GRAZ, Austria – After playing college basketball at the Division I level for George Washington and Towson, Chase Paar had several family reasons for transferring to Division II Shepherd for his final season of eligibility.
Both his parents attended the school and a season with the Rams allowed Paar to be college teammates once again with his younger brother, Cole. Suiting up for Shepherd during the 2024-25 season also paved the way for a pro career – which Chase Paar began here in impressive fashion on Sunday, Sept. 28, as the regular-season started in the top league in Austria.
“I think it helped a lot. Obviously, going there, the big reason was to play with Cole the last year and be able to enjoy it,” said Paar, sitting in a restaurant near Old Town Graz on a recent afternoon, just a few minutes from his team-furnished apartment. “But I knew I wanted to play overseas. Getting (bigger) numbers was very important for me to do that and get exposure and have a great last year of playing college basketball.”
He did just that in Shepherdstown.
Paar averaged 11.1 minutes per game with GWU during the 2021-22 season and just 11.2 minutes and 3.3 points per outing in his last season with Towson in 2023-24.
At Shepherd, he averaged 31.0 minutes, 14.1 points and 8.3 rebounds per contest as he started all 32 games last season. He led the team in blocks with 55, had 11 double-doubles, was All-PSAC and was named the 2024-25 Shepherd University Male Athlete of the Year.
A lefty shooter who is 6-foot-9, Paar also credits veteran Shepherd head coach Justin Namolik for his transition to the pro level.
“Coach was really great. He had previous pro players in the past so he knew what they needed to look for,” Paar said. “He spoke to a few agents and helped me find the agent I am now with (based in Luxembourg). He was really helpful.”
Paar, after several exhibition contests (called friendlies in Europe), played in his first official pro game here and had 14 points and a game-high 13 rebounds as UBSC Raiffeisen Graz won 91-85 over the rival druck.at Traiskirchen Lions before a few hundred fans.
“Pretty good start. I felt pretty good. There were some nerves early on,” said Paar, standing courtside after signing autographs for some local youth who have quickly found a new star in town.
Paar had 10 points in the first half and added two assists to go with five turnovers in the game at Raiffeisen Sportpark Graz in the southern part of the city.
On hand for his pro debut was Kristi Lightsey, the sister of Paar’s late mother, Lisa, and Kayla Demarest, a longtime family friend. Lightsey is from Damascus, Maryland, and Demarest lives in Mount Airy, Maryland.
With about 300,000 residents in southeast Austria, Graz is sister cities with Montclair, New Jersey. Former bodybuilder, actor, and California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was born and raised in a small village just outside of Graz and there is a museum here that highlights his career. Graz is also home to a notable men’s soccer team in a sport that is more popular than basketball in nearly every country in Europe.
One of Paar’s American teammates is fellow big man Nic Lynch, who grew up in Seattle and played four seasons at Lafayette in Pennsylvania in the Patriot League before winding up his college career at San Diego of the West Coast Conference. Lynch began his pro career in Poland and played last season for Graz.
“Being a lefty helps,” Lynch (18 points) said of Paar. “He is probably more athletic than I am and his outside shooting” will only get better.
Other Americans who played for Graz in the opener include point guard Tevin Brewer (12 points, 10 assists), who ended his college career with Duquesne of the Atlantic 10; Peyton Gerald (19 points), who finished up at Florida Southern; and Jordan Wood, who played at Stetson and had a game-high 26 points.
Paar grew up in Mount Airy and was a standout at Glenelg Country School in Howard County, Maryland. He was recruited to George Washington by former head coach Maurice Joseph, who was let go just prior to Paar’s freshman season in the nation’s capital.
After two seasons with the Colonials (now the Revolutionaries), under former coach Jamion Christian, Paar transferred to Towson in suburban Baltimore – a school he strongly considered coming out of high school.
Paar, after two years with the Tigers and coach Pat Skerry, had one more year of college eligibility and decided to drop down a level to get more playing time at Shepherd. He was also able to be teammates again with his brother, Cole, who also played at Towson.
