7'3" (still growing) 17 yr old Korean center

[blue hoodie]

http://nbadraft.net/profiles/haseung-jin.htm


Ha Seung-Jin
Birthdate: 1985
NBA Position: Center
Class: HS Junior
Ht: 7-3
Wt: 305
Hometown: Seoul, Korea
High School: Samil Commerce
2002 Stats


NBA Comparison: Yao Ming

Ha Sueng-Jin has Yao Ming like qualities, with enormous size, good dexterity and composure. His touch on his shot is good, making Ha another Asian bigman sensation. Plus he has the quickness and size to be a shot blocker and a defensive presence. Ha will be able to break new ground as the first Korean player to ever play in the NBA. Ha has stated that he will declare for the 2004 NBA draft. One very encouraging note is that Ha can play a game all the way through without getting winded. Which is impressive considering his age and enormous size. Possibly most astounding is that X-rays reveal that he is still growing!

On Jan 30th SFX group went to South Korea and tested Seung-jin's agility, ball-handling skills and shooting ability over two days. Seung-jin was given rave reviews by the group. Before the change in the NBA's International eligibility rule, Ha was not eligible for the 2003 NBA Draft. He planned to stay in South Korea for another year while he earned his high school degree. After which he would head to the the United States to train. No word on whether Ha's plans have changed due to the change in the rule, however it's likely that Ha will stay with the plan and train for the 2004 draft. If all goes well, Ha Seung-jin will be the first Korean to make it to the NBA. As a sophomore he led his high school team to a 22-0 record, averaging 27 points and 10 rebounds per game. He has led his team to four championship titles including one at the National Sports Festival in Cheju last November.

Basketball in his genes: Ha's father, Dong-ki who is 6-6 tall, was a former member of the Korean National team that placed second at the 1978 Bangkok Asian Games. Ha's sister, also an astonishing 6-6, had a successful basketball career.

Lee Yun-hwan (Seung-jin's High School coach) on Ha:
"Even with such imposing height, he is nimble and shrewd, keying rallies at both ends of the court. He can play a game all the way through without losing his wind."

"After building his frame to perfect condition, he will become a competitive player in the U.S. As you can see, he is still growing. He has enormous potential", said Choun Soo-gil, an Internet sports columnist and webmaster for the Korea Basketball Association.

Injury concerns: Players of Seung-jin's size are prime candidates for knee and foot injuries. With injuries having ended or limited the careers of countless bigmen including Ralph Sampson, Gheorge Muresan, Arvydas Sabonis, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, and others. Both Ha's father and sister had successful basketball careers end prematurely due to injury. Staying healthy appears to be the biggest area of concern for him. "Health is the most important thing which my son should keep in mind," said Ha's 6-6 father Dong-ki.

Ha on his future:
"I will prevail on the court to realize what my father failed to accomplish. It's time for me to concentrate on practicing."

[Napoleon Chynamite]

Damn, I repeat, damn, how do people get so big off of rice and dumplings, kimchi, etc. and the like (stuff I ate quite often when I was little).... :confused: It's not fair... :cry:

[deez nuts]

Kid looks like a beast.

7'3 and 305 lbs as a Junior in HS? Holy shit. Yao's like 7'5 a little under 300 lbs.

Be funny if the Houston Rockets snag the rights to him too. Hahah the wingspan for a 3-2 or a 2-3 zone defense alignment gonna be huge!

What if you need a 7+ foot center for your NBA team, send your scouts to Asia?

[yoMAMA]

If you want to be tall, eat more WHEAT over RICE.

WHEAT makes people tall, while RICE makes people short.

[Napoleon Chynamite]

I ate a lotta everything. Still only 5'9 130. This guy is 3 times my weight and two feet taller than me! :-P

[yoMAMA]

Forget to mention this, but it also helps to have tall genes in the family.

