The Hottest team in Africa isn't slowing down soon.

African basketball is in a new era, and the Bright stars of South Sudan are a reflection of that.

As we count down to the fourth window of the FIBA world cup qualifiers, the country in Eastern Africa is the hottest team in the continent, going undefeated after two phases. They went through Rwanda, Cameroun, and African champions, Tunisia twice.

The Bright Stars of South Sudan

The Deputy Secretary General of the South Sudan Basketball Federation, Arou Chan said in an interview with Quartz Africa, “Our aim as a group is to make it all the way to the World Cup. And we believe with determination, hard work, organization, discipline, and consistency we will make it”

And who are we not to believe them?

The Bright stars are currently ranked 76th in the world and 11th in Africa, a huge jump from 127th and 19th spots respectively (2020). Not bad for a team that only competed in its first Afrobasket championship in 2021.

This cinderella story will not be complete without mentioning the impact, Luol Deng has had so far. Luol took office as the president of the federation in 2020 and ever since, he has constantly found ways to improve the standard of the game. His foundation programme which started in 2015 is a benchmark for others within the region and is the sole sponsor of the South Sudan national teams.

Luol Deng

“Our main goal as a federation is to build a foundation so the youth and everyone will know that there is a platform to horn their skills and be great in life just as the beautiful game has done for me. Though it may take time before things get materialised just the way we want but I can tell that soon the world will reckon with South Sudan as a strong basketball nation," Deng explained in a FIBA interview.

Keyword – Youth

The average age of the team is 26 years which makes them the third youngest squad in the tournament behind Angola and Nigeria.

It’s clear the growth we witness now is only the tip of the iceberg. The inclusion of top-class professionals, talented young players, an excellent coaching crew, and high-level organization continues to propel the vision Luol Deng pictured.

With thousands of players across the world to pick from, the world isn’t ready for what’s yet to come. Like a rumbling volcano, South Sudan is just about to explode.