Youth Player of the Month: Benção Vungo

Youth Player of the Month: Bencao Vungo

Due to his exploits from the NBA Academy to the America, 19 years old Benca Vungo is AfricaBasket's Youth Player of the Month. The young Angolan made a remarkable path from high school to college.

When and how did you first get into basketball?

I started playing when I was 14. watching basketball games and I started to like it, my friends in the neighborhood advised me to play because I was tall.

Who were those coaches who helped you to build the kind of young player you are today?

The coaches who helped me become the player I am now, I have to thank the first Chama se jlonda, he was patient in teaching me basketball and is a very special person to me, and I also thank the coaches of my old club in Angola, and one of the coaches who helped me a lot in my physical preparation and training, his name is Coach Spaco and he is a good competitive coach, he taught me many things that I will take with me for life.

Tell us about your experience at the FIBA Championship.

My experience at the FIBA Championship was a very good one. Because I learned to play smart. The greatest feeling about playing in the FIBA Championship is that you play with the best players in Africa and are there to represent your team and win.

Could you share your experience at the NBA Academy, including any challenges you faced and how you overcame them?

My experience at the NBA Academy was very good because it was the first time I played outside of Angola. And they have a great team, they have a good program, it's a good academy for me, it's the best in Africa. There I was able to meet many players from countries other than Africa and we became a family. My experience there was good, you learned things that helped me a lot.

From high school to NCAA college (East Carolina Pirates). Tell us more about that transition.

My transition from high school to college was very difficult because I had to fight and train twice as hard to get Division I offers, I had to play with the best players in Florida. And from other states in the United States.

You recently had your first training session with the team what are your objectives for the season ahead of you.

Yes, I had my first training session with the team. My goals for this season are to show the coach how good I am how much I can help my team win wins and become my all-conference player.

As a young player, who do you look up to, to inspire your upcoming career?

My basketball idol is Lebron, Jordan and Kobe.  My favourite player at the moment is Anthony Edwards.