Jacobs grad Orange gets shot at professional basketball

Life after basketball will have to wait for Chrishawn Orange.

The Jacobs High School and Augustana College graduate had always dreamed of playing professionally, but nothing materialized last summer after he signed with an agency.

Regardless, the NCAA Division III All-American, whose 1,466 points rank sixth on Augustana's all-time scoring list, continued working out in hope of an offer.

Meanwhile, he took a job at a Ford dealership in Elgin selling cars.

"I think he looked at it and said 'OK, I'm good. I gave it a shot,' and he moved on," Jacobs coach Jimmy Roberts said.

Then Orange got the call.

The Algonquin native was at work two weeks ago when his agent phoned with word of an offer from a professional team in Georgia.

Orange - the captain of the 2014-15 Daily Herald All-Area team in the Fox Valley - agreed to terms with Team Mega and flew to Tbilisi, Georgia on Wednesday. Mega is a member of the Georgia-A League second division, which opened a three-month schedule this week.

"It's something I dreamed about," the 6-foot-2 point guard said of playing professionally. "This is something I always wanted to do. It was always one of my goals to continue after college. My friends and family are super supportive of me doing this so it's awesome. To have this opportunity is amazing."

Orange averaged 12.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists for Augustana as a senior while shooting 37.8% from 3-point range (28 of 74).