Senior Chris Kasparian is the all-time leading scorer in the history of Palisades Park boys basketball..

PALISADES PARK – As Chris Kasparian entered Palisades Park High School four years ago there was little to suggest the individual or team success that was in front of him. He was a 240-pound freshman lumbering into a program not necessarily known for its prowess on the basketball floor.

But Kasparian's story is one of self-discipline, self-motivation and a grasp of the bigger picture that is not always so apparent these days. Kasparian opened himself up to some coaching and accepted some help from his friends.

"I had an AAU coach, Tony Murphy from College Achieve in Paterson, and he was straight forward with me. Basketball is all about conditioning and I took the criticism. I took action and going into my junior year I lost 60 pounds," said Kasparian. "I changed my whole diet and my teammate here, Kostantinos Arapidis, every day we were just working out, getting our steps in, running; whatever we had to do to get in shape. Without him, without the tough words from [Murphy], I wouldn't be here right now."

Where Kasparian is now, as a 185-pound senior, is atop the all-time scoring list in Pal Park boys basketball history. With 38 points last Wednesday against Hawthorne Christian, Kasparian blew by George Cloutier's long-standing record of 1,467 points. After Tuesday's win over Ridgefield his total stood at 1,559, second in school history behind only Melissa Donovan's total of 1,654.

Then, on Thursday after the interviews for this story were completed, Kasparian went for 32 points and hit the game-winning 3-pointer with less than one second to go as Pal Park came from 16 points down to knock off Hasbrouck Heights on the road. His point total now stands at 1,591.

"What he's done, obviously, on the court, has been great but it is the work that he put in off the court that gave him the chance to put together these accomplishments, to score over 1,500 points and lead us to the state playoffs," said Ive Pavin, (Pal Park Class of 2010), who was a 1,000-point scorer himself and is now the Tigers' head coach. "He's a Pal Park kid playing Pal Park basketball. He felt comfortable here, he wanted to stay with his friends and he wanted to make a name for himself here. I am glad it worked out for him."

Kasparian is the first 1,000-point scorer since Chris Rodriguez crossed the threshold in 2020 and there was build-up as it became clear that he had a real shot to catch Cloutier for the all-time number. Heading into last week's Hawthorne Christian game where he needed 12 points to catch Cloutier, he stuck to his routine.

"I just treated it like any other normal game and I knew that my teammates would get me the ball," said Kasparian. "The most important thing was getting a win for the team."

That is what makes this chase all the more rewarding for the Tigers as it has come in the midst of a successful season in the win/loss column. Pal Park was 7-17 last season, 5-18 the year before and even when they qualified for the state tournament in 2023 they finished with a 9-16 record.

This year Pal Park finished second in the NJIC- National Division, two games behind league champion Secaucus. In the two games that wound up deciding the league title, Secaucus won by 7 points at home and by just two in Pal Park.

It was a competitive race and a product of the NJIC's new structure, which groups teams into leagues by last season's results. There are pros and cons to the set up as it breaks up long standing rivalries at least temporarily, but for programs like Pal Park, where state tournament berths are not always a given, it has led to a feel-good season that includes a spot in the North 2, Group 1 state sectional tournament. The Tigers will play at No. 6 Cedar Grove in the opening round on Wednesday.

"You can see the effect of it in the hallways. There is a little bit of swagger now and just a rise in their confidence. Our crowd numbers aren't great, but they are way better than they used to be. A lot of the younger kids come to the games to see this group play and there is a little bit more of a buzz in the school regarding the team. It matters; sports matter and when you have a winning basketball team it helps the moral of the school," said Dino Eliopoulos a 1996 Pal Park grad, whose first year as the athletic director at his alma mater coincided with the freshman year of the Class of 2026. "It also helps that Chris has been a great leader, a good face for the team with a positive attitude. That trickles down to other players and other sports and hopefully it shows that we can be successful here at Palisades Park."

It would take an all-time upset, at least in terms of the Tigers' basketball history, to keep the pursuit of Donovan's record alive past Wednesday's trip to Cedar Grove, but even if it all ends there, Kasparian will leave the gym at 1 Veteran's Plaza, Palisades Park, NJ 07650 as an all-time great and with what the system was designed for: a positive experience playing high school sports.

"My high school experience has been as good as I could have hoped for. That senior class that was here when I was a freshman was the most fun, just the way they took me in," said Kasparian, who is looking for a spot to continue hooping next year. "And all of these guys that are here, we have all been playing together from middle school to now, to our senior year. I couldn't ask for more than getting to play with my boys every day, every game. It's been great."

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