Yao Ming's mom is like 6'4, that's taller than me :P

[himura-dono]

ouch...she's about a half inch taller than me :blink:

*wills self to grow*

[Napoleon Chynamite]

My roomie is a football player and is 6'4" 240 lbs. and my suitemate is 6'5 1/2" and um... more than 240 lbs...after hanging around with guys like that all semester....I have like this midget syndrome, haha... :cry:

[yoMAMA]

Actually, there's some really tall women in northern china.

Which totally breaks the American stereotype that all Asian women are short and pettie :P

[Napoleon Chynamite]

The tallest women ever (at least according to the Guiness Book of World Records) was a Chinese woman...I think she was like over 8 ft. tall or sumthin (too lazy to look it up) but she also suffered from major scoliosis at the time of measurement.

I know what you mean tho...there are a few here at school...it's like whoa...you can help me refine my Mandarin,....

but you're like a lot taller than me
but my eyes line up right with ur chest

So it's okay!

[himura-dono]

being tall is nice, but when you get too tall, you have wonderful things like marfan syndrome, bone frailty, calcium breakdown, oh so fun way for your legs to collapse on you like a 200lb mastif's.

[Napoleon Chynamite]

Originally posted by himura-dono@Feb 12 2003, 03:42 PM
being tall is nice, but when you get too tall, you have wonderful things like marfan syndrome, bone frailty, calcium breakdown, oh so fun way for your legs to collapse on you like a 200lb mastif's.
It's just so weird to think of it that way tho b/c you'd think that if you have the bone length, you also have all the amount of muscle and other types of tissue to support that length and/or frame.

[yoMAMA]

Those people suffer from a syndrome called 'giant's disease', from what I learned in biology class in China.

They usually don't live very long, and they are that tall because one of the brain's function regulating growth and hormone distribution has malfuntined.

[himura-dono]

sounds like marfan

unless marfan is when tall people have weak ciculation...i can't remember...

[Napoleon Chynamite]

It's the pituitary gland.

[blue hoodie]

I read in an ESPN article that the NBA is starting to scout more in China now cuz of Yao. They found 17 guys that were 7 feet or higher. In the US, there is maybe like only 5. They found one kid in China that is projected to be 7'8".

[BeTheReds]

George Muresan (of the WASHINGTON Bullets..washington gotta represent) had gigantsm, where the peruitary gland keeps releasing growth hormones well after it is supposed to. They removed it from his brain in order to stop his groth. Muresan was 7'7" when he was in the NBA. The moron neglected to wear his back brace when he shot that billy crystal movie and now he can't play basketball anymore.

I don't know about bein tall. around 6 feet is good enuff. This dude must really really stick out.

[pfc beansprout]

Originally posted by FrozenPizza@Feb 12 2003, 06:58 PM
It's the pituitary gland.
yeah...gheorge murassan (i know i butchered that spelling) had that(umm..disorder/disease?)...he was a funny lookin dude too....heh

[contra_diction]

when i was in Korea a while back, i met a family, full Korean, with triplet daughters. each was about 7' tall! that's pretty incredible.
urgh! i wanted to be the 1st korean in the nba.
no really though, this kid is huge, and sounds very skilled, i'm so excited.

[d-boy]

Along those lines, the young guys are growing to be so tall in South Korea these days. Anyone know if this is an Asia-wide phenomenon? What do you think is behind it? Simply better nutrition?

[pfc beansprout]

man, i bet that joker has a big shlong too! hehe...jp :lol:

[yoMAMA]

Originally posted by dzoo@Feb 12 2003, 09:17 PM
Along those lines, the young guys are growing to be so tall in South Korea these days. Anyone know if this is an Asia-wide phenomenon? What do you think is behind it? Simply better nutrition?
People in northern china are generally pretty tall, compared to the southern chinese origin of most Chinese Americans.

When I was in 6th grade in beijing, there was already couple of big bully jocks that were 6 feet tall. I'm not sure if they made the national team and played with yao ming :D

[mr. x]

picture?

I heard there was this hella tall north korean dude too. Course the time they let him play in the U.S. is the time when reunification happens

[Commando_turned_MD]

Freaks......................

