Ambition from other teams is sweet and all, but when the other team comes a-knocking, we know that senior Chase Honarvar will be a-blocking. Honarvar broke the record for the most blocks in the state of Kansas during a game at Bishop Ward on February 7th. Seabury ended up winning that night 69-62 against the Cyclones. Then at the next home game, Honarvar was honored with a special navy and green basketball, and they even invited the previous recipient of the title, Jarrett Grosdidier, to attend the event.
Honarvar describes growing up with sports, particularly basketball, in his veins, saying, “It’s just something I’ve been doing since I was a kid. I just played every sport.” As for what motivates him to play, he describes a sincere relationship with basketball, saying, “It’s just for the love of the game, you know, [I] just love the game.” However, he does have a specific influencer that he insists is the best inspiration, saying, “Steph Curry is the G.O.A.T.”
Honarvar is so locked in on a successful senior season that he did not even know he was coming close to the previous record. He explained that he only found out “When my grandad told me two weeks ago that it was even a thing, and I was like, ‘That’s pretty cool.’” As for how the accomplishment feels, he explains, “It’s pretty cool, you know, to get my name in the record book. I don’t really know where the book is or where I can find it, but it’s somewhere.” Honarvar does not know exactly which block went down in history because he “cherish[es] them all equally.” However, he describes how most blocks usually go, “I went up there, the guy shot it, and I blocked it.”
Honarvar has played basketball during all of his four years at Seabury, and his favorite memory so far comes back with a nostalgic twist: “I think it was against Veritas like my freshman year. We kinda sucked that year, but Veritas sucked more, so we beat them, so that was pretty cool.” Honarvar has a true zest for the game and describes it as “very enjoyable just to get out there, having fun, play[ing] with my friends, shooting and having a good time.”
As one of the team captains, Honarvar has a big role this season as the team’s goal is to get back to State. Last season they took runner-up, but they are thirsting for the loftier goal of first this year. Because of this, the team has a tunnel-vision mindset on and off the court, which can sometimes come off as intensity, but is more like a brotherly love. “We support each other, but if you were to look at us, you’d think that we hate each other because we’re always talking crap on each other, but you know we love each other at the end of the day,” he describes. “This is my buddy,” he says, giving junior Jace Hoffman a big squeeze.
As for what a typical pre-game routine looks like for Honarvar, he explains, “I shoot at halftime, check my fantasy team team to see if I’m sucking or not, and then we get a speech, I write something on the board, everyone gets excited about it, and then we play.” His hype up music consists of “Kendrick Lamar – specifically ‘Cartoons and Cereal by Kendrick Lamar.’” As for what happens after the game, he heads back to “Whatever mom’s cooking at home.”
While scouted out by numerous schools and given many offers, Honarvar will be playing at Lake Forest College, which is near Chicago, next fall. He says he is excited to be reaching the next level and “just like the aspect of getting better; you know, playing with better people [and] better competition.”
Hoffman, another team captain, gushes with pride in his friend at his accomplishments. “You know, I get to witness greatness right in front of me, the aura master himself. I just get out on the court and I’m just like ‘Wow, how lucky am I to just be in his presence right now?’… Honestly, it would draw comparisons to being LeBron’s teammate,” he says.
A reflective man, Honarvar passes on some meta wisdom to the next generation of basketball leaders, saying, “Don’t be like me, be your own person; you know you gotta do what you want to do. Don’t try to be like anyone else.”
After interviewing Honarvar, he could really only be described as a humble leader and one heck of a ball player. We have loved watching him flourish over the past four years and cannot wait to see what the future holds for this season and the many seasons to come.
