Pacers forward and former Argentinian standout Luis Scola settles in at Geist, just in time for his children’s first snow. (Photos by Brenda Staples Photography)

Sitting at the bar in the lower level of his modern, contemporary-style Geist home, talking to Luis Scola is almost like talking to any other guy. He enjoys sports, good movies, the music of U2 and spending time with his kids. But when the 6-foot-9-inch Pacers forward gets up from his chair, you know this is no ordinary man. His height alone seems to call the room to attention, much like the veteran player often does when he pulls a great move on the basketball court.

And yet the 33-year-old Scola is a down-to-earth guy who seems truly grateful for how far he’s come since his days as a young boy growing up on a farm in Argentina. His dad played semipro basketball, and when Luis picked up a basketball at age 7, he knew he would never put it down again.

“I’ve had a great career,” says Scola. “I’ve been around the world and have lived in some great cities just doing what I love — playing basketball!”

He met his high school sweetheart, Pamela, at 16, and the two took off together the next year as Scola played on the Argentina team. Scola wound up in Houston and then on to the Phoenix Suns before being acquired by the Pacers last year. Scola, Pamela and their four young boys, ages 8 and under, moved into their Geist home just last November. “It was right before the big snow,” laughs Scola. “The kids haven’t seen snow like that, so we tried to get out and enjoy it — we tried to build a snowman!”

Pat Carlini interviews Scola in his Geist home with a framed Argentinian jersey from earlier in his career.

Scola says he learned about Geist through friends and wanted to make his home here too. Fellow teammates Paul George and George Hill are also Geist residents. “I love the spacious backyard with a pool,” says Scola, who enjoys grilling out and a glass of red wine now and then.

“I also plan to get a boat now that I have a dock just down the road!”

Scola also wants to “explore Indiana.”

“I like to get to know the area when my family and I move to a new city,” says Scola.

But for now, Scola just wants to play ball and put his best foot forward, and with a size 17 shoe, that’s one foot that will not go unnoticed! Good luck, Luis Scola, and welcome to Geist!