Chase Vassell Chasing OFSAA Medal & NCAA Offers

TORONTO-  Playing with Pine Ridge Secondary School the class of 2014 6’3″ SG Chase Vassell has separated himself from the competition in 2013-14 by dropping an eye opening 17 games of 25+ points. In the process Vassel was also influential in a historic campaign that saw Pine Ridge, for the first time in school history, finish the regular season undefeated. A remarkable 12-0 record.

Pine Ridge Pumas have shown a knack for developing prolific scorers. Jamal Reynolds,  who will join Canisius in September via JUCO poured in more than 50 points three times and over 40 at least 10 times in 2012. He averaged 43 points a game in league play that season. Reynolds now passes the torch on to Chase Vassell.

Hoops Hype Canada caught up with Vassell this week and the Mr. GTAHoops candidate for 2014 discussed various basketball related questions, enjoy!

HHC: Tell us about your game, any professional players you draw inspiration from? Any athletes that you aspire to be?

CV: I am a natural born competitor, who doesn’t go down without a fight. I like to take pride in my defense, and stopping my man, I do a majority of my damage from behind the arc, in transition, and off of screens. I’ll do whatever it takes to help my team win.

I draw a lot of inspiration from Steph Curry because he made his dream a reality as he was against all odds. He only got one NCAA d1 scholarship offer out of high school to Davidson, as like me right now standing at 0 offers this gives me hope. Another player that inspires me is Kobe Bryant because of his incredible work ethic, and commitment he has made to the game over the years.

HHC: Any challenges your experiencing as a student-athlete on & off the court? How is your support staff with teachers?

CV: On the court I am willing to work hard and know that the competition is always right behind me. In order to achieve success I know I have to keep working on my weaknesses and continue learning and achieving. The growth process will never be over for me and I look forward to the hard work and exciting times that lie ahead.

Off the court, I have been getting better marks than I was earlier in my high school career finishing with a 72% average last semester.

The support staff with teacher at Pine Ridge is great. All of my current teachers work well with me and understand the goals I have set to reach for myself and want the best for me. One person in particular that helped me get on track, back in grade 10 when we met, was Mrs. Biffin. The Pine Ridge assistant coach and school teacher. She put helped me select all of the right courses I need to gain eligibility for the NCAA. A lot of people had doubts that I could do well in higher level courses but she always had hope in me and supported my decisions.

HHC: About Pine Ridge… Your thoughts on the teams season so far and potential of going the distance down the stretch?

CV: I think that my Pine Ridge team has fully exceeded any expectations we had for this season so far and we are only starting to peak, and at the right time with OFSAA right around the corner.

I think that our team has all of the right tools that a team has to have in order to win a championship. That being height, heart, great defense, great guard play, and players that can score inside and out, along with a strong bench.

Going down the stretch I believe that we have great potential to win our league, LOSSA, and then go on to medal at OFSAA.

HHC: Seventeen 25+ point games this season is outstanding, what do you credit for this season where you have demonstrated such significant strides?

CV: I credit my hard work put in almost every day last summer. This school season I wanted to come in and prove myself as a top Canadian scorer and that I belong.

Also gotta give some of the credit to my great PGs Jordan Henry and Dre Mcintosh. Playing with them really opens up a lot of different scoring opportunities. In the end my individual points do not matter as much as playing as a team and getting the win.

HHC: Any daily routines as you prepare for the next level? Anything new that you have incorporated lately in your training regimes that could help you propel to the next level?

CV: I do extra training 4-5 times a week with my trainer Cedric Carter and Galaxy Training.

HHC: Last but not least, any dream schools growing up?

CV: Two absolute dream schools I had growing up always included Syracuse, and Baylor.

Support Pine Ridge during their LOSAA & OFSAA quests by following @PineRidgeBBall on twitter.

Support Chase Vassell’s journey to D1 basketball by following him on twitter @ChaseBIL

For more round-the-clock coverage on Canadian High School Hoops follow @HoopsHypeCA on twitter.