Men's Basketball

FORMER WARRIORS MAKE HISTORY WITH SOUTH SUDAN

FORMER WARRIORS MAKE HISTORY WITH SOUTH SUDAN
Posted: Feb 28, 2023

Ottumwa, IA – A pair of former Indian Hills Men's Basketball standouts have made history on the largest stage. Nuni Omot and Majok Deng helped South Sudan qualify for its first-ever FIBA World Cup.

Deng, who was a member of the Warriors from 2012-14 and Omot, a member of the 2015-16 squad led the South Sudan national team to the FIBA World Cup to become the first team in African basketball history to qualify for the international championship in their first attempt. The South Sudan national team was founded in 2011.

South Sedan defeated Senegal 83-75 in the African qualifying stage of the FIBA World Cup. South Sudan went 11-1 throughout the 15-month qualifying stage to make history.

Omot, who recently signed a professional contract with the New York Knicks was named Man of the Match against Senegal after scoring 26 points on 7-14 shooting with eight rebounds and four assists. In the 12 games of the qualifying stage, Omot averaged 15.1 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.

Deng has appeared in nine of the team's 12 qualifying games and is averaging 10.6 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. The former Warrior scored a tournament-high 22 points in the team's latest contest in a win over Egypt. Deng was named Man of the Match for his effort.

This year's FIBA World Cup is set for August 25-September 10 in the Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia.

Omot was a standout for the Warriors in 2015-16 while earning National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Honorable Mention All-American honors. Omot helped lead the Warriors, in their first season under current head coach Hank Plona to an NJCAA Region XI and NJCAA North Central District Championship. Omot moved on to Baylor University before embarking on a professional career that has led to his current team, the Westchester Knicks of the NBA G League.

Deng helped lead the Warriors to 60 wins in his two seasons in Ottumwa, including a memorable performance against Southeastern Community College during his freshman season where the 6-10 center buried three three-point shots in overtime to lead the Warriors to a victory. Deng moved on to the University of Louisiana Monroe where he was a two-time all-conference selection, including a first-team pick in 2015-16. Deng has put together an impressive professional career where he is a current member of the Ipswich Force of the NBL1 North in the Queensland, Australia.