South Sudan has achieved significant milestones in three years, including an impressive AfroBasket debut and historic FIBA World Cup qualification. Under Royal Ivey's leadership, they excelled, becoming the men's African team at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Key players aim to showcase their world-class skills.
Last Updated on
July 28, 2024
Jonathan Oriant
Staff Writer
South Sudan, the world's youngest nation, has achieved numerous milestones in the past three years. Making their debut at AfroBasket in 2021, the South Sudanese team impressively finished seventh out of 16 teams, surpassing established basketball powerhouses such as Egypt (11th), Nigeria (12th), and the Central African Republic (14th).
In 2022, during the gruelling qualification rounds for the 2023 FIBA World Cup, South Sudan recorded consecutive victories over the reigning AfroBasket champions, Tunisia, on February 26 and July 2. These victories marked them as the first African team since Angola in 2015 to defeat the African champions.
With a remarkable record of 11 wins and one loss during the 2023 World Cup qualifiers, South Sudan earned their first-ever qualification for FIBA's flagship event, hosted in Japan, the Philippines, and Indonesia. There, they finished with three wins and two losses, defeating China (89-69), the Philippines (87-68), and Angola (101-78). This performance secured their historic qualification for the Men's Olympic Tournament in Paris 2024, making them the only African men's representatives at this global event.
Preparing for the Olympics, the South Sudanese Basketball Federation entrusted the team's future to Royal Ivey, a former player for the Atlanta Hawks, Milwaukee Bucks, and Philadelphia 76ers. Since ending his playing career in 2014, Ivey has gained valuable coaching experience as an assistant with the Oklahoma City Blue, New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets, and Houston Rockets.
Under Ivey's leadership, the Bright Stars, known as the South Sudanese team, have maintained a stable roster. Of the 12 players who participated in the 2023 World Cup, eight were recalled for the Olympics, ensuring team cohesion. The addition of four newcomers has further strengthened the squad. Key players like Nuni Omot, Carlik Jones, Wenyen Gabriel, and Majok Deng are eager to demonstrate their world-class skills in Paris.
Their first match was a rematch against Puerto Rico, which narrowly defeated them 101-96 in the World Cup group phase. Despite Carlik Jones' impressive 35 points, Puerto Rico turned the game around in the third quarter and forced overtime to secure their win.
Following this, South Sudan will face the USA in their second Group C match, seeking to prove that their warm-up defeat against the star-studded American team was an anomaly. They will conclude the group phase on August 3 with a game against the reigning world runners-up, Serbia.
In preparation for the Games, the Bright Stars played significant warm-up matches against Great Britain and the USA, showing promise with one win and one loss. Key players like Carlik Jones, Khalan Maluach, and JT Thor have demonstrated their ability to shoulder South Sudan's hopes.
South Sudan has already made history by qualifying for the Olympics. Now, they have another chance to prove themselves on the court at Stade Pierre Mauroy. They have set high expectations, and a strong performance in Paris would solidify their place in basketball history.
[Photography Courtesy of the 2024 Paris Olympics]
