Chubb chasing new heights

Fans of the Penn men's basketball team definitely know the name Adam Chubb. Usually the first or second man off the bench for the Red and Blue last winter, the freshman center averaged 3.7 points and 3.0 rebounds in 14.6 minutes per game in his first season on the college court. But what Quakers fans may not know is that Chubb might actually be better at another sport -- one that competes in the spring. In his first college meet with the Penn men's track and field team -- the Raleigh Relays on March 30 -- the 6'10" Chubb tied the Quakers' record in the high jump by clearing a height of 7'0 1/4". He finished third overall in a highly competitive field. "I was really excited when I set the record," Chubb said. "I was hurt last spring and I wasn't sure if I could come out and compete, and then my first meet I come out and tie a record. It's unbelievable." The weekend following the record-tying feat, Chubb won the high jump at the Penn Invitational and then finished first in a four-team meet last weekend with such national powers as Penn State and Princeton. "We're just really pleased with the job Chubb has done with us so far this year," Penn coach Charlie Powell said. * Chubb's journey to becoming a Division I athlete is an interesting one. A basketball player for basically his entire life, the Harrisburg native also took up track at a young age and ran for the prestigious Hershey (Pa.) Track and Field Club. While growing up, Chubb became a star in both basketball and track at Susquehanna Township High School. On the track, Chubb took third place as a junior in the state finals of the high jump, then concluded his prep career with a state-champion high jump performance while leading his team to district and state crowns. However, disappointment brewed on the hardwood for the high jump phenom. Although the Indians won the state title when Chubb was a sophomore reserve in 1997, they were not able to repeat with Chubb as a starter in his junior and senior years. Despite Chubb averaging over 20 points and 10 rebounds a game, the Indians fell in the state semifinals in both 1998 and 1999. The senior star managed only six points in his final game for Susquehanna Township. "At this point, I really wasn't attracting much Division I attention," Chubb said. Rather than play for a Division II or III school, Chubb decided to attend Mercersburg (Pa.) Academy as a fifth-year senior. He averaged 10 points and 12 boards in his one year at Mercersburg, and toward the end of the season signed a letter of intent to play basketball at Penn. After Chubb decided to attend Penn, Powell sprung into action despite the fact that the incoming freshman suffered a season-ending leg injury in his first week back on the track. "After I heard he was going to play basketball here, I called Adam up," Powell said. "I told him if he wanted to take a shot at high jumping, he certainly could." * Two-sport athletes seem to be becoming more and more rare these days, with a move toward an increased specialization in just one sport occurring for young athletes at an early age. For Chubb, however, balancing basketball with track was never a problem. "I would always just run track after I finished basketball," Chubb said. "None of my coaches ever seemed to have a problem with it." And they still don't. Penn men's basketball coach Fran Dunphy said he does not mind that Chubb competes in track -- in fact, Dunphy encourages it. "If you're good at something, obviously you should go out and do it," he said. "I'm very happy that Adam has met with so much success so far this season." Despite the constant threat of injury in any form of athletics, Dunphy is confident Chubb will not get injured while competing on the track for the Red and Blue. "I'm not worried about Adam getting injured at all," Dunphy said. "There's just as much of a threat of injury -- maybe even more -- if he's fooling around in his dorm room with some friends." Dunphy looks forward to coaching Chubb over the next three years and hopes that the young big man can move into the starting role that had been left vacant by the upcoming graduation of Geoff Owens. "I'm absolutely excited about Chubb's future with us," Dunphy said. "He's got a great deal of promise for next year." Powell said that he feels Chubb's competing in two sports is a testament to the Penn athletic community. "The individual comes first at Penn, and I think we're all very happy to see him doing well," Powell said. "He's a big plus for the school." The track coach said that Chubb needs to just get a bit more speed and hit a power position more consistently in order to improve in the high jump. He'll get plenty of chances to work on these aspects of the high jump in the upcoming weeks. This weekend, Chubb and the rest of the Quakers will travel to Ithaca, N.Y., to compete in the Cornell Invitational. The following weekend, the Quakers will host the Penn Relays. Chubb competed for the Indians in the Relays in 1998, and in his return won the prep high jump in 1999. "I never really thought I'd be back at Franklin Field," Chubb said. "Hopefully I can compete well at Relays and keep improving on my jumps." Despite the success that he has had so far in the Palestra and on Franklin Field, Chubb remains humble. "This is definitely exciting," Chubb said. "I'm just really glad I've been blessed with the opportunity to compete so well."

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