Auburn walk-on from Florida engineers unique path to Final Four appearance with Tigers
In his junior year of high school, Auburn University freshman Chase Maasdorp began thinking more about his future career aspirations rather than focusing solely on his future in basketball.
His thought process changed because of the attention he was receiving from colleges.
Despite scoring more than 1,000 points in his career at Out-of-Door Academy, a small private school located in Lakewood Ranch — a community east of Interstate 75 along Manatee and Sarasota counties in Florida, Maasdorp was receiving interest from Division II schools and smaller D-I programs.
Knowing how slim the odds are to make it in college ball, and the even smaller odds to make it professionally in the NBA, Maasdorp started focusing on the educational component to the school he would choose to attend.
“I always knew that my career was more important to me,” Maasdorp said in a phone interview from Minnesota, site of the 2019 Final Four. “I told my parents since Day One that I wanted to go to a school that would prepare me. So I said, ‘If I’m getting looks from these schools and their education isn’t what I want it to be, then I’m not going to settle.’ Because ultimately, my career 20 years down the road is more important than to continue to pursue basketball.”
The path led him to Auburn’s engineering program.
But basketball wasn’t out of his life. Maasdorp played for several hours multiple times a week in pick-up games to keep his skills sharp. Then an open tryout was held in September 2018. Maasdorp competed for one of two walk-on spots among a group of about 30. After passing the first part of the tryout, he was one of three to receive a callback to endure 10 practices with the Tigers’ first squad. From there, he earned a walk-on position with the team.
And despite not logging any tournament minutes for the Tigers, he’s been integral to Auburn’s Final Four run as a point guard on the scout team that prepares the starters for what they’re likely to encounter in each tournament game.
“We’re learning our opponents’ offense, while our team is watching film,” said Maasdorp, who is 6-foot and 165 pounds. “And then when our team is done watching film, we play them using the opponents’ offense to give them as best of a look as they can to prepare for the game. ... There’s a lot that goes into it.”
Maasdorp’s had a front-row seat to a 12-game winning streak, with Auburn winning the SEC tournament title by 20 points over Tennessee before edging New Mexico State in the first round of the NCAA tourney. Then came three straight wins over bluebloods, in Kansas, North Carolina and Kentucky, to book the first Final Four trip in Auburn history.
“It’s really surreal,” Maasdorp said. “To, not only make the team through the tryout process ... to now being part of this run, I never expected it. You could have asked me a year ago when I was playing high school ball if I thought I would have been in the Final Four in a year. I would have been like, ‘You’re crazy.’ But we’re here and I’m thankful for the opportunity and I’m obviously not complaining.”
Maasdorp’s journey to walk-on status mirrors the one taken by his father, Dayne, albeit at a lower level.
Dayne Maasdorp grew up in Kentucky before attending Sarasota High in Florida. He sat out two years, moved back to Kentucky and then returned to Bradenton to work at IMG Academy. That led to showing up to a shootaround at State College of Florida, which was known as Manatee Community College at the time. Maasdorp said Harry Kinnan, who was the coach at the time, asked him to be on the team.
Kinnan, a legendary junior college basketball coach in the Bradenton-area, offered him a scholarship the next year.
So with Chase’s path running parallel to his own, Dayne Maasdorp was beyond excited when he found out Chase had walked on with the Tigers.
“I was out of my mind and so excited, and that kind of started this chapter of his life and it all worked out great,” said Dayne Maasdorp, who is in Minneapolis with his wife to cheer on Chase and Auburn this weekend.
Now Chase is on an Auburn Tigers team enjoying the best season in school history. The torn ACL suffered by Chuma Okeke was a devastating blow late in their Sweet 16 victory over UNC, but they rallied to beat Kentucky in overtime in the Elite Eight.
One of Auburn’s stars in that win over UK was Jared Harper. Maasdorp goes against Harper and shooting guard Bryce Brown in practices, and those experiences have taught him a lot.
“Jared Harper’s basketball IQ is the highest I’ve ever seen in any player,” Chase Maasdorp said. “I would say the same about our coach. Coach (Bruce) Pearl’s basketball IQ is through the roof. Jared, going against him every day, and going against Bryce every day, you’re only going to learn and get better. So I have Bryce hounding me full-court every day in practice ... it’s definitely tiring having an elite-level defender like Bryce guard you. And honestly, Jared’s become an elite-level defender, as well.”
Maasdorp says his goal is to add at least 10-15 pounds by next season.
But for now, he’ll soak up the Final Four experience and help prepare the Tigers’ starting five and reserves for Saturday’s game against Virginia.
This story was originally published April 5, 2019 at 5:43 PM with the headline "Auburn walk-on from Florida engineers unique path to Final Four appearance with Tigers."
