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July 21, 2024 (Juba) – South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir praised the national basketball team for its narrow victory over the United States in a friendly match on Sunday.
In a tense game, the United States defeated the South Sudanese Bright Stars 101-100.
“It is with deep national pride and honor that I congratulate the leadership of the South Sudan Basketball Federation, led by Luol Deng, and all the players of the South Sudan men’s basketball team,” Kiir said in a statement. “They are our shining stars, your performance is impressive and your contribution to the development of basketball in our young country is commendable.”
Kiir said basketball has made history since South Sudan was established in 2011.
South Sudan has qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics as Africa’s highest-ranked team.
“Your outstanding performance has inspired many open-minded people around the world to realize that South Sudan is a country that can contribute more to the world. On July 28, you will represent South Sudan in the 2024 Paris Olympic Men’s Basketball Championship, creating another historic milestone,” Kiir emphasized.
South Sudan’s Minister of Youth and Sports, Joseph Geng Akech, praised Kiir and the Council of Ministers for their support despite economic difficulties.
He explained that South Sudan will compete in basketball, taekwondo and athletics, praising the team for its outstanding performances against England and Portugal.
The Bright Stars are scheduled to play against Porto Rico on July 31, 2024, and against the United States on August 3roadin 2024. It will face Serbia as part of the Group C final.
Some players expressed their happiness at making their country known and on the world stage, saying many people did not know South Sudan as a country before playing against teams from other countries.
“Many people in the world don’t know what South Sudan is. Today, we were able to proudly represent our country, play a beautiful game and show them the potential of our country. For us, this is more important than basketball,” said Wenyen Gabriel, one of the players from South Sudan.
USA Basketball head coach Steve Kerr praised South Sudan following the defeat but admitted he underestimated the young nation.
“Firstly, I didn’t do a good job. I don’t think we paid enough attention to their ability and that was a factor on my part. I think it really gave South Sudan confidence early on and when we turned it around in the second game, they had knocked down three and were feeling pretty good about themselves,” he said.
The U.S. coach praised the South Sudan Bright Stars for their outstanding performance in the competition and praised the contribution of U.S. coach Royal Ivy and his coaching staff to the team’s development.
“They were fantastic. They played a great game and it ended really well for us. Get a feel for what it will be like to play in Paris and Lille. It’s a good experience for us and a reminder that when we play a team that knows it’s the most important game of their lives, we have to expect everyone to play like that,” he stressed.
The South Sudanese head coach praised the players’ performance, saying they showed resilience and competitiveness.
The bright stars emerged from the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup qualifiers as the continent’s only representative at the Paris Olympics.
(English stone)
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