South Sudanese, Seeking to Fit In, Stand Out in Australian Basketball
Joe Mantegna said that The Savannah Pride’s not put together to farm kids out to other places, but sometimes the kids get to be so accomplished, like Deng and Gorjok,
that the next progression is either to play for their country or to go play at a higher level overseas,
Christopher Abujohn said that If we can train hard here,
South Sudanese players from other Australian cities, like Thon Maker of the Milwaukee Bucks, also have been recruited, along
with dozens of others who have made their way to the United States for high school and college on basketball scholarships.
When I asked Henry for an example of what he would he would tell his American teammates about his background, he said, "I’ll tell them I come from Australia
but I’m South Sudanese." Given the ever-present mix of both pressure and excitement (Henry dreams only of playing in the N.B.A.
Acuoth Achol, another one of the original players and now Mr. Chagai’s main assistant coach, said the first team
they joined had consisted entirely of Filipinos, who would let only one Sudanese player on the court at a time.
But Henry has far more interest flowing his way, which means Mr. Chagai is often on the phone or emailing with
coaches he trusts — like Coach Mantegna at Blair Academy — asking about different schools he’s never heard of.
