Ju Chaehwan
| 2021 Draft Candidate | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | |
| Nabi | |
| Personal information | |
| Species | Yellow-Throated Marten |
| Gender | They/He |
| Date of birth | September 24, 1998 |
| Birth place | Jeju-Do, South Korea. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) |
| Listed weight | 282 lb (128 kg) |
| Shoots | Right-handed |
| Education | |
| School | Claiborne University |
| Player Contacts | |
| (IC) Agent | Drakken |
| (OOC) Creator | Drakken |
Biography
Fueled by a hunger and determination to not only provide for his family, but to make a childhood dream come true, Ju Chaehwan has decided to try for the FBA. Though more widely known for his feats in Taekwondo, he strives to achieve more with the sport that won his heart first: Basketball.
The middle child of a family of five, Chaehwan was born September 24th 1998 on Jeju Island, South Korea. A second generation Korean citizen, it was ultimately up to his father (korean-american) to raise Chaehwan outside of the states. Where his father made it a point to have his children raised more traditionally Korean, it was in Chaehwan’s father that he got his insights into America.
His grandfather, Ju Ji-Hoon, was one of the many refugees who sought escape from Japanese rule. A student at the time of his move there, he was able to find his way into a prospective job until the Walter Act of 1952. After successfully getting citizenship within the United States, he found and married his late wife and had two healthy kids - one of which was Chaehwan’s father. They only stayed in the states for ten years before making the move back to Korea. What little time his father spent in the states was enough to leave a dissatisfying taste in his mouth. Where his father was horrified to the way asian immigrants still got treated, Chaehwan’s grandfather had long grown past it and was more than happy to stay in America. His wife, another korean immigrant, missed home. Thus, the family moved.
Ju Ji-Hoon never missed an opportunity to introduce his grandchildren to american things, though. Whether it be movies, tv shows, songs, etc...the older marten was happy to share. His son, Chaehwan’s father, simply put up with it. By this time, he’d moved to Jeju Island for his job and was at ease knowing his father was on mainland South Korea; a distance away from him and his children.
However, this wouldn’t stop Ji-Hoon from coming to visit as often as he could. Chaehwan was the one who spent the most time with his grandfather and was enamoured with the older marten. It wasn’t until he was five when his grandfather really and him really bonded. There were a lot of american things Ji-Hoon had taken a liking to. But the one thing his own children had never taken an interest in? Basketball. And as luck would have it? This would become the one thing his grandson loved above all else.
As much as Chaehwan wanted to have Basketball as his main sport, his father had other ideas. Before he knew it, he’d been enrolled in Taekwondo. Luckily for his father, he was a quick learner. Even more than that, he was a devoted son. For now, at the age of six, basketball would have to be more of a side hobby than a main one.
Growing up, Chaehwan was known for being studious and dutiful. Most neighbors envied his parents for having a son that was so willing to help whenever needed. To many, he seemed like the perfect child. Straight A’s, no bad habits, never one to argue -- and more than talented in Taekwondo.
By the time he reached middle school, he was exceeding the skills of peers and others inn his age group. His father, beyond proud, was one of many convinced that Chaehwan had the possibility to be a prodigy in Korea’s martial art. As long as his father was proud, Chaehwan was more than willing to push himself and be his absolute best. To everyone around him, it seemed like he was content.
This all changed when, at the age of 12, his father moved to Seoul for his job. The current commute he’d been making from Jeju Island to Seoul was simply too much and, struggling to take care of a family of five, he desperately sought to move up. While Chaehwan’s grandfather did as much as he could to help the family out, Chaehwan saw the toll his family took from his father being away. On weekends, his father would do his best to come up and spend time with the family. But by the time Chaehwan was 15, the visits seemed to spread out further and further. In an effort to try and help his family, he would take on whatever jobs were willing to hire him. He then set his sights on the future and what he could do to possibly contribute more.
Ju Ji-Hoon took this opportunity to try and help his grandson by talking about the opportunities the states could give him. In secret, the two martens talked and planned out what his future could be.
By 16, with an argument or two, Ji-Hoon had managed to convince his son to let Chaehwan reignite that love for Basketball. As long as it didn’t interfere with anything else in his schedule, Chaehwan was able to join the team at his school. Up until this time, he was only able to play by himself or practice with others on nearby courts. When he couldn’t find time to play, he was watching FBA footage. If anything, this was the opportune moment for him to push himself with the sport and even, quite possibly, toy with the idea of doing more. A rising star by the name of ‘Big Fish’ was making big splashes. He found someone to look up to in Lee Jin-Sung. The following year the bear got drafted, Chaehwan’s childhood pipe dreams seemed more realistic. Lee Jin-Sung and Derek Kim became inspirations for the yellow-throated marten.