[BeTheReds]

Originally posted by mr. x@Feb 13 2003, 06:01 AM
picture?

I heard there was this hella tall north korean dude too. Course the time they let him play in the U.S. is the time when reunification happens
yea when they were talking about that guy, who can dunk from a standing position, there were only 2 teams elligible to draft him. The Grizzlies and the Raptors. Now since the Grizzlies are in Memphis, the only place that guy can play is in Toronto, and only at home. LOL!

[Napoleon Chynamite]

Originally posted by BeTheReds@Feb 13 2003, 12:25 AM
Originally posted by mr. x@Feb 13 2003, 06:01 AM
picture?

I heard there was this hella tall north korean dude too.  Course the time they let him play in the U.S. is the time when reunification happens
yea when they were talking about that guy, who can dunk from a standing position, there were only 2 teams elligible to draft him. The Grizzlies and the Raptors. Now since the Grizzlies are in Memphis, the only place that guy can play is in Toronto, and only at home. LOL!
Anyone over 6'6" and good enough to be in the NBA should be able to dunk while standing, seeing as how in high school I could grab the rim from standing and I'm teeny 5'9". It boggles my mind how people like Luc Longley former member of the Bulls could barely do it and he was 7'2"... :unsure:

[deez nuts]

Originally posted by FrozenPizza@Feb 13 2003, 12:31 PM
It boggles my mind how people like Luc Longley former member of the Bulls could barely do it and he was 7'2"... :unsure:
White men can't jump.

[Napoleon Chynamite]

Originally posted by Chasiubao_Boy@Feb 13 2003, 09:45 AM
White men can't jump.
My white friend was the same height as me but he could dunk and I could only touch rim but he was like way above...haha Anyways I was jealous......... :angry: :frown: :P

[BeTheReds]

Originally posted by FrozenPizza@Feb 13 2003, 05:31 PM
Originally posted by BeTheReds@Feb 13 2003, 12:25 AM
Originally posted by mr. x@Feb 13 2003, 06:01 AM
picture?

I heard there was this hella tall north korean dude too. Course the time they let him play in the U.S. is the time when reunification happens
yea when they were talking about that guy, who can dunk from a standing position, there were only 2 teams elligible to draft him. The Grizzlies and the Raptors. Now since the Grizzlies are in Memphis, the only place that guy can play is in Toronto, and only at home. LOL!
Anyone over 6'6" and good enough to be in the NBA should be able to dunk while standing, seeing as how in high school I could grab the rim from standing and I'm teeny 5'9". It boggles my mind how people like Luc Longley former member of the Bulls could barely do it and he was 7'2"... :unsure:
Um, I meant WITHOUT jumping.

[Hiroshi2]

Originally posted by BeTheReds@Feb 12 2003, 07:15 PM
George Muresan (of the WASHINGTON Bullets..washington gotta represent) had gigantsm, where the peruitary gland keeps releasing growth hormones well after it is supposed to. They removed it from his brain in order to stop his groth. Muresan was 7'7" when he was in the NBA. The moron neglected to wear his back brace when he shot that billy crystal movie and now he can't play basketball anymore.

I don't know about bein tall. around 6 feet is good enuff. This dude must really really stick out.
I thought that if you were 7'7" you would probably be too short to have the disease. Like I was thinking it affects people who are around 7'10 +. I don't think Yao Ming or Seung-jin or anyone in the NBA right now has it. It's just tall genes, I suppose.

About Koreans getting taller, it's happening in Japan too. So I think it's an asia-wide thing, mostly having to do with eating more American food (which of course has all these weird chemicals that overstimulate growth hormones). Northern Chinese are naturally tall, of course.

[Korean Hunk]

This guy's potential must be limitless if his biggest and only weakness is foot or health problems.

Another reason why the Koreans are better than other races. Just kidding.

I hope he dunks on Shaq and swats Shaq's shot like Yao did!

P.S. I wanted to play in the NBA but the best I ever did was sit the bench in high school. My team went 2-20 in my senior year!

