Luol Deng to coach South Sudan in AfroBasket qualifiers

By Sam Neter on November 26, 2020

Image Credit: FIBA

Former Great Britain and Chicago Bulls star Luol Deng will take the reins of the South Sudan national team at the FIBA AfroBasket 2021 Qualifiers in the Rwandan Capital from November 25-29.

Deng, who is also the president of the South Sudan Basketball Federation (SSBF), takes the helm assisted by his brother Ajou, after he and former GB Senior Men’s assistant Lloyd Gardner coached the side through the Pre-Qualifiers in Yaounde, Cameroon last month.

Despite not qualifying, they were given a second chance when Algeria pulled out of the Qualifiers in Kigali, opening up a spot for South Sudan.

“We take the opportunity that came to us,” Deng told FIBA.

“We have been building and we knew about coming here about a week ago. We are looking forward to it and it is a great chance for us to qualify.”

South Sudan find themselves in a tough group with former AfroBasket champions Nigeria, Mali and hosts Rwanda, they open their campaign on Thursday against against Nigeria.

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