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When former Wake Forest guard Chase Fischer decided it was time to leave the Demon Deacons basketball program, he had no idea that he would end up choosing BYU, a school located 2,083.4 miles away from Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
The 6'3" guard from Ripley, West Virginia thought his future with the Demon Deacons was bright. However after a system change and a diminished role, Fischer knew it was time to move on.
"It's (BYU) really far away from West Virginia and North Carolina where I've been," Fischer said when he joined Cougar Sports Saturday this past weekend. "They made me feel really at home, and the basketball speaks for itself...my parents really felt comfortable with it too, so it really made it easy for me to cancel my other visits because I really fell in love with BYU."
In Fischer, the Cougars are getting a former Parade All-American. In fact, Fischer joins the likes of Chris Paul and Al-Farouq Aminu as the only former Deacons to earn first-team honors from Parade. Even though Fischer will have to sit out the 2013-2014 season due to NCAA transfer rules, BYU is willing to wait.
While the Fischer signing wasn't met with huge fanfare, this is a big deal for the Cougars; not just because of his skill-set, but because of what this type of signing means for the BYU program.
Fischer is not a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. With the exception of knowing BYU assistant coach Mark Pope (Pope was an assistant at WF when Fischer was being recruited) Chase has no connections whatsoever to the program. The Cougars typically don't get kids like this.
While Fischer fills a need for the Cougars on the court, his signing speaks volumes about just how relevant BYU Basketball is. How many times has a player decided to leave the ACC for Provo? Make no mistake, Fischer had other opportunities to play college basketball. In fact, he chose the Cougars over Valaparaiso, Ball State, Ohio and Florida Gulf Coast.
No matter what sport it is, there is a perception that BYU can't get upper-echelon talent. That perception is changing rapidly; especially in football and basketball. A signing like Fischer, along with the recent signings of Emery, Haws and Mika, lets other potential recruits/players know that BYU is a viable destination for talented hoopsters.
Just like in the case of Chase (rhyming not intentional, but decided to go with it) all it takes is an open mind and a willingness to see what BYU can offer. Fischer was willing to hear BYU out -- a decision he was glad he made.
"My brother texted me while I was on my visit and was like, how do you like it even though it's far away? I just told him I'm in love with it. You really have to go out and be in Provo, and be with Coach Rose and the staff to really get the full experience."
As long as BYU can continue to win basketball games, talented players like Chase Fischer will take notice and want to come to Provo.
