Christopher Blab

Former pro basketball player Uwe Blab still can't wrap his mind around the death of his son.

After graduating from Wimberley High School in May, Christopher Blab traveled around Europe. Using his aunt's home in Munich as a base, the 19-year-old hitchhiked and "couch surfed," going to Paris and Switzerland and Slovenia, meeting new friends and visiting old ones along the way.

Christoper's hunger for adventure was amazing, Uwe Blab said, recalling the time his son hopped in a Volkswagen bus with three guys he had just met to play music and hang out on the beaches of Croatia.

It was during a surprise visit home for Christmas and New Year's that disaster struck.

Christopher Blab died Jan. 10 at University Medical Center Brackenridge, a day after being injured in a fight outside a party in San Marcos. Police officials said Blab fell and struck his head at an apartment complex in the 1600 block of North Interstate 35.

A memorial service was held Saturday. Uwe Blab, who played for the Dallas Mavericks and the San Antonio Spurs, said 600 people attended.

Blab said he finds his son's death unbelievable after he managed to safely hitchhike and adventure around Europe.

"He was doing so well," Blab said. "He comes out of that trip so much more mature, and he's grown a lot. Then he comes home, goes to a normal college town where there's a party, and this happens.

"I still can't grasp that thought," Blab said.

Blab said none of his son's friends knew the person who threw the punch at the party.

No arrests have been made in the case. San Marcos Police Chief Howard Williams said investigators are all but certain they know who fought with Christopher Blab.

Williams said he is referring the case to the Hays County district attorney's office, which will determine what - if any - charges might be filed.

"It looks like it could be a legitimate case of self-defense," Williams said, declining to elaborate.

Uwe Blab retired from a five-year NBA career in 1990, the same year Christopher Blab was born. The German-born, 7-foot-1-inch center played with the Mavericks, Golden State and, in his final few games, the Spurs. He now lives in Wimberley and works as a software developer. He and his wife, Key Gresham-Blab, have a younger son and daughter.

Christopher Blab was tall and skinny, like his dad, who called him a "young philosopher." He went on missions with his church during his senior year of high school and worked as a camp counselor.

Blab loved few things more than playing pickup basketball with his friends, his father said. He played on the Wimberley High team until his junior year.

In his memory, the Blab family plans to fund a basketball court at Blue Hole Park in Wimberley. Uwe Blab hopes that it's something his son would appreciate.

Christopher Blab had been accepted to several colleges, but with the encouragement of his parents, he decided to travel after his high school graduation. Having spoken his father's native German while growing up, communicating was no problem. But his parents were impressed that he traveled alone and figured things out along the way.

"He was so brave," Gresham-Blab said. She said her son was a caring and introspective young man, who seemed 10 years older during his visit home. "It's not something a lot of us would do."

In a college essay he was working on over the holidays, Christopher Blab said he grew during the trip and did many things he never thought himself capable of.

"Before I left, I was half the person I am now," he wrote. "I grew up through my experiences, and now I am slowly realizing what it is I want out of this life. Why waste it?"

Patrick George; pgeorge@statesman.com; 512-392-8750