In the span of less than a year, Adam Chubb has gone from playing in South Korea to playing alongside Vince Carter and Jason Kidd.
Last week, the former Penn forward was signed to the New Jersey Nets' training camp after working out for the team before the team's last two training camps.
But his audition wasn't just in an empty gym. It actually took place over his four-year career at the Palestra.
"I've seen him play his four years at Penn," said Ed Stefanski, the Nets general manager, who is a 1976 Wharton graduate. "He's a real hard worker."
During his senior season at Penn in 2003-04, Chubb averaged 10.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game as the Quakers finished second in the Ivy League.
The previous season, he played a key role off the bench behind Ugonna Onyekwe and Koko Archibong in the frontcourt, as the Quakers went through the Ivy League undefeated before losing to Oklahoma State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Chubb averaged 4.0 points and 2.1 rebounds per game that season.
While at Penn, he also made his mark in the record books, although not on the basketball court.
Chubb departed as Penn's all-time record holder in the high jump.
Still, on a team that features some of the most exciting playmakers in the NBA, nobody is easily impressed.
Athletically, "I don't rank up there with the Vince Carters or the Richard Jeffersons or the Jason Kidds," Chubb said. "They're just athletic freaks."
Despite his athletic ability, he was not sure he could make it to an NBA camp.
Last year, he played for Mobis Phoebus of the Korean Basketball League, and this summer, he competed in the Jersey Shore Basketball League.
So there was a pretty big transition to the likes of the New Jersey Nets -- a transition that was aided by the team's established players.
"They're all super-nice guys, and they all help me out in practice," Chubb said.
While he is enjoying the present, the future is anyone's guess.
"I'll see how camp goes," Chubb said. "I have no idea where my life is going to go."
According to Stefanski, who said he brought in Chubb because the team needed more practice players for camp, Chubb might be advised to look at his options in Europe. He would be only one of a steady procession of former Penn players to Europe, the last of which was 2005 graduate Tim Begley, who is playing in Germany this year.
And any time he spent on the court with NBA players will suit him well for his future.
"I think Adam got a tremendous amount of experience and confidence playing with our players," Stefanski said. "I would say Adam's going to be more exploring Europe as a possibility."
So while Chubb may soon be headed across the ocean, a little NBA experience may do him a lot of good.
