Todd Hu
Eastern Dragon
Male
Center
8’0”
385 lbs
Hu Dat?, Huge Freakin' Dragon
Birthplace- Oakland, CA
Chinese-American
HS - Oakland Public School #5
Col - University of San Francisco
Right handed
Jersey #8
DOB- 3-2-1990
Age at Draft - 22



Todd Hu (Eastern Dragon, C) hails from sunny northern California and is of Chinese decent. Both parents are Chinese and have lived in California practically their whole lives. The earliest of his family to leave China for the Americas was his Great-Grandfather Hu Wang-Tao. The majority of Todd's family is around 5'10", with an uncle and second cousin standing 6'6" and 6'8" respectfully. Though that is not small by any means, no one can really figure out why Todd exploded skyward to the tune of 8 feet tall by the time he was 18. Doctors have run tests, and Todd's height is determined to be completely natural and not the cause of a pituitary gland disorder.

With Todd's hulking size, it's a certainty that everybody he's spoken to says he should try out for the FBA. Todd himself has had that goal since the age of 6, when he was already as tall as his mother (5'5"). Sensing the potential for greatness in him, Todd's father hired a personal trainer for the young dragon, and since that time, Todd has practiced his shooting, footwork, and worked out almost everyday. The result is a simply massive mountain of a player with soft hands, relatively quick feet, and a great sense of hand-eye coordination which helps him quite a bit on defense, which as you might expect, is his strong-suit.

Todd is a humble, hard-working dragon, mustached and horned like Eastern dragon imagery of yore, with a strong thirst to be the best he can be. He is mostly very serious and quiet, and since he doesn't insert himself into a lot of social situations, he can seem aloof, while his massive size makes him a bit intimidating to say the least. Still, Hu is a wonderful teammate, a bright kid, and always does what he is told from the coach. He doesn't seem to have an ounce of fat on his body or quit in his heart, and with his chiseled frame and determination to succeed, many see Todd as having the potential to be absolutely unstoppable.

And unstoppable is exactly what he was in high school and college. It was almost sad to watch the little ants try to defend him in high school, as he averaged 42 points, 24 rebounds and 13 blocks a game without hardly ever having to leave the paint except to avoid a 3 in the key or to shoot free throws (which he shoots a somewhat respectable 72%). In college his stats obviously decreased, as players who maybe weren't tall enough to defend Hu could still put a body on him, forcing him to develop a nice jump hook and spin move. He still got his share of stats, averaging 19 points, 16 rebounds and 5 blocks a game, but many wondered even still if his game would hit a brick wall once he faced the strongest and best players in the world in the FBA. After all, Liam Armstrong (Rhino, C, LOR) averaged 15 points and 15 rebounds in college, got drafted in the 2nd round and now hardly plays (but he sets pretty good screens).

Right now, it's a question that remains unanswered. In fact there are some people that don't even think Todd is a first round pick, sighting their concerns over injury and being too slow to guard many players. Considering Todd would not be the slowest player in the league were he to enter it today (Cletus Swinton [BAL], Darius Cole [BGR], Walter Robinson [KCC], Godric Jafet [MON], Nick Nwabudike [WIL] and Lance Rex [WPG] have that position covered) he can still find a good deal of success. Many of those players mentioned (aside from Rex and Cole) have had fantastic careers, including All-Star bids, rebounding and defensive titles and more. So if an 8 foot dragon has any game whatsoever, and if his legs don't fold under him like playing cards one day, he should be ok.

Hu's best strength is defense in the paint, because how can you score on an 8 foot dragon? You have to be pretty quick to do so, because overpowering or shooting over him isn't going to work. His size and quick reflexes (for his size) allow him to time his blocks very well (though not the best ever) and since he often doesn't have to leave his feet, it gives him a great advantage. His one on one defense is great down low, though if one makes a spin move around him or gets a running start to rise up on him, he's less likely to be able to stop it.

His shooting for a big man is not bad. He's got some decent moves in the paint, as well as an open 12 foot jumpshot he's been practicing since he was 10. His post game contains a series of pump fakes (often with one paw grasping the ball effortlessly as if it were a tennis ball), short spins, pivots and hooks. Oh, and plenty of dunks. Anywhere within 5 feet of the rim, you'll have to foul him HARD, and even then, he does hit 72% of his free throws. Though he's got a few moves, power is the name of the game, and just his sheer physical prowess gives him a great advantage.

Rebounding is his other main strength. Though it's possible to box him out and push him out of the way with enough momentum, Hu really just has to reach out and grab the ball without jumping. Because he lacks much for vertical jump, plenty of smaller players around 6'8"-7'4" can get higher than him with a good enough jump, but it takes them longer to get into the air than Hu, who can just put his arm up to grab the ball. He is also turnover prone and doesn't see the court all that well, as he never did have to play that much of a well-balanced team game in his previous competitive leagues. He's also had one leg injury in high school, but that was just an ankle sprain, which put him out for 5 games. Luckily, as of yet, Hu has not had any serious injury due to his massive weight and size.

When asked about what he most enjoys about the game of basketball, Todd Hu says "The spirit of competition. The physicality. The grace and power involved. I just love how it feels like a miniature battle, with me backing up my teammates and them backing up me. The feeling of winning is like no other. I try to give my best every game, and I want to make my parents proud."

If Hu weren't entering the FBA, he says he'd most likely go into marketing and advertising or become an entrepreneur. He also enjoys building things, and he was set to minor in carpentry had he completed every year of college (which he says he intends to finish the last year someday). His favorite movie is Braveheart, he enjoys blues and jazz music, and his favorite food is his mother's homemade spring rolls.