Bruno Chapman is a standout midfielder on the ADVNC ‘23 team committed to realize his dream of playing DI lacrosse at Loyola, starting next Fall.
Bruno’s dad, Jim Chapman, grew up in California, and played lacrosse and soccer in college at Middlebury. “My dad handed me a stick when I first started to walk,” said Bruno Chapman. “I liked it right away. It was like soccer, but a little different from every other sport.”
“His mom, Megan, also played college lacrosse, (at UC-Berkeley),” said Jim Chapman. “She and I never pushed him into the sport. We let him chase after it. It was fun to see Bruno looking through old college lacrosse pics of me and meeting my old teammates, and hearing all our stories. He found all my old gear in the garage, and would run around wearing the old blue Bacharach helmet that tied in the back.”
Bruno has loved lacrosse from a very early age.
“I remember dusting off the cobwebs of all my dad’s gear in the garage,” said Bruno. “Back then, we lived in Southern California, and I remember playing catch with my parents all the time at the beach.”
“He would run around the back yard in Jimmy’s old college helmet from the 80’s looking like a bobble head,” said Megan Carlson, Bruno’s mom. “Once he discovered my old wood sticks from Cal, he used those as weapons to terrorize his younger brother Giacomo (ADVNC ‘25). It has been a love affair with lacrosse since then.”
The Chapman’s moved back up the coast to their family home in San Francisco when Bruno was entering 8th grade and Giacomo was startling 6th grade. Both he and Giacomo wanted to find the best travel lacrosse club in their new home. Bruno had played with Mad Dog in SoCal, and was already playing for West Coast Starz. So he knew a lot of ADVNC players when he moved.
The early days of Bruno’s lacrosse career.
“It was very clear to us that Chris Rotelli and ADVNC were far superior to their peers in terms of the development of their players and the community they had built .. in addition to the relationships he had to get players to the next level,” said Jim Chapman.
Bruno joined ADVNC in the 8th grade. “My first tourney with ADVNC was the Blackjack in Vegas,” Bruno said. “The whole team was very inviting. They would always lift me up. It was a very positive feedback loop.”
“Bruno has grown so much as an ADVNC player,” said Megan Chapman. “The accessibility of high level lacrosse in Northern California is not immense. As his desire to become a more serious and skilled player grew, ADVNC was able to meet that need.. Without the consistent, and elite coaching Bruno experienced, he would not have had the ability to compete on the national stage. Without ADVNC I’m not sure he would be a DI commit, as Coach Rotelli has been critical to his growth and development.”
Bruno is a senior at St. Ignatius College Preparatory. Some of his ADVNC teammates play for the Wildcats’ biggest lacrosse rival, Sacred Heart Prep. “That’s never been an issue,” said Bruno. “I have very close friends from ADVNC that play for SHP like JP Underwood (committed to Navy). We put friendship aside when we play, but off the field, we are always very close.”
Chapman has played for ADVNC since the 8th grade.
Shortly after Bruno joined the Program, ADVNC joined with Seattle Starz and formed the National Development Program (NDP). “I was really excited when that happened,” Bruno said. “I had played with Gavin Dallas (committed to Denver), Ethan Linsay (committed to Army) and Carson Krammer (committed to Princeton) and others for a few years on WCS and we all knew ADVNC NDP was going to be really good.”
“It was a timely combo for my kids,” said Jim Chapman. “Chris and ADVNC started taking us to play in the top recruiting events in the summer and fall. NDP made our players much more competitive. It drove their development because the kids saw they could be successful against teams from Long Island, Baltimore, DMV, Upstate New York and New England. It was a positive feedback loop. Our teams did well, showed off in front of big college coaches, and came back home to do more work and get ready for the next trip East. The relationships we had and our community kept growing bigger and stronger.”
“ADVNC has a great track record with getting their players to the next level,” said Bruno. “Playing at Crabfeast and Naptown every summer, and the reputation that Coach Rotelli has with all the college coaches is glaring.”
“We had always been at a disadvantage on the West Coast when it came to college recruiting,” said Jim Chapman. “It’s taken a long time, but that has changed. I largely attribute that to Chris Rotelli and ADVNC, Chris Packard at St. Ignatius and Jono Zissi at Torrey Pines and WCS.”
When September 1, 2021 came around, and Bruno could officially start talking with college coaches, he went on several official visits to DI programs. “I was blown away by the coaching and the community I felt at Loyola,” Bruno said. “I felt like the community was similar to what I’ve experienced with ADVNC.”
Chris Rotelli’s former offensive coach at UVa, Marc Van Arsdale, is currently an assistant coach with Loyola. “It’s no secret that Chris Rotelli was a Tewaaraton winner for Van Arsdale at UVa,” said Jim Chapman. “So through Chris, we got unique insights into Coach Van Arsdale and the Loyola program. Parents want to feel comfortable that our kids will be in good hands when we send them off to college. Chris helped us feel great about sending Bruno to Loyola, Coach Van Arsdale and Coach Toomey.”
Chapman is a standout midfielder for St. Ignatius in San Francisco.
“Coach Rotelli did an outstanding job of not only preparing Bruno, but for Jim and I as well,” said Megan Carlson. “We knew what to look for in a collegiate program, as well as what questions to ask. Chris also has great insight into many schools and was able to help determine what sort of coach, program, and team culture would be a good fit for our family. Throughout the process Coach Rotelli was readily available, giving Bruno invaluable advice, and also allowing him to take ownership of the process and give him the space to explore a multitude of schools and programs. College recruiting is stressful and complex, as everyone says, but Coach Rotelli was a guide and incredible source of information and support. So much so that in the end, the process became enjoyable, and ultimately very rewarding.”
With his ADVNC career now behind him, and just one more High School season remaining, Bruno has this advice for young players who wish to follow in his footsteps. “Be resilient. Keep your head down and keep working. I remember the wins and the losses but I really remember the tough times I battled through more. Not every single play will go your way. If you keep your head down and keep working, you will get what you want no matter how hard it is.”