FROM ORCHARD PARK TO SOUTH KOREA PRO BASKETBALL

The rise of Columbia High School’s Jun Harrigan

By Adrianna Donat

Jun Harrigan plays for the Pegasus organization in the Korean Basketball League in South Korea.

When Jun Harrigan thinks about growing up in Maplewood, the first thing that comes to mind isn’t basketball. It isn’t even Columbia High School or long afternoons at The Baird. It’s the trees.

“I remember the walks home from school and the nature and trees I was surrounded by,” he says via email from South Korea. “I rarely see trees anymore. Where I am is all city. I miss the scenery. Being away for so long, I realize how beautiful it all is.”

It’s a striking reflection from a young man whose life now moves at the pace of the Korean Basketball League in South Korea. But for Harrigan, 25, no matter how far his path has taken him, the roots of Maplewood and South Orange are still firmly with him.

And those roots? They began in a childhood filled with movement, mischief and a neighborhood that embraced him as one of its own.

Harrigan (with ball) spent hours playing basketball at his neighbor's home.

“I had a pretty normal childhood in Maplewood,” Harrigan says. “I was always outside and active. I grew up near Orchard Park and had a group of friends my age and a year older that I would always play with. Whether it be soccer, wall ball, manhunt or basketball, I was always outside.”

He was a fixture in the neighborhood and was happy to find friends there.

Neighbors Mary Ellen and Greg Dawkins had a big family, a lawn and a basketball hoop in the driveway. For Harrigan, it became a sanctuary. “They were kind enough to always let us play there without question,” he says. “When I started playing basketball, I would always go there to train by myself. I spent hours and hours there. It’s safe to say, without the Dawkins I wouldn’t have cared for basketball.”

Mary Ellen also remembers it fondly.

“We live in a house full of hoops junkies,” she says. “It was always a joy to watch Jun and his friends playing in our backyard. They were always welcome. We especially appreciated how kind Jun and his friends were to our boys as they all grew up together in the neighborhood. If it really does take 10,000 hours to master a skill, Jun logged a meaningful share of those hours right in our backyard.”

Harrigan with some of his teammates.

At school, Harrigan attended Jefferson (now Delia Bolden) Elementary, Maplewood Middle School and finally Columbia High School (class of 2019), where teachers such as Mark Terenzi left impressions that stayed with him. “He was a character and always kind to me no matter how much of a troublemaker I was,” Harrigan says with a grin.

“I feel like I’m doing a disservice to all my teachers by just naming one. There are so many that come to mind.”

Unlike many elite athletes, Harrigan wasn’t the middle-school star coaches imagined was destined for offers and rankings. “Basketball didn’t become serious for me until around 8th grade,” he says. “I mostly played soccer growing up.”

He admired older local players, who are athletes he describes with awe. “I was far behind when I started basketball, so I was amazed when I would watch them.”

His father, Stephen, confirms the timeline. “We started kicking the ball around at age 2 or 3. Me being English, I wanted him to play soccer,” he says. “He did for a while, but basketball became the thing. Our next-door neighbors had a hoop, his friends played and it all came together.”

Still, a professional basketball career did not seem to be on the horizon.

“Coming out of high school, I wasn’t good enough to get a full-ride scholarship,” Harrigan says. “So I decided to go to Rutgers and focus on my academics.”

For most families, that would be the end of the sports chapter. For Harrigan, the story was just about to begin.

Two years into Rutgers, Harrigan traveled with his family to South Korea to visit his grandfather. It was supposed to be a family trip during Covid, not a life-altering moment. But that’s exactly what it became.

Harrigan’s mother, Hyunsook, remembers it vividly.

“He used to say, ‘If my height reaches 6’7”, I will give up everything to play basketball,’” she says. “And he really did grow to 6’7” in his college sophomore year.” On that trip, fate intervened. Harrigan met a basketball skill coach who connected him with a university team manager. “It happened like magic,” Hyunsook says. “Even if I had planned it, it wouldn’t have been so smooth.”

