When your driving around beautiful New England where one can see history of all kinds dating back to 1775 with Paul Revere´s famous ride from Boston To Lexington and further back, but also breathtaking scenery that will help you fall in love with new locations at the blink of an eye. Stuck in the middle of all these pretty areas are also many well known prep schools where each campus has it´s own charm. A few weeks ago, I was driving around with my family on vacation on the way to a bustling beach in Maine when I came upon Exeter, New Hampshire. I didn´t have to think more than a few seconds before deciding to turn off on the exit and head to the town that was founded in 1638. I had ties to the school as I actually been there a little more than 40 years ago watching future NHL hall of famer Brian Leetch play his last high school game against Thayer Academy. Plus my step siter went to school there. Leetch and our school Avon Old Farms lost 6-3 against future NHL hall of famer Jeremy Roenick and future top NHL player Tony Amonte. I remember that game as it was yesterday. I only remembered that game, but not the Exeter campus back in 1986, but I´m sure a lot had changed in 40 years. The Exeter campus looked beautiful in 2026 and it was great being back. A few weeks later a new basketball experience that I had showed again how small the world is. I had the opportunity to interview a Harvard graduate by the name of Chandler Pigge (196-G, college: Harvard) who is starting his rookie season overseas in England with Manchester Basket. The club was to play a test game in Frankfurt against the Skyliners and I wanted to have the scoop on this extraordinary young man. Prep school was an incredible experience for me at Avon Old Farms that I will never forget and It wasn´t any different for Pigge at Exeter. “I loved Phillips Exeter Academy. I always say that it prepared me on every level for Harvard. Academically, athletically and socially. It was a small scale of Harvard. I have an incredible community there that supports me so I always love to go back there and train. Exeter is one of my favorite places to be in the summers”, stressed Chandler Pigge.

Miles Schmidt-Scheuber in Exeter, New Hampshire July 2026

Chandler Pigge who lists Xaivian Lee of Princeton, Kelel Ware of the Miami Heat, John Poulakidas (Dallas) and Bez Mbeng (Utah) of Yale as his toughest opponents in the NCAA was born in Houston on New year´s day 2003. However he spent a lot of his youth in Germany and even played briefly for the FC Bayern Munich youth team “I lived in Germany for 5 years. I came in eighth grade and went all through high school. My best memories are of basketball. I played basketball for my dad and we won a lot of championships. I have fond memories off the court traveling to Berlin, Munich and Trier. We also will be playing in Trier soon”, stated Chandler Pigge. Unfortunately for him something very serious derailed his time in Munich in 2021 as Covid had erupted and totally changed the world. “I only played one game for them. Covid started and they stopped the games and then the next year I graduated from high school and went to Exeter and then Harvard”, remembered Chandler Pigge. After a great and enriching time at Philips Academy, he then took the gigantic step to Harvard, a new route that he never ever regretted taking. “I grew at Harvard in every sense from basketball, academically, socially and spiritually. It was amazing to play there, because you weren´t tied down as an athlete. Being a student athlete at Harvard was real. You had to go to class and you had to be present. I learned from some of the most prestigious professors in the world and spent time with future CEO´s and presidents. I really lived out being a student athlete and I grew academically not being afraid to ask questions and ask for what you want. My coach was a big encourager on not only being tied down to the court, but being able to branch out and explore other passions. I believe that I grew for my love of film and serving others”, stressed Chandler Pigge. On the court, he made massive big steps at Harvard in his last 2 years averaging 13.1ppg, 6.7rpg, 2.6apg, 1.7spg, FGP: 55.4%, 3PT: 30.2%, FT: 75.0% and 12.9ppg, 5.1rpg, 3.3apg, 1.7spg, FGP: 46.1%, 3PT: 31.5%, FT: 75.3%. What kind of a player did he become in the last 2 years? “I became more of a Swiss Army knife type of player especially on the defensive end and with rebounding. I became a player that would go for the 50/50 balls, rebound and defend while on offense being more and aggressive and efficient getting to my spots and shots, I was joking with the guys the other day saying that I don´t want to be a guy shooting 20-30 shots, but be someone taking somewhere between 9-13 shots a game. I think that I did that Harvard”, said Chandler Pigge. He had the great opportunity and luck to be teammates with Chris Ledlum, a guy that is climbing up the basketball ladder overseas and had a great season in Germany last season with ratiopharm Ulm. “Chris was my guy. We had 4 seniors my freshman year. He was one of those guys that was always in the gym. He was a real gym rat. He was very efficient in getting his work outs in as well as recovery time. When it was game time, you didn´t want anyone else on your team. He was a real dog. He brought that component of being hungry every day. He brought the fire each day and I fed off that. He was a mentor to me in that always telling me to keep working hard and being patient with playing time. I followed his lead after that until I finished at Harvard. We both did that and that is why we are both playing professionally”, added Chandler Pigge.

