Zack Tate

Zack Tate
(Zorilla, C)
ID# 657
	photo by Pac
No. 99 – Hawaii Kahunas
Position	Center
Species	Zorilla ( Mustelidae )
Gender	Male
Nickname(s)
	Kamikaze
Personal information
Born	June 3, 1992 (age 30); Santa Cruz, CA
Nationality	American
Listed height	7 ft 5 in (2.26 m)
Listed weight	270 lb (122 kg)
Shoots	Right
Career information
School	PredTech of Northern California
FBA draft	2013 / Round: 2 / Pick: 30th overall
	Selected by the Alaska Arctics
Pro playing career	2013–present
Career history
2013-2015	Alaska Arctics
2015-present	Hawaii Kahunas
Career highlights and awards
	FBA All-Star (2016); FBA Rookie All-Star (2014); FBA Block leader x2 (2019), (2020);
Contract information
Contract year	2020
2023 Salary	$16 million
Player Contacts
(IC) Agent	Murina Beaubonique (female black rat)
(OOC) Creator	Pac
(OOC) Actor	Pac
(OOC) Usage	Ask me before any use

Zackary "Zack" Tate is a male zorilla center currently playing for the Hawaii Kahunas of the Furry Basketball Association.

Biography

"Kids will be kids." A phrase often uttered by the exhausted and exacerbated parents of twins Zack and Zora Tate. Rowdy handfuls since birth, the fraternal pair were constantly locked in competition with each other. Though they were close enough to be conjoined twins, love and respect for each other was earned through gauntlets of dangerous dares and perilous games. Born and raised in fun loving Santa Cruz, California, the two had no problem finding a new adventure at every turn. Bold and fearless to a fault, the duo appeared as though they felt they were indestructible, despite crash after crash and failed stunts. Longboards, rollerblading, BMX bikes and good old fashioned climbing and falling. Zack and Zora, even at a young age, were fiercely independent, following one another from skate park to beach to hill to roof, getting into all kinds of unsupervised trouble for hours on end.

For much of their youth the twins were what people expect twins to be; alike in nearly every way. They looked alike, were roughly the same size and had an eerily unified personality. They were equals in skill, strength and unmatched in reckless abandon. But then Zack began to grow. And grow. And grow. Soon the perception of them ever being twins was stretched beyond reason. While Zora barely able to scrape five feet at age fifteen, Zack began to grow, and grow fast. His eventual height would cap out at a whopping seven foot five inches by age twenty. Though puberty divided them physically, they remained the close, competitive brother and sister eager to upstage each other. However, it was becoming apparent that as Zack grew he was not able to do many of the things he and his sister could a small spry kits, a fact made clear when a once easy front flip onto the top of a bus from the school roof resulted in a miss calculation (and a loss of teeth and nerve damage to his face.)

Basketball had always been an interest to Zack, finding unique ways to incorporate his ridiculous stunts with a bastardized version HORSE, attempting shots and dunks from atop cars and skateboards, shooting a well worn abused basketballs through moving targets often resulting in them being lost or crushed. When Zack could no longer keep up with his petite sister, out growing his bike and his blades, he focused on his natural fit as a ball player. Though not the extreme sports future he had once imagined, Zack found pleasure in converting his skills and energy full time to basketball. In the beginning, he relished the forward position, able to take nearly impossible shots from the perimeter or in traffic, thanks to his irresponsible shooting challenges. But he kept growing and soon found his size more suited for the position of center position, much to his chagrin. Although he proved to be dangerously effective near the basket both on offense and defense, Zack once again found himself out growing his own skills, at time lamenting not being able to mix it up like he could as a forward.

True to his nature as a born to raise hell thrill jockey, Zack is truly fearless and ready to sacrifice and do whatever it takes. It also makes him a bit hasty and unpredictable. When college rolled around, he was almost passed over for a sports scholarship, despite helping his high school with the most impressive winning season they've had in years. "He's good, but he's impulsive for a center" a recruiter commented on his playing style. Like any good coach should, though, PredTech of Northern California saw potential and opportunity to mold a truly unique player. In exchange for better ball control and curtailing some of his slapdash tendencies, his tie to the basket was loosened, able to pick up a few more responsibilities of the forward despite having outgrown the position.

Playstyle

Zack Tate is an extremely energetic player with deft footwork and as much grace that can be afforded by his species of his size. Contending for a rebound even among the biggest, heaviest players is his bread and butter, and his reckless streak has made him unafraid of putting his body on the line. Size is his greatest asset, completing assists, plucking rebounds like cherries and slapping block shots like an epic high-five. While he is best close to the basket both on offense and defense, he has passable mid range shooting. Being a polecat with a background in various extreme sports yields a player that is confident, quick and balanced for his size. But that size and energy (and foolhardiness) comes at a price. Strong stamina and hard play takes a toll on the nearly seven and a half foot zorilla, a species and family which is known for hardly reaching past the five and a half mark. Extensive measures need to be taken for the mustelid to recover from each game and keep his larger than necessary body healthy and fueled, lest he risk serious injury.

Personality

Zack is no-holds-barred when it comes to energy and extroversion. Friends are in no short supply as the giant polecat loves finding every opportunity to show someone new a good time, make them feel welcome or simply put them at ease. Though he is an original party animal, he is remarkably in tune with the emotions of others, evident through his degree in Psychology. Zack is a good natured "bro" who would give your shirt off his back (if you needed a smelly circus tent).

His size, energy and high metabolism species make Zack a comically big eater. To maintain his weasel body and the energy it takes to fuel a professional athlete career, Zack has to ingest large qualities of food often. Though it is a running gag that he tends to shut down buffets, it's a necessary and sometimes troublesome side effect of being a giant zorilla.

High metabolism is not the only gift his species bestows upon him. His legendary stench is second to none and an occasional complaint for those uninitiated. Zack often takes advantage of this offensive aspect of himself by sneaking up on friends and trapping them inside of his over-sized sweat shirt; a practice affectionately known as "hoodie'ing"