Mountain Hawk Hoops Pros Spotlight: Jesse Chuku
9/17/2020 3:39:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Support, Features
Over the course of the 2020-21 school year, Lehighsports.com will be catching up with several former Mountain Hawks under head coach Brett Reed who have gone on to play professionally. We begin with Jesse Chuku '16.
By: Justin Lafleur, Lehigh Sports Communications
Jesse Chuku's basketball career has come full circle.
A native of London, England, Chuku attended prep school in the United States before a successful career at Lehigh. He went on to play professionally in Greece and Spain before returning to England and playing for the Leicester Riders.
Due to injury, Chuku is taking a pause from basketball… at least for now.
"Leicester is about two hours from London in a car, and an hour via train," he said. "We did play games in London, and the UK isn't huge.
"This past year felt like a homecoming, but I would've liked to have been 100 percent physically."
Nothing will take away from Chuku's basketball career, not even an injury. Flash back nearly a decade when being recruited. From the beginning, Chuku knew Lehigh was a place where he'd be able to reach his goal of playing professionally.
"I came to Lehigh with that goal in mind," he said. "I remember on my visit, I was watching CJ (McCollum) practice. Just seeing him play made me think this guy is a professional and if he could be here playing at this level, then surely it'd be a good environment for me to observe and analyze what he's doing."
Chuku was required to sit out his freshman season due to NCAA regulations, but he did practice with the team. That was in 2012-13, McCollum's senior year.
"It was a shame CJ got injured a few months into that season, so I didn't really get to see as much as I wanted. But from what I saw, it was impressive," said Chuku. "I remember walking to class and seeing CJ with a basketball. I asked where he was going. He said he needed to get as many free throws up as he could before his next class.
"I'll never forget that moment."
Chuku has always worked hard, otherwise, he wouldn't have been in the position to play Division I basketball at a prestigious institution. But seeing the work ethic of someone who would become an NBA star helped Chuku visualize how he'd reach his goals.
"CJ is definitely talented, but he's also a hard worker," said Chuku. "That stuck with me."
After Lehigh, Chuku's hard work brought him to his first professional stop in Greece with Kolossos Rodou BC.
"It was a crazy experience," said Chuku. "They really love basketball in Greece. The basketball fans are what you stereotypically expect from European fans – diehard European fans. There were fireworks going off in the crowd and all sorts of craziness. The whole year was a big learning experience, very different from college."
Chuku transitioned as well as a rookie could hope. Some ways were easier than others.
"I came in feeling like I was in really great shape," he said. "We did so much conditioning at Lehigh that when I got to the pro level, I was looking around and thinking it seemed like guys were lazy. They weren't really sprinting or running. I felt like I could do this all day, but that's probably what you'd expect from a rookie."
On the court, the game of basketball in Greece was, in Chuku's words, very "tactical".
"We'd get our scouting reports and would literally have to memorize everything," he said. "You'd have to know all the other team's plays on top of your own, how to guard each coverage and stuff like that."
Chuku was used to similar concepts at Lehigh, which helped him adjust, but it was taken to the next level in professional basketball.
"I already had different ways and methods of learning and remembering things," he said. "Having some experience beforehand – preparing rigorously for games at Lehigh through film sessions and scouts – was definitely an advantage."
After playing the 2016-17 season in Greece, Chuku's next stop was Spain, first playing for Leyma Basquet Coruna then Melilla Baloncesto (averaging 6.5 and 4.3 points per contest, respectively).
"Coruna is in the north of Spain," said Chuku. "I started getting more comfortable just being out of school. I was taking Spanish classes and getting into the flow of things.
"I then played another year in Spain in the same league, but this time in Melilla – which is actually in Africa, but it's Spanish territory. Melilla is surrounded by Morocco, so we had to fly to mainland of Spain for every game in a crazy small propeller plane."
Following his third professional season, Leicester came calling, but there was one big thing holding Chuku back.
"All the while, I was actually dealing with a hip injury," he said. "Halfway through my season in Melilla, it got to a point where I was just having too much trouble. They paid me the rest of my contract and I went home.
"When I went home, I was wondering… what's next? The Leicester Riders later contacted me and said they'd help me with whatever I needed to get on the court. I signed with them and did a rigorous physiotherapy routine. It helped because I was able to run and jump."
It must have worked, as Chuku averaged 8.3 points and 3.1 rebounds in 12 games before the 2019-20 season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On the outside, Chuku seemed to be doing well, but he knew something still didn't feel right.
"As time progressed, I was still feeling pain," he said. "This summer, I made the decision to not rush back into playing. I'd rather see if I can take care of my injury and come back fully healthy.
"If not, see what's next."
In other words, Chuku is open-minded to returning, but isn't counting on it.
"I'm happy with what I've done so far that it wouldn't really destroy me inside to say I'm done," he said. "But at the same time, I love it. I've played in scrimmages in the park and thought I could still really get up and down the court. However, I know if I try and play a whole season again, I'm going to feel the same pain I was before."
Whether or not he is finished with basketball, Chuku's future is bright.
"I'm not sure exactly the direction that things are taking me, but I've been doing a lot of the same things I did at Lehigh," he said. "I studied graphic design and psychology, so I've been doing a lot of that, and a lot of video creation. I've still been DJing like I was at Lehigh. I've been doing all these things on the side as I've been playing basketball."
Chuku is grateful for what he learned at Lehigh, both on and off the court. It's helped mold him into the man he is today.
"I definitely learned a lot of skills at Lehigh that had to do with communication," he said. "The difficulty of the workload, and managing academics with basketball, was a challenge I'm happy I went through. It definitely made me feel prepared for the real world."
