Summer League

He plays for South Sudan, his focus was to try get an nba contract.

My big worry here is, we continue to develop south sudanese talent and bring through our junior teams for them to bail and play for south sudan it bothers me. If they dont want to play for the boomers they shouldn't be playing in our u17 teams when there is someone with boomers aspirations missing out.

Yes agree, I'm not certain how you rectify it though, they deserve a chance, maybe they should declare at 16 which country they wish to represent.

BA just need to ensure that talented kids with dual nationality debut for the boomers early in their careers.

Or are they 'bailing' to South Sudan once it’s obvious they won’t make the Boomers?

I agree with the comment that they should declare at age 16

https://www.fiba.basketball/en/player/203106/Lual-Acuil#|tab=photos

My big worry here is, we continue to develop south sudanese talent and bring through our junior teams for them to bail and play for south sudan it bothers me. If they dont want to play for the boomers they shouldn't be playing in our u17 teams when there is someone with boomers aspirations missing out.

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Thon, Acuil, Deng Adel, Dech decide to play to play for South sudan because our stupid selectors would never pick them. They rather pick substandard, unauthentic players like sobey, Kay, magnay and goulding.
Well done Basketball Australia for developing free talented players for the south Sudan national team

Typo : unathletic players

Last time I checked BA was funded by the Australian government for Australian people. There is no basis for BA not to provide opportunities to Australian citizens and permanent residents. There is also no basis for BA to force young people (children) to make a decision about their citizenship to obtain support.

I understand and appreciate the point about BA being funded by the Australian government for Australian people, and I fully agree that providing opportunities to Australian citizens and permanent residents is essential.

However, my concern is not about denying opportunities but rather about ensuring that these opportunities are given to those who genuinely aspire to represent Australia at the senior level. It's crucial to consider the long-term impact on our national teams. When we invest in developing young talent through our junior teams, it's with the expectation that they will grow and contribute to our national teams like the Boomers. If these players later choose to represent another country, it undermines the investment and opportunities provided to them, which could have been given to other young athletes who have a clear commitment to playing for Australia.

The decision isn't about forcing young athletes to make a citizenship choice prematurely, but rather about fostering a sense of loyalty and commitment to the country that supports their development. Encouraging this commitment can help ensure that our investments in junior development programs benefit the Australian national teams in the long run.

My concern is about safeguarding the future of our national teams by prioritising opportunities for those who have a genuine desire to represent Australia, thus ensuring that our resources and support systems are effectively utilised.

Exactly Ski 76, there is a lot dollars invested in producing elite talent, if that talent wants to play for another nation the cost should be met. It still leaves behind those who could have had the spot, as I said previously 16 is good age to make a choice.

and it's not like we don't have an Australia B which competes in Asia they can play for.

I hope you realise that basketball is not the only sport this happens. NRL, Rugby,Soccer it happens everywhere it's simple if we don't want them why should they miss an international opportunity.

Let's look back should we not have picked Leroy Loggins or Shaun Redhage, & we're still bitching that we couldn't get Bryce Cotton.

You can't have it all

Plenty of Australian representatives have been developed overseas. Plenty. To deny opportunities to a young basket baller because you fear they might play for another country is short-sighted, and would demonstrate a lack of confidence in your program and culture. It may also be quite discriminatory.

It probably is discriminatory, but like private enterprise you have to protect yourself. Who from Australia has been developed from overseas?

I am fine with dual citizens playing for more than one country in their lifetime, whenever they do it, for whatever reason.

I have learnt a lot playing with Lithuanian Australians,
not to mention being coached by one or two American Australians,
our country is so much richer for all the contributions of our migrant communities.
Particularly when you look at how many current Boomers [and staff] are eligible for dual citizenship..

In fact, having another strong "close" basketball country to compete with, like with the 3 night event in Melbourne last year, can only strengthen the Aussie teams over the long run.

Just watched one win a game for us for the Opals, Dunkman. And many on this forum wanted another to be selected for the Boomers. Many others. Not to mention that all of our players go and play in OS systems at some stage.

Couldn't agree more with Baller Fan.

I can understand that it's perhaps a little bittersweet to see players that we are very familiar due to living and playing in Australia in action for another country. But to entirely the ignore the context of which that occurred is pretty wild. These players didn't move to Australia for the weather.

Again, it's bittersweet. At one point there was the promise of guys like Thon Maker taking Australian basketball to the next level. But, we don't own them. And I think we should celebrate what they have been able to do, proudly representing and inspiring their home.

Who knows what will happen in the future? Maybe South Sudan will become a safe place to live, and people will be able to flourish as all humans should in their homeland. Maybe some future generations of South Sudanese in Australia will identify more as Australians and choose to play for us.

Ultimately, I will back whatever the player wants to do, and where their heart lies. That Australia has played a part in the emergence of South Sudan basketball should be seen as additive, rather than a loss.

And yeah, someone might miss out on a spot to a player who later decides to play for South Sudan (or another country, I don't remember too many people being up in arms about Anatoly Bose, Julian Khazzouh or Steve Leven). That is not sufficient reason alone to forbid these players from playing. Clearly, they elevate the standard of play at rep level.

Michael Jordan got cut from his high school basketball team, Andrew Bogut didn't make rep teams etc. Get better.

Did someone earlier in thus thread mention that we picked people like CG23 and Kay over the likes of Dech and Deng Adel and that somehow is linked to a future potential problem.

Yikes...

As of now, this question of governmental funds being spent in juniors to develop Australian citizens of South Sudanese does not apply to the likes of Thon, Acuil, Deng Adel, Jackson Makoi, and many of these South Sudanese basketballers.
The successful South Sudanese players exit Australia as juniors and either play HS/AAU basketball and or college basketball in the US. They are not really resourced by Australia and are not really fully recruited by the Australian basketball elite pathway as they are in the US.
Thon, Deng Adel, Jackson Makoi, Mangok Mathiang, Makur Maker all played hs basketball in the US. The real question is what are the realistic opportunities to represent Australia when South Sudanese like Thon put their hands up and are deemed "not good enough" to play for Australia? I think young South Sudanese players are beginning to recognise that their talent are more appreciated elsewhere and therefore leave and find better opportunities.
If you really think about it, it took Thon getting drafted in the NBA for Australia to really even begin to open doors in their associations.

You must have missed the Bogut draft, a gem of a player.

Players transferred from USA also, their competitive and to think the could add JLA and Thon plus others to this group.

I'm guessing there are immigrant teenagers in the USA system who still play for their native country??

Ultimately this is good for basketball, at the minimum these immigrant kids in our system are raising the talent level of the junior comps

I don't remember too many people being up in arms about Anatoly Bose, Julian Khazzouh or Steve Leven

Bol Bol is another potential


Wouldn't be surprised if Buol Kuol has a crack at NBA, summer league at least...