Former Mayor of Dunk City Fieler parlays MVP season into big jump

Chase Fieler, the former mayor of Dunk City, lamented the only drawback of playing overseas late Tuesday morning. 

The waiting game.

You never know when or where you might go, and the mostly-in-the-dark process can literally take up to four months.

Florida Gulf Coast University's all-time leading rebounder and fourth all-time scorer didn't have to sweat it out much before finding out where he'll play his fourth professional season. After some afternoon negotiating from his agent, Keith Kreiter of Edge Sports, the 6-foot-8, 245- pound Fieler inked his first-ever two-year deal, signing with Telenet Oostende, Belgium's top team, Tuesday night. 

This is a giant step up in competition and salary and that it happened quickly was super-important to Fieler. 

"This is very big," said Fieler, who played at FGCU from 1010-14 and played a huge role in helping the Eagles roll into the 2013 Sweet 16. "Now the whole summer I can gear around specifically what the coach wants. I don't have to worry about, 'Am I going to leave in a week. Am I going to leave in two months?' I can start looking at the league and start seeing how they play and adjust my style to fit in there better."

Telenet Oostende has won six straight national championships, something that's become old hat to Fieler, who has won one every pro season. As a rookie, he started for Ourense Termal, which won the Spanish national title. Two seasons ago, despite some high-ankle problems, the Parkersburg, West Virginia, native started for Donar Groningen, which won the Eredivisie (Dutch) Finals. 

Last season, Fieler led Donar Groningen to its second straight national title for the first time. His team became the first-ever to win the Eredivisie Finals, the Dutch Basketball Cup and the Super Cup. Donar Groningen also advanced to the second round of the EuroCup for the first time. 

"Hopefully I can continue my streak," said Fieler, who's really enjoying the FIBA life. 

With Telenet Oostende, Fieler, who returned to the U.S. on May 26 and will head to Belgium in August, will be able to compete in the Champions League, a jump over EuroCup play and something he's been aiming for. 

He'll also play for a coach, Croatian Dario Gjergja, who conducts practices in English and has told Fieler he expects him to start and play about 25 minutes per game, which is the apex for his program. 

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"It's less than I played last year, but I think it will allow me to be more aggressive and play with a little bit more energy," said Fieler, who turned 25 on June 10. "I won't have to reserve energy for the end of the games."

Fieler is coming off a slam-dunk season. He led his team in scoring (15.0 points), rebounding (7.5), blocks (1.4) and field-goal percentage (a whopping 68.8). He also averaged 3.0 assists (second on the team) and 1.5 steals, and shot 38.8 percent behind the 3-point line and 79.1 percent from the free-throw stripe. 

He was the MVP of the Dutch playoffs that concluded with Donar Groningen smacking around Landstede Basketball Zwolle 4-1 with wins that averaged 34.5-point margins. He was a member of the Dutch Basketball League All-Star team and was the EuroCup Round 5 MVP.

In November, Fieler made EuroCup history, scoring 24 points by hitting 9 of 14 from the field, dishing out eight assists and coming up with four steals and four blocks in a rout of Limburg United.That equaled a not-seen-before efficiency rating of 46.

Fieler downplayed all that. He pointed to his veteran teammates and the high-assists style of play that led to a 34-3 record. 

"Really good team," Fieler said. "I was fortunate to be playing with a lot of good guys who play the game right. Very unselfish. We were playing our best basketball toward the end, but really the whole year we were doing just about the same exact same thing."

Donar Gronigen was big on taking either 3-pointers or layups (or dunks). Nothing in between. Fieler said it was akin to FGCU women's coach Karl Smesko's 3-point-heavy system, which has made the Eagles a mid-major power. Fieler, who said almost all of his 165 3-point attempts were spot-ups, called it "perfect" for him. 

But he did spend more time heading into last season increasing the arc on his long shots and not wasting time on things -- mid-rangers, tons of post moves -- he would not use. Still, Fieler's shooting percentages even surprised him, although he is working to raise them. 

College basketball: Ex-Dunk City mayor Chase Fieler feeling at home in Holland

Fieler became a fan favorite in Holland. Donar Groningen got tons of press and its fans apparently loved them some Fieler, although, unlike most players, they did not use a nickname on him. Chase was good enough. Fieler sports a thick beard overseas but not at home -- "(Fiancee') Whitney (Masters) and I made a mutual agreement; she tells me to shave it and I do" -- and before home games, fake Fieler beards were passed out to fans. Many made T-shirts that included "Chase", the beard and/or his likeness. 

"It became way bigger than it should have been," Fieler said. 

As the team steamrolled, Donar Gronigen fans sold out Holland's biggest arena the last three months and outnumbered Landstede fans even during road games in the Finals. 

Masters, a volleyball standout at FGCU, where the couple met, spent three months with Fieler last season, but had to get back to her Muncie, Indiana, hospital job as a nurse well before the playoffs started. Losing her was tough, but it didn't affect his game or their relationship. 

"She and I have done so well in figuring how to be together without being physically together that it's not even going to hurt our relationship," Fieler said. "Hopefully she and I can be together a whole year, but we don't know when that will be."

The wedding will be July 1. A month or so after it, Fieler will head to Belgium alone in search of his fourth national title in four seasons. 

"It's amazing," Fieler said. "I've been fortunate to be in the positions I have."

Former FGCU Players in the Pros
Name, FGCU seasons, Last Season's Team, Next Season's Team
Sherwood Brown, 2009-13, Hebeisen White Wings Hanau (Germany), TBD
Kevin Cantinol, 2011-12, Berck/Rang du Fliers (France), TBD
Filip Cvjeticanin, 2011-16, KK Velika Gorica (Croatia), TBD
Chase Fieler, 2010-14, Donar Groningen (Holland), Telenet Oostende (Belgium)
Jamail Jones, 2013-15, Tecnoswitch Ruvo Di Puglia (Italy), TBD
Eric McKnight, 2011-16, Cleveland Havoc (U.S.; Universal Basketball Association), TBD
Bernard Thompson, 2011-15, MLP Heidelberg Academics (Germany), TBD