Still, the marten had reservations. In the end, his ‘not-wanting-to-upset-his-parents’ got the better of him. Not wanting to be a disappointment to his family, he continued down the path he’d pre-planned for himself.
When the marten turned 17, his father made a surprise visit to throw a celebration for him. It was his belief, as well as many others (scouts included), that he could have a real shot at going to the 2018 Asian games and participate. If it was his father’s wish? Then so be it.
The years leading up to the asian games were draining on Chaehwan. Working two jobs, keeping up with school, trying to get a scholarship while working on an internship -- as well as not slipping with basketball and even moreso with Taekwondo? There was nothing too physically taxing for him, but mentally and emotionally, he was near an all time low. Still, he had to push himself. His family was excited and cheering him on, afterall. When 2018 came, Chaehwan brought everything to the asian games. While he went to participate in Taekwondo, he couldn’t help but stare longingly at the basketball participants.
Yet, at the age of 19, the marten stood, gold metal in hand: the winner of that year's men's individual poomsae. On tv, every fur could see a wide grin on the marten’s face.
Off the screen and after he’d gotten home, Chaehwan broke down in tears. What should have been one of the happiest moments in his life instead felt like one of the most suffocating. It didn’t help that shortly after his win, his grandfather broke startling news to him. Ji-Hoon had applied Chaehwan for a scholarship and opportunity abroad. He waited until after his grandson had won, to give him the acceptance letter from Claiborne University.
Chaehwan had a mix of emotions. While Claiborne had his degree program of choice and the states paid better for his career field...it was a basketball scholarship.
His grandfather had done the absolute most to send in footage of the marten and even scout’s reports on him. Scouts noted Chaehwan had a knack for picking through defense on the court, making openings for his teammates, and overall having a cool level-headed demeanor for someone his size. It was said he had the potential to really be someone. The only problem scouts noted was that, like every other fur thought, Chaehwan’s goals were more focused on Taekwondo than basketball.
For a week, he mulled over this opportunity. In the end, he called his grandfather to relay the news. He’d chosen….to go to Claiborne.
His time at the Louisiana university started off rough. He’d never been to the states prior to this. First came the slight culture shock - then the backlash from his father. While the marten was typically laid back and easy going, his father’s disappointment took a real toll on him and threw him into a depression for his first month at Claiborne. Maybe it was the connection of kindred spirits or just dumb luck. Regardless, Chaehwan would find himself becoming friends with Callum Williamson and Berty Lavoie-Williamson. It was with the help of these two that he came out of his fog. With the addition of chatty friend Elliott, then later Xavier Clarke, Chaehwan began to thrive.
Not only was he starting to show signs of professional potential by his sophomore year, he was also able to land a student trainee job at a big programming company. Whatever money he made was sent to his family right away. At the start of his junior year, his mother and younger sister moved to the states to live with him. By this time, he took more notice of Berty and Callum’s talks of the FBA.
Living in a two bedroom, one bath apartment with his mother and sister was...stressful to say the least. It became more stressful with news of his brother’s falling out with their father. At one point, it was assumed his brother would help support the family first; being as he was older, already had a masters, and had landed a job. His brother had even made the move to Seoul to try and help support their father. Now, his brother, unemployed, seemed to want to get into another industry. His grandfather once again did his best to help the family. Chaehwan at least felt at ease knowing his grandfather was there.
This would all fall apart during the summer of 2020 when his aunt called with the news of his grandfather’s passing. Had it not been for the support system of friends at Claiborne, Chaehwan didn’t know how he’d get through this loss. He grieved at first -- until his aunt sent him a letter his grandfather had written addressed to him.
Two weeks went by where Chaehwan took time to himself. When that two weeks was up, he came back to school ready, now more than ever, to prove himself. His goals had shifted and for the first time, he made a decision that would make him happy. From then, he devoted himself entirely to making himself better, day by day, into a league-ready player. Granted, he had already been a good player and was Claiborne's starting PF in his sophomore year. Now, though, he wanted to be a great player. The type that a team wanted to fight over.
When Berty and Callum entered the 2021 draft class, Ju Chaehwan made it a point to tell them “See you next year.” Indeed, it's the 2022 FBA draft class that Chaehwan has set his sights on.
Now, with a more polished skill set, some more muscle mass, and an unwavering desire to follow his own dreams, Chaehwan thinks himself ready. Scouts now peg him as a must have Forward for teams that are defense-focused or lacking in defense. He has the prospect of being a force to be reckoned with like great furs such as: Kevin Malka, Lee Jin-Sung, Rodger Umaechi, Scoonie Barrett -- and even newer talents such as Desdemonda Iverson, Michael River and Zaire Tipton. It’s just a matter of which team wants to give the yellow-throated marten a chance and mold him into the FBA’’s next possible all star.