[Focker]

Good luck to this guy. But Yao would still whoop his ass.

Agree????

don't you think korea and china are doing genetic experiments while asian americans are still under 6'5''??

[yoMAMA]

Originally posted by Focker@Mar 12 2003, 04:45 PM
Good luck to this guy. But Yao would still whoop his ass.

Agree????

don't you think korea and china are doing genetic experiments while asian americans are still under 6'5''??
As in the proliferation of Mcdonalds and hamburgers? :lol:

[golden_buns]

Originally posted by Hiroshi2@Feb 14 2003, 07:18 AM
Originally posted by BeTheReds@Feb 12 2003, 07:15 PM
George Muresan (of the WASHINGTON Bullets..washington gotta represent) had gigantsm, where the peruitary gland keeps releasing growth hormones well after it is supposed to.  They removed it from his brain in order to stop his groth.  Muresan was 7'7" when he was in the NBA.  The moron neglected to wear his back brace when he shot that billy crystal movie and now he can't play basketball anymore.

I don't know about bein tall.  around 6 feet is good enuff.  This dude must really really stick out.
I thought that if you were 7'7" you would probably be too short to have the disease. Like I was thinking it affects people who are around 7'10 +. I don't think Yao Ming or Seung-jin or anyone in the NBA right now has it. It's just tall genes, I suppose.

About Koreans getting taller, it's happening in Japan too. So I think it's an asia-wide thing, mostly having to do with eating more American food (which of course has all these weird chemicals that overstimulate growth hormones). Northern Chinese are naturally tall, of course.
I grew up to be 6' 2" 180 lbs by eating korean and colombian food. I don't know if Colombian food has to do anything with height at all, cuz all of my friends are 5'7"-5'9". It's probably because of red meat and milk in our diet that it's making asians nowdays taller.

[golden_buns]

God, I feel like a midget just seeing this guy's picture

[golden_buns]

hmmm if you take a look at the guy wearing short #14 behind him, he should be something like 7'0"

[mr. x]

questionable topic, if that north korean dude were to come play in the U.S. (a snowballs chance in hell), would the asian american community shun him for being n. korean?

[contra_diction]

Originally posted by mr. x@Mar 12 2003, 09:40 PM
questionable topic, if that north korean dude were to come play in the U.S. (a snowballs chance in hell), would the asian american community shun him for being n. korean?
i wouldn't, he can't help where he's from.

[lethal]

Cubans are still celebrated in baseball, but those are Cuban defectors who have rejected Castro.

[Focker]

Originally posted by lethalweapon@Mar 13 2003, 05:09 PM
Cubans are still celebrated in baseball, but those are Cuban defectors who have rejected Castro.
excellent point. yeah i would definitely welcome him, though yao would still kick his ass.

[airborneranger]

Originally posted by Focker@Mar 12 2003, 04:45 PM
Good luck to this guy. But Yao would still whoop his ass.

Agree????

don't you think korea and china are doing genetic experiments while asian americans are still under 6'5''??
So you must be under 6'5

[angelwiththesword]

there is a 7'5" basketball player in grade 12 at one of my toronto schools.

[d-boy]

I read a news article that said Ha Seung Jin was considering entering the 2003 NBA draft, rather than the 2004 one. Still undecided though.

Oh, and he's up to 7'4" now. :lol:

[amietron]

that's huge. did you see his picture on the first page? his arms aren't very cut.

[Focker]

Originally posted by airborneranger@Mar 13 2003, 10:48 PM
Originally posted by Focker@Mar 12 2003, 04:45 PM
Good luck to this guy.  But Yao would still whoop his ass.  

Agree????

don't you think korea and china are doing genetic experiments while asian americans are still under 6'5''??
So you must be under 6'5
yep, i'm the math tutor you FEAR!!!

[crispy]

If this kid plans on playing in the NBA, he should start lifting a lot of weights so he don't get pushed around too much.
Look at Yoa Ming, he's being man-handled a lot of times by stronger NBA players.

