When the Zhuhai Wolf Warriors took on San Miguel Alab Pilipinas in Cebu, it was a special moment for one Wolf Warrior.
“It’s awesome,” expressed Jenning Leung after the game.
“I never thought I’d get the chance to come back home and play again.”
Though Leung, one of Zhuhai’s three world imports, is Canadian, he is definitely Filipino.
Leung, who was born in the US, was raised in the Philippines – Los Baños, Laguna to be exact. In addition, he studied at Brent International School, where he was scouted by plenty of colleges and universities here back in 2013.
“I did one practice with Ateneo, but I don’t think a lot of Filipino schools knew about me,” recalled the now-23 year old guard, who stands at 6-foot-1.
However, there was just one problem.
Leung is not a Filipino citizen, classifying him as a foreign student-athlete. Moreover, it has become the norm by collegiate squads to plug a big man for that one FSA slot.
But that did not stop Leung from achieving his dreams.
Before graduating, he made sure to send tapes of himself to multiple colleges in Canada. The first one to respond was McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. After a tryout, he was quickly given a scholarship by the school.
“I was pretty set on playing in Canada.
“But the game there was really different. It was a lot faster and I had to be mentally quicker too,” Leung shared.
“I think going to McGill really helped me with my Basketball IQ,. And I was forced to become a better shooter because I wasn’t big enough to always attack the basket,” added Leung, who ended up with norms of 12.2 points on 33.2 percent shooting from beyond-the-arc and 2.3 rebounds in his fifth year.
“But playing in the Philippines taught me to always work extremely hard and that helped me so much at McGill.”
Right after his fifth year, and with a degree in Psychology, Leung wanted to at least play pro ball. And just as he did during his final year in high school, he sent inquiries to clubs regarding a tryout.
“I was actually gonna do a masters in Toronto, but didn’t want to give up playing yet. So I decided I’d try and get on a team in Asia,” he admitted.
“I really wanted to try and play pro, so I got into contact with the teams I was eligible for and Zhuhai invited me to a try out and decided to keep me.”
If Canada improved his game, it was the Philippines that taught him perseverance.
But even if he is living his dream of being a pro cager, Leung is hoping for one more thing.
“The dream would be to play here,” he disclosed.
“But I don’t think I’m eligible sadly.
“For me, the Philippines is home and always will be. I love the country and its people. They’re honestly the best,” he added.
For now, the closest thing he has to a homecoming will happen on February 17.
“I can’t wait until the next time we come here and play in Santa Rosa. I have a lot more family and friends around there.”
