STORY WRITTEN BY HUMZA ASIF, THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN - Nov. 15, 2023

In a game-changing move over the summer, sophomore Jake Hsu reshaped the course of his athletic journey. His choice to switch sports constituted a career-defining decision, 他把接球手手套换成了一双篮球鞋. 

从在烤架上接穿线针到现在在硬木上传石头, he said farewell to his teammates on the football field, 他看到了一个新的角色:宾夕法尼亚大学男子篮球队的组织后卫.

Sports came easily to Hsu, 因为他的父亲维克多在1991年至1995年期间是贵格会足球队和男子长曲棍球队的两项运动运动员. 他在日耳曼敦篮球学院刻苦训练，磨练自己的篮球技术. 然而，足球已经融入了他的血液，所以足球对他来说是自然而然的.

在他成为红蓝队队员的第一年，他没有看到任何宾夕法尼亚大学橄榄球队的比赛. 然而，这绝不是导致他与该计划分道扬镳的决定性因素. 同时他表达了对足球队兄弟情谊的感激之情, he reflects on how the game never ignited his passion.

与足球不同，他对篮球的热情流淌在他的血管里. 徐强调，篮球是他真正热爱的第一项运动.

“我做任何事都是一个好胜的人，我最喜欢的比赛绝对是篮球,” Hsu said. “在橄榄球比赛中，如果你是四分卫，你每场比赛都要触球. As a receiver, if you drop the ball, 你可能直到下一节才有机会再传球，或者在比赛中根本没有机会. In basketball if you make a mistake, you have a chance to redeem yourself the very next play which I love.”  

Putting time, sweat, 高中时对篮球的投入和努力已经成为他身份中不可或缺的一部分. 他在这项运动中四次获奖，两次被任命为球队队长. During his stint with the AAU New York Renaissance from 2019-21, 徐在帮助他的队伍进入桃子果酱四强中发挥了重要作用.

Losing this connection in college was difficult, 尤其是当他看到他现在的篮球队友“走来走去或来到比赛现场”时,” which made him yearn to return to the court.

This past summer, 男篮副教练纳特·格雷厄姆(Nat Graham)告诉大徐，他可能有机会作为替补队员加入球队. With this spark rekindling his love for the game, 他和球队一起训练和打高水平的即兴篮球, leading to him earning a spot on the 2023-24 roster.

“杰克把他在篮球场上的每一天都当作一份礼物, 就像他得到了一个机会，他会充分利用它. That’s what has impressed me the most." Graham said. "He’s a young man who loves being a part of a team, whether it was football last year or basketball this year, and that love is reciprocated by his teammates. 他不是场上最大或最强壮的球员，但他会竞争并最大化他的机会. You can tell it’s leaving an impression on the other guys.”

Even after his departure from the football program, 大徐表示，他很幸运能与球队的球员们保持兄弟情谊. Yet, during his time away, 他强调了通过校园俱乐部与非运动员建立的亲密友谊.

“杰克对球队来说是一个很好的补充，”教练史蒂夫·多纳休说. "His attitude, especially, 他很有感染力，很快就融入了球队. He understands team dynamics, being a multi-sport athlete, and that has really shown day in and day out at practice. 球员们对他加入我们前两场比赛的反应是值得的, 这表明球员们认识到他有多努力，他们尊重并欣赏他.”

回顾他的人生历程——从一个篮球定义了他的背景, 到大胆地离开足球队，去探索新的关系——她对这一切的结果感到非常高兴. Now, 他发现自己的身份已经超越了单纯的体育运动，变成了学术平衡的身份, relationships, and athletics.