[Ogumo]

Damn...and I thought that I was a overly tall freak.

[B_Lee]

Someone told me they recently measured the height of Ha Seung-Jin, and he's already 7'5". I can't find any articles on this. Can someone confirm?

[kurei kun]

Chris(Dallas): Do you have any idea if the 7'3" High school kid from Korea will declare for the draft this year?

Chad Ford: You're talking about Ha Seung Jin, a 17 year old , 7-foot-3 center from Korea. He's getting a lot of buzz right now because the SFX agency is representing him, but I don't think he'll be in the draft this year. He can play, but he needs a lot of work. A lot.

-espn.com

[yangbahn50]

Yeaah baby!

Go Ha Seung-Jin!

I've been to NBA forums where people are dissing Seung-Jin. Some say he's crappy.

Other's (being racist) wonder how Asians become tall (and I've bashed that kid). Some say he looks like a beast.

But I hope he gets drafted in the first round.

He'll be the first Korean basketball player in the NBA!!

[NGHIEM]

I thought that if you were 7'7" you would probably be too short to have the disease. Like I was thinking it affects people who are around 7'10 +. I don't think Yao Ming or Seung-jin or anyone in the NBA right now has it. It's just tall genes, I suppose.

About Koreans getting taller, it's happening in Japan too. So I think it's an asia-wide thing, mostly having to do with eating more American food (which of course has all these weird chemicals that overstimulate growth hormones). Northern Chinese are naturally tall, of course.

the correct term for this hormonal disease will be "GIGANTISM"
and its not always the case that you have to be 7-10 plus to be suffered
from the disease, basically you can be 6-7 and suffer from the disease
depends on when your abnormal growth begin and rate of growth inside your bone growth plate.

if gigantism happened in early adolesence it will reach a similar case
such as gheorghe muresan has demonstrated, he will not be above
8 feet but a rather 7 something size
but if it happened while as an infant then you will have a very good
change shoot up to be as tall as 10 feet
the tallest person ever, robert wadlow was 9 feet tall when he die
and was still growing at a rate of almost 4 inches per year
had he live for another 4 years he definately will reach a height of 10 feet
or maybe even more !!!!!!!

and the tallest height a normal human can possibly attend is around 7-10
, ri myong hun (yeah that super tall north korean basketball player) is
possibly the tallest non-pathology giant in human history
hes about 7-10.

the only way for a human to attend an unimaginable height is to have
this weird gigantism disease, hormone is the only substance available
to grow on an extremely fast rate.
for a person suffered from extreme case of gigantism
the person usually reach a height of 7 feet at early teen
and then 8 feet at mid teen....9 feet at late teen
.....then 10 feet at early or mid 20's
chances of survive over mid 20's or even late 20's are kinda slim.
and usually they will keep growing on a rapid pace if leave untreated until they die.

[lethal]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=1757376

LOS ANGELES -- Ha Seung-jin sprints and shoots and muscles his way to the basket -- all under the watchful eye of former Chicago Bulls center Will Perdue.


And his father, of course.


The 18-year-old from Seoul -- a 7-foot-4, 325-pounder -- is at the gym daily, working on his jumper, free throws and rebounding with one goal in mind: to become the first Korean to play in the NBA.


"Before I started working with him, they said 7-4, 325 and you think he's just a big guy who kind of lumbers along, doesn't have good footwork or any agility," Perdue said. "For a big man, he's impressively agile, and it's even more impressive considering his size."


Ha and his 6-foot-6 father, Ha Dong-ki -- a former starting center for the South Korean national team -- have been in Los Angeles since December, working on the teenager's court skills on the campus of UCLA.


"I need more power and more conditioning," Ha said, speaking through an interpreter. "I need to get stronger so I can deal with the physical type of NBA play day in and day out. I'm working hard."


He's no Yao Ming -- at least not yet -- but he is expected to draw increasing attention as June's NBA draft nears and may even be a first-round pick if he impresses teams in workouts a couple of months from now.


