First Region championship. With the score tied at 41 in overtime with just seconds left, Kam Chumbler penetrated to the foul line where he lofted a shot up with one second left that took a trip around the rim and fell through the net, giving the Mustangs the regional championship in their first season, 43-41 over Marshall County.



I had a chance to talk to several people who Kam influenced heavily. I spoke with his high school principal, some of his high school and college basketball coaches, and one of his closest friends. Every single one of them, without solicitation from me, echoed the same word: Leader.



“Kam played a huge role in uniting the communities in our school last year. His passing has played just as big a role in keeping people united. He has always played a role in keeping us together. Kam has always been a unifier and a leader. People will always remember his clutch shots on the basketball floor, but his beautiful smile that was always contagious is what I’ll never forget about Kam Chumbler”. –Michael Ceglinski, Principal, McCracken County High School



“Kam is what all coaches want out of their best player; a great student, a great player, and a great leader for all of their kids. What I liked about Kam is his actions would always reach the younger kids and guide them in a way to be successful, not only on the basketball floor but also in life. He would always do what you wanted done on the first time you asked him. He went out and did the job you ask without complaint, and would always go further than you ever thought possible. We(McCracken) would’ve never won the First Region Championship without him. His attitude of unselfishness created an attitude of unselfishness among the entire team. I’m going to miss him seeing him. Athletics and sports has nothing to do with it, I’m just going to miss him stopping by for a visit.” –Burlin Brower, Head Coach of the McCracken County Mustangs boys basketball team.



"Kam was more than an excellent basketball player, he was an excellent person. Even as a freshman, teammates gravitated to him. That never stopped. He was impossible to dislike. He was fun to watch on the court but just as much fun to be around off the court. He was like gravity, the way people were drawn to him. Kam led by example. He made his teammates work harder just to keep up with him. He made everyone around him better." -Andy Poore, Kam's Head Coach at Lone Oak from 2010-2013 and Associate Head Coach at McCracken in 2014.



“Kam did anything that we asked him to do and excelled at it. He was a great teammate, he was a better person off the floor than he was on the floor and that says a lot. He was a leader and that was none more evident than when 12-15 of our basketball players were at the hospital multiple hours earlier this week. He took responsibility for everything that happened on the floor. He was a no-excuse kind of guy. Burlin Brower said it best in an interview on the Jeff Bidwell Show yesterday that when some people die, you have to exaggerate to come up with good things about that person. You don’t have to do that with Kam. He was a great person and will be sorely missed.” –Carl Johnson, Assistant Coach of Shawnee Community College.



“On the basketball floor, Kam was the leader. He was the core of everything we ran. He was the center of us getting fired up, he was in control of us getting into our sets, and he always set the tone for us. Outside of basketball, he was not only my best friend, but he was a brother to me. We always picked on each other and gave each other a hard time, but he would’ve done anything for me just like I would for him. He would do the small things like wake up earlier to pick me up for school so my parents wouldn’t have to. He was kind, caring, and the best leader you could ever ask for. He was family.” –Aaron Hayden, basketball teammate and close friend of Kam Chumbler.



I don’t think I have to say much more than what those five gentlemen said. Kam Chumbler touched many lives. Quite possibly more than he ever realized. But he will never be forgotten.



On behalf of so many, thank you, Kam. Thank you for everything you did to bless so many in your 20 years with us.



Eric Chumbler is the Voice of the McCracken County Mustangs on 99.5 FM The Fan. Catch all of the McCracken County football, basketball, baseball and softball games on The Fan.