Prospect Spotlight: Chaz Vasser (2018)
The definition of hidden gem, Chaz Vasser is a home-schooled 6-foot-5 small forward from Hiawatha, Iowa, and is starting to generate some serious buzz for himself.
An above the rim slasher, Vasser is a senior now with his club team, DMI Defenders. We recently caught wind of the talented senior, and he could be one of the most intriguing 2018 guys in Iowa.
“My skill-set is, I would say I’m very explosive. So when another team is playing man, and they’re pressuring me, I feel like I can blow-by a lot of people. And when I get to the rim, I feel like I have the ability to finish strong,” said Vasser.
“And I find other ways to impact the game, so when I’m not scoring, I love to pass and get my teammates involved; that’s probably one of my favorite things to do.”
Vasser and his Defenders will play upwards to 35 games this winter, against other Midwestern club teams in addition to public schools from other states. They are now allowed to play public school teams in Iowa.
Their season started this past Saturday, against Missouri club team Heartland Christian Academy Eagles. They’ll stay very busy until ending the season in March at a home-school national tournament in Virginia.
With his recruitment just starting to develop, Vasser hopes that he can continue to generate some buzz as his senior season unfolds.
“I know my dad told me that Mount Mercy is trying to recruit me pretty hard. I’ve had Queens recruiting me, which is down in North Carolina,” said Vasser.
“A couple days ago, I was at Iowa State. I got to meet all the players and coaches in the locker room and talk to the assistant coach a lot, and he said he definitely wants me to come back to a couple games this season.”
“So, I don’t have any offers yet, but I am getting recruited by a lot of schools.”
Vaser also mentioned Central Michigan had been sending him some emails, and DMACC was after him. Now, the goal is to lead his team to as many wins as he can, and showcase his ability to do it all on the floor.
“I feel like from the end of last year to the beginning of this year, I’ve seen a huge improvement to my game. Over the summer, I developed an all-around game,” said Vasser.
“This senior year, my number one goal is to go to Virginia and win nationals.”
And though he may not have gotten the same exposure of some his fellow public school peers, it’s very clear that Vasser is proud of his home-school roots.
“A lot of times people don’t realize that there’s a lot of home-schooled kids that have just enough talent as any of those public school kids out there,” said Vasser. “And people just have to give them a chance.”