Ha has already signed with a Los Angeles-based sports agency.


"He's big and he's breathing, so he's a prospect," said Ryan Blake, a scout for a service affiliated with the NBA. He laughed and added, "That's the same thing I said about Yao early on."


But Ha has far less experience than Yao, the Houston Rockets center from China who was the No. 1 pick in the 2002 draft and already is a two-time NBA All-Star.


Ha just graduated from high school in Seoul, where he led his team to three national championships. Under South Korean rules, he was allowed to play for Yonsei University in a tournament last year as an incoming freshman. He averaged 12.6 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in seven games and Yonsei won the national college title.


While still in high school, Ha went up against Yao in the Asian Championships, though made a quick exit. He scored only 4 points and four fouls in four minutes in South Korea's 106-96 loss to China in the title game.


"He's a very strong and physical player. That's about all I know. He needs some time," Yao said from Houston. "I never knew of him before that but I knew he played well in the Asian Games and in Europe."


Despite Ha's limited experience, Perdue sees parallels between the teenager and the 7-foot-6, 229-pound Yao, who was part of the recent surge in foreign players to the NBA.


"There are a lot of similarities in the way they play, their body type, their ability to get the shot off because of their size," Perdue said. "Seung-Jin has good movement in the post, and we're working on his perimeter game."


During a recent three-on-three scrimmage at UCLA, Ha looked relatively mobile for his size and seemed to have a good -- if inconsistent -- shooting touch.


Guarding former NBA forward Jelani McCoy, Ha stayed tight on the 6-10 McCoy as he dribbled to his right, whirled to his left and shot. Without leaving his feet, Ha tapped the ball away.


A few minutes later, Ha threw up an air ball from 15 feet, then slapped his hands and shook his head in disgust.


"Teams are drafting a lot of potential now because there are more and more young players, high school players, entering the draft," Perdue said. "They may not be the best players right now, but the upside is better.


"I think Seung-jin falls into that class. Will he develop into the player they might expect him to be? I'm biased, but I think he will."


Ha Dong-ki, whose 6-foot-7 daughter Eunjoo is playing basketball in Japan, believes his son has improved since coming to the United States.


"I see a definite difference," Ha Dong-ki said, also speaking through an interpreter. "I feel like in two more months, he can take it to another level."


In the meantime, Ha is living life like a typical teenager in many regards: He's hooked on a wrestling video game, and has a couple of pet turtles. He said he hasn't had much difficulty adjusting to living in America, though he speaks little English.


"The biggest thing for me is that I can go to a store where they have clothes for big and tall men," Ha said. "In Korea, I had to have everything special-made and it was very expensive."


On the streets of Los Angeles, Ha is frequently mistaken for the Rockets' center. "Are you Yao Ming? Are you Yao Ming's brother?" he's often asked.


While Ha admires Yao as a player, another center is his hero.


"I'm Shaquille O'Neal's biggest fan," Ha said.


And asked when it was obvious he was going to be tall enough to be a center himself, the teenager replied: "When I was born. I weighed more than 13 pounds."

[yoMAMA]

7'3 son and 6'7 daughter?

So the NBA and WNBA both got their future centers covered.... :eek: :biggrin:

[SunWuKong]

Despite Ha's limited experience, Perdue sees parallels between the teenager and the 7-foot-6, 229-pound Yao, who was part of the recent surge in foreign players to the NBA.

err... according to nba.com (http://www.nba.com/playerfile/yao_ming/index.html?nav=page), Yao is 310 lbs.

you'd be pretty damn thin at 229 lbs if you're 7'6".

[Iconoclastic]

In the meantime, Ha is living life like a typical teenager in many regards: He's hooked on a wrestling video game, and has a couple of pet turtles.


Lol, since when was that typical

[kurei kun]

there is a 7'5" basketball player in grade 12 at one of my toronto schools.

ivan chiraev?

ivan's a 7 foot 1 point guard/shooting guard/small forward right?

how are his handles? is he any good?