No one knows what the future holds for Junior Cadougan.

But considering everything he has gone through, you have to cheer for his success even if that means he won’t be a London Lightning player for long.

Cadougan is a former member of Canada’s national basketball team; a 26-year-old Toronto native who just signed with the National Basketball League of Canada team.

He’s hoping he’ll get something he hasn’t gotten since starting the last 60-of-61 games for the Marquette Golden Eagles, a chance to be the engine that runs the train.

But if you think that’s the hardest thing the 6’2” point guard has had to worry about, think again. That is just a first-world problem compared to some of the other stuff he’s had to survive.

His basketball resume is impressive.

Cadougan was the leading scorer for Canada’s FIBA U18 team at the Americas championship in 2006, leading the team in scoring.

He was a member of the 2013 senior national team at the Americas championship and the 2015 Pan-Am Games team that won a silver medal.

As a starting guard at Marquette, he led the team to the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2012 and Elite Eight in 2013.

Cadougan played overseas in Georgia in the Super League and in the Serie A, the top Italian league. He played in Greece last season.

“I’m ecstatic to have him,” said Lightning coach Kyle Julius of Cadougan. “He’s a phenomenal kid. He’s the kind of player you want your young kids to watch playing.”

Off the court, Cadougan could give young kids a pretty good lesson on being resilient and adaptable. If he hadn’t been all those things, he never would have gotten this far.

He and his siblings where raised by his single mother Suzette in the tough Jane and Finch area of Toronto. He attended what was then the iconic high school basketball factory that was Eastern Commerce. One day after practice in 2005, he, his teammates, coach and family were “just chillin’ in the front yard.

“My back was turned, and I just heard shots,” he said. “I ran in the house and when I came back I saw my coach covering my little brother; my coach opened up his arms and my little brother was leaking; my coach was leaking; my next door neighbour was hit, my brother’s girlfriend got hit; I was grazed across the chest. It was horrific.”

His brother was four. He was hit with four bullets in the legs, shoulder and gallbladder. Everyone survived and his brother is now playing basketball as well. Cadougan said there was never a resolution to the incident.

“I didn’t know anything,” he said. “Maybe someone was jealous of the success I was having. I don’t know but I went to my mother and said ‘Mom, I can’t stay here; it isn’t safe.’”

Within weeks Cadougan was headed to Community Christian School in Georgia.

A number of colleges wanted him but he chose Marquette. It was the beginning of what he says was a “changing of his attitude.”

His talent on the court was never questioned. That was obvious with the success he helped Marquette achieve.

But he also developed the strength of character that allows people to fight through the adversity in the world. He credits a great deal of that to his coach at Marquette Buzz Williams and his mother.

“Buzz Williams was tough,” Cadougan said. “He taught us about life lessons. He was more about life lessons that basketball. It made me mentally tough. It’s hard to get broken. I just kept on working, working, working and God blessed me with this opportunity to play.”

Cadougan admits he wasn’t as very good student.

“I hated school,” he said. “But coach Williams made you go to school. No school, no play. For me it was basketball in the morning, study hall, study hall, classes, study hall, basketball and study. I didn’t see daylight for a year.”

The result was remarkable. In 2012-13 Cadougan was selected a Big East all-Academic, all-American and graduated with his degree in social welfare and justice.

He went undrafted in the National Basketball Association draft but attended the Milwaukee Bucks’ camp. He had trouble with his visa and the Bucks released him. It was late in the European season and the only place he could play was in the Republic of Georgia.

“After that summer, I toured Europe with Canada’s national team and had a really successful trip,” Cadougan said.

That led to a contract with a team in Serie A, Italy’s top league. The following year he played in Greece.

“In Italy, it was a backup job to an NBA player,” he said. “I didn’t get an opportunity to play. Overseas, how you do determines the kind of job you are going to get. In Greece things were kind of shaky; I didn’t get paid on time and the floors are terrible over there so the wear and tear is horrible.”

He developed tendinitis in his knee and because the treatment wasn’t particularly good, he came home in April.

“I couldn’t go to national team training camp in the summer so I sat back and thought about it and I reached out to (Julius) and I said ‘do you know any teams in the NBL that might give me an opportunity?’ He jumped right on it.”

That’s not surprising, considering Julius has been watching Cadougan since he was 15 when Julius was with the national team and Cadougan came to their camp.

“This profession these days . . . you have to know the coach or someone has to know the coach to convince them to give me a chance,” he said. “But coach knows my game and knows me. It’s not about first impressions; he knows I can play.”

With Cadougan’s signing, the Lightning already has Garrett Williamson, Taylor Black, Troy Gottselig and Joel Friesen as signed Canadian players. Last year’s Canadian player-of-the-league Warren Ward is also expected to attend training camp after the Lightning matched the offer made to Ward by the Niagara River Lions.

Cadougan is not game -ready but is looking forward to getting in game shape with Julius.

Julius loves tough players. He loves players who overcome hurdles because they told fold up at the first sign of adversity.

Even though Cadougan has played at a high level at college and with the national team, he wants the chance to prove he can “run the show.”

“I’m a point guard that wins, period,” Cadougan says. “Whatever I have to do; if I have to score; if I have to get more guys involved to get engaged; if I have to be vocal; I’m just a winner. That’s how I led my team Marquette to Sweet 16 and Elite Eight. I just haven’t had the chance to do it on a bigger stage than college yet.”