The NEXT Small Town Boy Made Good: Chas McFarland

The Wake Forest junior center has 1,311 friends on Facebook. He's from a town of 1,222 people.

Brian Westerholt

Chas McFarland takes it to the rack against Florida State.

Wake Forest will play Duke in a Top 5 battle tonight on ESPN (7pm).

Friends and family in Lovington, Ill. will start ringing each other this weekend to figure out where everyone will be watching tonight's ACC clash between No. 1 Duke and No. 4 Wake Forest.

Chas McFarland will be suiting up for the Demon Deacons.

The game won't close businesses in Lovington; it's not that small-town crazy. Casey's General Store on County Street will still be pumping gas and selling snacks. But if Carol Smith can't be reached around 7 p.m., she'll call you after the game.

Smith, a high school English teacher, and most of Lovington will be sitting on their couches closely watching the 7-foot McFarland play in one of the biggest college basketball games of his career.

"We all smile when they say 'Chas McFarland from Lovington, Illinois,'" says Smith, McFarland's former teacher. McFarland has certainly come a long way since graduating with 26 other kids in Lovington High School's Class of 2005. His 1,311 friends on Facebook show just how much he's branched out. There are 1,222 people in Lovington.

In high school, Chas (pronounced "Chase") McFarland's talent was tucked away in the town 20 miles outside of Decatur. Playing schools Lovington's size, but no one anywhere near his own size, McFarland was Wilt Chamberlain in the Little Okaw Valley Conference. He swatted shots into the stands and dunked on 6-2 centers. He averaged nearly a triple-double with points, rebounds and blocks as a senior. In one contest, he had 20 points, 20 blocks and 17 rebounds.

But despite the numbers, McFarland didn't even make the Class A, Illinois' smallest class, all-state first or second team.

"Chas is Chas. I don't think anyone on the team can tell you about raccoon hunting." - Pat Kelsey, Wake assistant

People told him to be realistic. Even mom.

"Everyone told me I couldn't do it," McFarland said. "They told me, 'You're lucky if you go to a junior college.' Everybody was against it—even my mom . I knew I could do better than a small Division I school or junior college. I had my goals set higher."

Without a decent offer, McFarland looked at his options.

Worcester Academy in Massachusetts decided to give McFarland a shot. Overruling his mom, McFarland trusted AAU coaches convinced another year of high school ball was his best shot at a scholarship. At Worcester, he finally received the exposure he'd always lacked. On his AAU team, he'd rarely played, riding pine behind a center named Greg Oden.

With the added exposure, Wake Forest offered.

McFarland rode the bench as a skinny Freshman, but spent his time bugging 5-foot-9 assistant Pat Kelsey to help him with his post moves.

"He was a player who drove me nuts," says Kelsey. "He called my house and said, 'When can we get shots? When can we get in the gym?' He drove my wife nuts. I was probably the least surprised person when he had the success he did last year. He wanted it so bad."

With Kelsey and student managers continuously pounding him with pads, McFarland got stronger. Footwork drills made him more agile in the post. A year on the bench watching made him smarter. McFarland broke out as a sophomore, averaging 8.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.6 blocks. He had a career-best 28 points and five blocks at Georgia Tech. This year, McFarland's numbers are up again. He's started every game, averaging 9.9 points and 6.9 rebounds.

Brian Westerholt

McFarland is a small-town hero.

"We think it's wonderful that he's doing this and playing at Wake Forest," Smith said. "I think it has an impact on any student from a small school. When they hear Chas graduated from a school with 100 students, they know they can do it, too."

McFarland enjoys the attention.

"There's a lot of little kids at home that send me messages on MySpace," McFarland says. "One mom said a signed shoe of mine was here son's favorite Christmas gift he got out of all his toys. It's also about telling kids who look up to you that they can get out of small towns and get themselves in better situations."

McFarland was home recently as he got back for his sister's wedding. While in Lovington, he signed autographs, told some tales and also realized he was grateful to be at Wake Forest and be able to branch out in life.

"With the economy and stuff right now, there's not a lot of things to do around Lovington right now."

But the community filled with farmers, hunting, country music and solace can tune in.

"Chas is Chas," says Kelsey. "I don't think anyone on the team can tell you about raccoon hunting. He hunts and fishes. He can pronounce the words. He's Lovington, Illinois. That's who he is."

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