Chuku has already succeeded in the real world. He has successfully navigated all different types of places and cultures, bringing him back to where he started. England.
It Leicester was his last stop, what a way to end.
By: Justin Lafleur, Lehigh Sports Communications
Jesse Chuku's basketball career has come full circle.
A native of London, England, Chuku attended prep school in the United States before a successful career at Lehigh. He went on to play professionally in Greece and Spain before returning to England and playing for the Leicester Riders.
Due to injury, Chuku is taking a pause from basketball… at least for now.
"Leicester is about two hours from London in a car, and an hour via train," he said. "We did play games in London, and the UK isn't huge.
"This past year felt like a homecoming, but I would've liked to have been 100 percent physically."
Nothing will take away from Chuku's basketball career, not even an injury. Flash back nearly a decade when being recruited. From the beginning, Chuku knew Lehigh was a place where he'd be able to reach his goal of playing professionally.
"I came to Lehigh with that goal in mind," he said. "I remember on my visit, I was watching CJ (McCollum) practice. Just seeing him play made me think this guy is a professional and if he could be here playing at this level, then surely it'd be a good environment for me to observe and analyze what he's doing."
Chuku was required to sit out his freshman season due to NCAA regulations, but he did practice with the team. That was in 2012-13, McCollum's senior year.
"It was a shame CJ got injured a few months into that season, so I didn't really get to see as much as I wanted. But from what I saw, it was impressive," said Chuku. "I remember walking to class and seeing CJ with a basketball. I asked where he was going. He said he needed to get as many free throws up as he could before his next class.
"I'll never forget that moment."
Chuku has always worked hard, otherwise, he wouldn't have been in the position to play Division I basketball at a prestigious institution. But seeing the work ethic of someone who would become an NBA star helped Chuku visualize how he'd reach his goals.
"CJ is definitely talented, but he's also a hard worker," said Chuku. "That stuck with me."
After Lehigh, Chuku's hard work brought him to his first professional stop in Greece with Kolossos Rodou BC.
"It was a crazy experience," said Chuku. "They really love basketball in Greece. The basketball fans are what you stereotypically expect from European fans – diehard European fans. There were fireworks going off in the crowd and all sorts of craziness. The whole year was a big learning experience, very different from college."
Chuku transitioned as well as a rookie could hope. Some ways were easier than others.
"I came in feeling like I was in really great shape," he said. "We did so much conditioning at Lehigh that when I got to the pro level, I was looking around and thinking it seemed like guys were lazy. They weren't really sprinting or running. I felt like I could do this all day, but that's probably what you'd expect from a rookie."
On the court, the game of basketball in Greece was, in Chuku's words, very "tactical".
"We'd get our scouting reports and would literally have to memorize everything," he said. "You'd have to know all the other team's plays on top of your own, how to guard each coverage and stuff like that."
Chuku was used to similar concepts at Lehigh, which helped him adjust, but it was taken to the next level in professional basketball.
"I already had different ways and methods of learning and remembering things," he said. "Having some experience beforehand – preparing rigorously for games at Lehigh through film sessions and scouts – was definitely an advantage."
After playing the 2016-17 season in Greece, Chuku's next stop was Spain, first playing for Leyma Basquet Coruna then Melilla Baloncesto (averaging 6.5 and 4.3 points per contest, respectively).
"Coruna is in the north of Spain," said Chuku. "I started getting more comfortable just being out of school. I was taking Spanish classes and getting into the flow of things.
"I then played another year in Spain in the same league, but this time in Melilla – which is actually in Africa, but it's Spanish territory. Melilla is surrounded by Morocco, so we had to fly to mainland of Spain for every game in a crazy small propeller plane."
Following his third professional season, Leicester came calling, but there was one big thing holding Chuku back.
"All the while, I was actually dealing with a hip injury," he said. "Halfway through my season in Melilla, it got to a point where I was just having too much trouble. They paid me the rest of my contract and I went home.
"When I went home, I was wondering… what's next? The Leicester Riders later contacted me and said they'd help me with whatever I needed to get on the court. I signed with them and did a rigorous physiotherapy routine. It helped because I was able to run and jump."
It must have worked, as Chuku averaged 8.3 points and 3.1 rebounds in 12 games before the 2019-20 season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On the outside, Chuku seemed to be doing well, but he knew something still didn't feel right.
"As time progressed, I was still feeling pain," he said. "This summer, I made the decision to not rush back into playing. I'd rather see if I can take care of my injury and come back fully healthy.
"If not, see what's next."
In other words, Chuku is open-minded to returning, but isn't counting on it.
"I'm happy with what I've done so far that it wouldn't really destroy me inside to say I'm done," he said. "But at the same time, I love it. I've played in scrimmages in the park and thought I could still really get up and down the court. However, I know if I try and play a whole season again, I'm going to feel the same pain I was before."
Whether or not he is finished with basketball, Chuku's future is bright.
"I'm not sure exactly the direction that things are taking me, but I've been doing a lot of the same things I did at Lehigh," he said. "I studied graphic design and psychology, so I've been doing a lot of that, and a lot of video creation. I've still been DJing like I was at Lehigh. I've been doing all these things on the side as I've been playing basketball."
Chuku is grateful for what he learned at Lehigh, both on and off the court. It's helped mold him into the man he is today.
"I definitely learned a lot of skills at Lehigh that had to do with communication," he said. "The difficulty of the workload, and managing academics with basketball, was a challenge I'm happy I went through. It definitely made me feel prepared for the real world."
Chuku has already succeeded in the real world. He has successfully navigated all different types of places and cultures, bringing him back to where he started. England.
It Leicester was his last stop, what a way to end.
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