The versatile player and Swiss Army knife that lists Lebron James, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Shaq and Steph Curry on his personal NBA Mount Rushmore can do a lot more than just out as he is also a flat out scorer. In his last 2 years he played 56 games and scored in double figures in 40 games. He really had Columbia´s number hitting them twice for 26 points. He had so many memorable moments on the court, but there is nothing better than being able to come out on top in the Harvard rivalry with Yale. “Beating Yale my junior year at home and then winning at Yale my senior was great. Going to the Ivy league tournament was also a fond memory. But honestly just competing with my teammates each game was memorable”, commented Chandler Pigge. Being able to grow at Harvard on and off the court wasn´t self-perpetuating as head coach Tommy Amaker played a big role in him becoming the man and player that he is today as ex players and he all have the same feeling about their ex coach. “There are not enough nice things I could say about Coach Amaker. He not only helped me become a better player but also a better person”, stressed ex Harvard player Siyani Chambers. “Being able to watch him and how he communicated. I really grew as a leader. Everyday before practice, he would talk to everyone and check in how we were doing and how our families were doing. It taught me to really cherish the little moments with every person that you encounter. Being able to connect on an individual level and not only on a collective is important. I´m excited to bring my leadership to Manchester and then to the rest of my career”, warned Chandler Pigge. Another person that he won´t forget is teammate Robert Hinton who he can´t wait to see attack the pro ranks soon. “We didn´t play 1-1 much. Robert was very strategic about his work outs. He competed more 5-5 which I can respect. He is a phenomenal player and I don´t think that any one can guard him 1-1. We had many battles back then, but he is going to be an amazing talent. I know he will be on the pro level soon. He is my guy”, stressed Chandler Pigge.

So what kind of player will fans see in Chandler Pigge who lists Lebron James as his GOAT in the United Kingdom SLB? He is a 196cm guard that gets a lot of comparisons to Lugentz Dort, Marcus Smart and Jrue Holiday, but models his game after the king. “I personally model my game after Lebron James. I´m not 6,8 and 250 pounds, but I like how he is a playmaker and wants all his teammates to be in the right spots on offense and defense. But if I had to compare my game after a guy then it would be Jrue Holiday”, said Chandler Pigge. He can fill the stat sheet (Swiss army knife) like no other and is a very good defender. Is he already a 2 way player at this juncture of your career and does he hear the Swiss army comparison at times? “I would say that I´m a two way player. I became that in college since it was my calling card. In high school I had the ball more in my hands, but in college I became more of an on and off ball defender. I think that being a 2 way player will be my calling card here. In college I feel like I was a Swiss army knife. I had to run the 4-5 in college while here I will probably more be running the 1-3. Being a Swiss army knife and being versatile is so important in basketball, so that´s what I´m trying to be here”, stressed Chandler Pigge. He never shot higher than 31% in his last three years at Harvard (NCAA) from outside. Is his three pointer still a work in progress? “It is definitely a work in progress. For me it mostly has to do with the mental part. I always had great mechanics, but it more had to do with my confidence. Now having put in a whole summer of work, I know it has improved and looking forward to showing it. It is definitely progressing”, warned Chandler Pigge. He is a very physical defender that can defend many positions. His development is going in a fine direction and he knows exactly where he wants to go in the future. “I´m a bully/pest type of defender. I´m more of a methodical defender off the ball, but want to become a tactical defender. It´s a long season and you really have to know your opponents. I want to become more strategical and not have to use it 100% of the time, but rather to know when to use that exertion”, explained Chandler Pigge. He continues to grind in the lab on his game so he will continue to improve overseas. “I want to become a more consistent shooter especially off the catch and shoot. Important for me was also coming in healthy and strong and not having any aches or pains and being mobile and having that versatility”, added Chandler Pigge.

For the American who thought the classic Coming To America movie was really good, but the sequel didn´t necessarily hurt the movie series never regretted making the decision to play his rookie season with Manchester Basket. “I wanted to go to a club where I would be valued. The team really values defense and that is really my calling card. I could become a really good 2 way player and go up the ranks. Off the court, I wanted to go somewhere where there was culture. A place where I could get out of my apartment and explore. Me and a couple of the guys already went into the city and saw how beautiful it is. I love the British accent and talking to Brits. It´s an amazing feeling to be here”, stated Chandler Pigge. His rookie season will officially start in less than 3 weeks against German team Wurzburg in a Basketball Champions League game. He will already be in Germany weeks before playing some exhibition games. German basketball has really grown and they are current Euro and World champions. He is going to play an exhibition game in Frankfurt in the gym where ex NBA player Isaac Bonga practiced every day on his craft before being drafted in 2018. How has he followed German basketball over the years? “I followed it a little. I actually played with the FC Bayern youth team. It was a far drive for me then, but I have been able to keep up with their pro team when I was in college as well as keeping up with the German national team as well. So I followed it a bit”, said Chandler Pigge. For him it never gets old being in Germany. “It means everything to me to be back in Germany. Frankfurt was about 1,5 hours away from where I lived, so it´s right around home. A lot of family and friends will be at that game supporting me so I´m really excited”, added Chandler Pigge. It will be interesting to see how his game develops further in his rookie year with Manchester Basket. One thing is for sure his presence on and off the court will always be a great enrichment for anyone.