Harrigan’s father agrees. “My wife set up the whole thing. The owner of the gym knew a college basketball manager. He asked if the manager wanted to see Jun play. And he did.”

Suddenly, a door opened.

Harrigan moved from Rutgers and began training at Myongji University. But the transition wasn’t easy. He had learned a little Korean at home because his mom is from Korea, but needed to learn more in a hurry. Also, he had taken a break from basketball and spent college lifting weights, not shooting free throws. “I had to snap my body back in shape,” he says. “It took a lot of work.”

He threw himself into practice with unrelenting commitment. “If I didn’t get better and couldn’t go pro, going home I would’ve felt like a failure,” he says. “I left everything I ever knew. It was a shot at a better life for myself, so I knew I had to make sacrifices.”

Harrigan with his family. L to R: Stephen (his father), Jun, Hyunsook (his mother) and his Uncle Henry.

His mother watched the transformation from afar. “As a mom I was so happy he had a chance to pursue his basketball dream,” she says. “He still has challenges like language and culture, but I hope it broadens his mind. I’m just happy he can make a living doing what he loves. It’s a blessing for anyone.”

By 2023, Harrigan entered the Korean Basketball League draft. His father flew across the world to be by his side, expecting a late-first-round or mid-second round selection. “I thought he’d be picked somewhere between six and 15,” Stephen says.

He was drafted number four overall.

A strong pre-draft scrimmage pushed him into the top tier. Suddenly, he was a professional basketball player for the Pegasus organization, a team based in Daegu, a city Harrigan’s father describes as “the Korean equivalent of Baltimore.”

That night, Stephen watched his son board a train from Seoul to Daegu at 8 p.m., ready to start his new life. “He had a five-year contract,” Stephen says proudly. “He was confident and ready.”

Harrigan performing the Korean Jesa memorial to commemorate his departed ancestors.

Training is grueling. Coaches are demanding. The cultural expectations can be exhausting. “They want you to act a certain way,” Harrigan says. “If you don’t, you get scolded. But all my teammates deal with it. If they can get through it, I know I can too.”

But the fans make the struggle worth it. Korean basketball culture is passionate in a way that surprised him. “Going to a grocery store or just stepping out of the house, I almost always get recognized,” he says. “There’s one kid, maybe 10 years old, who bought me a cake for my birthday with his own money. I was so moved. Without the fans, playing professionally wouldn’t be a thing.”

He texts his mom “I love you” before every game. This one small ritual that keeps him grounded.

If Harrigan has advice for young SOMA athletes, it’s blunt but heartfelt: “If you want to succeed, you need to dedicate yourself and sacrifice a lot. Nothing worth having comes easy.”

He often thinks of his childhood friend Ronnie Hickman, who was raised in South Orange and is now a safety for the Cleveland Browns in the NFL. “At a young age, he dedicated himself to his craft. If a young athlete wants to succeed, they need to forego time with friends, parties, fun things. I wish I’d realized that earlier.”

And what does he miss most about Maplewood and South Orange? “The people I’ve met,” he says. “Lifelong friends I miss dearly. I’m grateful to have grown up in such a safe and beautiful environment.” He misses food here too. When he’s here he wants to eat at Artie’s, he says without hesitation. “Best food I can think of.”

For a young man halfway across the world, living a life he once thought impossible, that gratitude runs deep.

His father sums it up simply: “He’s grown into a decent young man. I’m very proud of him.”

And for anyone who watched Harrigan sprint across Orchard Park, knock on the Dawkins’ door for another round of pickup, or walk home under the canopy of SOMA trees he still misses today, his story is a reminder of what this community makes possible.

Hard work, heart and a neighborhood that opens its doors. Sometimes that’s all it takes to send someone soaring.

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Adrianna Donat is a Maplewood/South Orange real estate agent who knows that sometimes all it takes is a driveway, a hoop, and the right neighborhood. You can find her at pollockpropertiesgroup.com.