Khaman Maluach Is Helping To Build A Strong Future For South Sudan Basketball

And make no mistake, he’s a key part of the future for the Bright Stars

The US team didn't have much trouble with South Sudan Wednesday, blowing the game open in the first half and never letting the Bright Stars get back into it.

But that takes nothing from the job that Luol Deng has done with the program, which has come out of nowhere to great acclaim in South Sudan and beyond. Part of this is because of the Sudanese Diaspora. We’ve all seen outstanding players from the US, Canada, Australia and, in the case of Deng, the UK, who were either refugees or the children of refugees.

And that’s true for Duke freshman Khaman Maluach as well. He was discovered in Uganda and Deng and others began to cultivate his potential.

Now, he’s the youngest Olympian in the basketball tournament and a key to South Sudan’s future in the sport.

Check out what Bright Stars coach Royal Ivey says about his promising young star:

“He is our second big. Our backup big. I wanted to inject him early [against Puerto Rico] to see what he gave us, see if he could help us with rebounding. Just think about it, he’s 17 years old. He’s learning against grown men. Some days he has good days. Some days, not so good. He is still in the rotation. I believe in him.

“He’s a talent. In five years, this is going to be his team. I got to throw him out there and put him in the fiery moments. When he makes mistakes, I have to pull him as a coach. He’s OK and he will be fine the next game.”

Maluach is clearly on his way as is the South Sudan team. What’s perhaps most striking about the team is that they have become a major inspiration back home.

South Sudan is the youngest country in the world, having been formally established just thirteen years ago. War has ripped Sudan and South Sudan off and on since the 1980’s so you can kind of understand how doing something on a world-class level will mean a lot. As a result of what these guys have already accomplished, kids in South Sudan are going to be much more interested in the sport. And while that can never make war or ethnic cleansing acceptable, it may evolve as something of a silver lining to a very dark time.