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MANILA, Philippines — In an indelible second of this FIBA World Cup, the South Sudan earned the nation’s first berth into the Olympics in any sport Saturday and did so with a staff crammed with refugees and the youngsters of refugees from the war-torn nation.

The Shiny Stars, as they’re identified, gained the bid allotted for Africa with a 101-78 victory over Angola, triggering tears and hugs from gamers as a number of dozen followers waved the younger nation’s flag.

They gained the prize with a 3-2 file in Manila to outlast all different African groups simply three years after former NBA All-Star Luol Deng took over this system, which he has largely personally funded and recruited gamers with South Sudanese heritage.

“It is an unbelievable story. It is an underdog story that not only for the South Sudanese, not only for Africa, however for the remainder of the world,” Deng stated as he fought off tears. “It is a really feel good story that majority of individuals can relate to. It is such a singular achievement as a result of it is past basketball.”

Three summers in the past, Deng tapped former NBA participant and longtime good friend, Royal Ivey to be the staff’s head coach. Ivey, a present assistant with the Houston Rockets, began practices on concrete flooring and out of doors courts that have been generally flooded.

The staff practiced and performed in far-flung locations from Kenya to Tunisia to Australia to earn World Cup qualification for the primary time and open the door for the achievement.

“It has been a humbling journey. I had heartaches, I’ve plenty of ebbs and flows and it is an ideal feeling proper now,” stated Ivey, a 10-year NBA veteran who mentored Deng when he got here to the identical highschool in New Jersey. “A yr in the past we have been working towards outdoors with eagles flying round whereas we have been working towards and the courts have been flooded. Prefer to go from there to return and play entrance of those followers within the Philippines, and I am on cloud 9 proper now.”

The staff is loaded with inspirational tales past Deng, whose household left Sudan when he was a baby for England. There have been a development of civil wars in Sudan and South Sudan, which turned unbiased in 2011, courting to the mid-Nineteen Fifties which have displaced hundreds of thousands.

NBA participant Wenyen Gabriel, who had 15 factors and 10 rebounds Saturday, was born in Sudan however his household fled to Egypt when he was simply two weeks previous. He later got here to Manchester, N.H., one of many sanctuary cities that took in lots of his teammates.

Nuni Omot, who had 17 factors within the victory, was born in a Sudanese refugee camp in Kenya earlier than later transferring to Minnesota. He performed within the NBA G-League final season.

Kacuol Jok, who had three factors within the sport, was born in Sudan earlier than his household fled to Uganda after each his grandfather and father have been killed in civil wars. He finally moved to Des Moines, Iowa, earlier than later starring on the College of Iowa.

One of many tales of the event was 7-foot-2 16-year-old Khaman Maluach, who’s already considered a prospect for the 2025 NBA Draft. Maluach, who had 5 factors and 4 rebounds in opposition to Angola, was a refugee residing in Uganda when he was found and has been growing on the NBA Academy in Senegal.

“This has been like a film,” Maluach stated.

Quite a few different gamers have been from households that moved to the U.S., Australia or Canada. A lot of the staff simply got here collectively this summer time as simply six gamers had performed for the nationwide staff in previous competitions.

“It has been wonderful, it is all a brand new expertise for everyone,” stated former Philadelphia 76er Marial Shayok, who had 18 factors within the win. “It is a new nation, it is a new staff and we’re all simply making an attempt to take all of it in as a bunch and simply sort of develop collectively.”

Guard Carlik Jones, who performs for the Chicago Bulls and was the G-League Participant of the 12 months final season for the Windy Metropolis Bulls has been one of many stars of the World Cup. He completed it off with 26 factors and a record-tying 15 assists.

And he will probably be taking his sport to Paris subsequent yr, the place South Sudan will probably be one in all simply 12 groups that qualify.

“It means the world, it means the world to the individuals again dwelling,” stated Jones, who was born in Cincinnati to Sudanese mother and father. “It is only a blessing.”