“Learning about the experiences of our former players who played professionally allowed us to prepare Chase for the process of working with agents and what professional teams are looking for in players from America. I’m so happy Chase has gotten the opportunity to play professionally and know he will make the most of it,” Shepherd coach Namolik wrote about Paar. “I am so fortunate to have gotten the chance to coach Chase. Not only is he a great basketball player, he is a great leader and teammate. It meant a lot to me that he was able to form strong relationships in one year with all the guys on our team and he did such a great job of being patient with our young guys and helping with their development. Personally, I strived to ensure his one year at Shepherd was a great experience. His family ties to our program are important to me and I didn’t want to let him or his family down.”
GREAT YEAR IN SHEPHERDSTOWN
“Off the court, it was great. It was a tight-knit group with me and Cole and Jarod Robinson, who was there four years previously. (He) was another reason for me being there,” Paar said of his season in West Virginia.
Paar has known Robinson, who also played at Glenelg Country School, since fourth grade. Robinson is slated to play this season in Spain, according to Paar.
Despite being Division II, Shepherd plays in a competitive league in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference.
“It is fast paced. You are going to see a lot of pressing. We were about the slowest paced and that really messed teams up and helped us in the long run,” he said. “There is a lot of talent there; guys play pro ball (from the PSAC). There is a lot of talent up and down.”
Cole Paar is on the Shepherd roster again this season after recently focusing on his acting and modeling career. He spent time in New Jersey this summer filming an Adam Sandler movie and was able to meet the star actor, according to his older brother.
“I am proud of him,” Chase Paar said.
Their father, Jason, also basketball at Shepherd, from 1983-87.
After Shepherd ended its season in March, Chase Paar began to prepare for the next level.
“The first step was to take some time off and rest and recover,” he said. “I was still talking to agents and signed with Misch Engel of Coast to Coast in May. Throughout the summer we were talking once or twice a week. He was keeping me updated on the situation. In July, he came to me with the offer for Graz and said it was a great situation for me. So, it was a no brainer.”
Other countries in the mix were Portugal, Finland, and Spain.
“We were looking for a top (level) league,” Paar said.
Paar flew from Dulles International Airport to Vienna, Austra, and then took a bus about two hours southwest to Graz in late August.
“My first impression was I am not sure how I am awake for 26 hours and not tired,” he said. “Jet lag was real. Once that wore off, I looked around and realized it was a beautiful city and I could see myself here for the next seven or eight months. You are seeing new things every day.”
“The first couple of weeks it was hard to find a routine,” added Paar, who has a sports management degree from Towson and is working on an MBA. “I think I have ironed out a good routine with practice, lifting weights, eating and getting good sleep.”
He figures his father and younger brother (he also has an older brother, Justin) will visit at some point during the season.
“I think (the biggest transition) is still adjusting to being here and trying to stay in touch with people, with that time difference (of six hours to Maryland). Overall, the adjustment (is) trying to figure out a routine and figure out what works,” Paar said. Things certainly worked in his first official pro contest.
WEST VIRGINIA NOTES: Paar has met NFL Chicago Bears quarterback and Martinsburg native Tyson Bagent, who set many passing records while at Shepherd … Another pro athlete who starred at Shepherd is Major League Baseball star Brenton Doyle, a Gold Glove center fielder for the Colorado Rockies … Among the former West Virginia University men playing pro basketball in Europe this season, per eurobasket.com, is rookie pro Eduardo Andre, who is in Slovakia … Shepherd opens the men’s season Nov. 14 at Virginia State … Cole Paar played in 32 games with one start last season for the Rams and averaged 6.8 points per contest for a team that was 21-11 … Former WVU women hoopsters Bria Holmes, Teana Muldrow and Kristina King have played in several countries, including Poland.
Editor’s note: David Driver is the former sports editor of the Baltimore Examiner and the Daily News-Record in Harrisonburg, Virginia, and is the author of “Hoop Dreams in Europe: American Basketball Players Building Careers Overseas,” available at Amazon and at daytondavid.com. He has interviewed American basketball players in nearly 20 countries, lived three years in Hungary, and now lives in Poland.