Deng basketball academy awards best young players

Deng basketball academy established by renowned international basketball legend Luol Deng has awarded eight best basketball teenagers for excellent performance.

“We are awarding our best students, we are doing the event every year, we have many students,” said Deng Aldou, the Country Director for Deng Academy in an interview with the Dawn on Saturday during the ceremony held at the University of Juba.

The players were awarded for outstanding performance in last year’s basketball league.

The academy established in 2018 is hosting 2,331 youngsters both boys and girls.

Aldou said the academy sponsors the studies of some of the orphaned children in the academy.

 Nana Alfred Philip, a 21- year- old female basketball player pursuing studies in medicine at the University of Juba, said she is interested to play basketball at the regional and international level.

 “Here in basketball there is no tribalism, we do not know who is a Bari, we do not know who Dinka is and we do not know who is a Nuer,” said Philip.

Philip was among the best players who were awarded for their excellent performance in basketball.

“We are here as brothers and sisters, we play together and we exchange contacts,” she added.

Michael Achuil Mading, the Director of the Academy said the game has provided them opportunity to tap into raw talent.

He said the academy is producing quality players in the region.

“We are celebrating awards, we acknowledge young men and women for their performance, for their achievements, the academy‘s purpose is to empower youth in the country to realize their personal potential in sports,” said Mading.