Two young South East basketball player buddies are making their way to the USA on basketball scholarships.
Kuirowl Chol and Mangok Gach, players at the success-story Red Roo Sports, are excited to begin their US college basketball journeys.
Both, at the age of 19, will make the big leap this week, with Mangok at the Garden City Community College in Kansas and Kuirowl at Dawson Community College.
Kuirowl Chol, from Dandenong and who goes by the nickname KC, has overcome a leg injury with an incredible comeback.
“It makes me feel accomplished even though the job’s not really done.
“I started basketball late, so it tells me I can do much more with the right people and guidance.
“My friends are very proud of me because they started before me and were much better. Now I am the best out of the group.”
The Brothers4Brothers (B4B) program, as part of the community support group through Centre for Multicultural Youth (CMY), has played a massive role in getting the boys to where they are now.
KC first got involved with the program during Covid, where it rolled out online games for youths of South Sudanese backgrounds and remained connected through school holiday programs after Covid.
“Some of my friends were far from me, so this gave us an opportunity to meet up, such as they took us to Luna Park.
“It would bring some fun whenever I was bored and really brings the community together.”
The program is an eight-week school term initiative to empower South Sudanese youth personally and professionally with programs on mental health, education, and employment, among many more.
As for Mangok, the Cranbourne local who just came back in March from North America for his previous scholarship programs, flying to the continent again was something he was really looking forward to.
“I am looking forward to seeing my team and seeing how we play altogether,” he said.
“This year, I am looking forward to trying to win a championship as a team.
“And even living the college life, I don’t know how it is. I am sure it’s different to how high school is. I know it’s going to be more intense than high school. I am off for the challenge.
“I have never been to Kansas before, so I don’t know how people are. I’m just glad you will see how they are.”
Mangok, a small forward player, previously spent his high school years in Canada and New York under scholarships. He said he learned a lot in his time overseas, and he was sure he would learn a lot of new things this time.
“Those places have taught me a lot. It’s taught me what academics are with basketball,” he said.
“Without academics, I wouldn’t go anywhere. It’s taught me to be disciplined and be coachable.
“Think about it. They’re paying for you to be somewhere. So, if you’re not a person that’s coachable, it’s hard for you to even play and or be on the team. At the end, if you’re not building yourself, then they could just drop you and make you go and come back here.”
Mangok believed that to be a good player, being coachable, disinclined and consistent are the keys.
“If you’re not consistent, then you give out really easily on certain things that somebody else will come and take the spot really quickly,” he said.
Multicultural youth worker at CMY, Reath Tot, came up with the B4B program after seeing a demand in the community.
“The program was designed in partnership with young people, which targets young males aged between 12-18, and the idea of the program came to us because we started to see young males disengaging from school.
“Also, getting into anti-social behaviours around shopping centres, young people were struggling by being on the police radar.”
He has seen the boys grow professionally and personally excited to see what’s next to come.
“Knowing these kids from an early age, they weren’t involved with the wrong people but were in and out of circles which would’ve been easy for them to go (astray) with one of their friends.
“It’s a credit to them for choosing to go down the sports route and realise there’s other avenues to take.
“I’m super proud of being the person to create the program. These young people come through it, and now you see these awesome opportunities.
“They worked hard to get it, you see the growth – it is really awesome.
“The boys took basketball more seriously, they are massive now, they started to see there’s potential – that’s where Red Roo came in and showed them the way.”
The program collaborates with other community organisations and bodies such as AFL Victoria, Chisholm Tafe, YSAS, Monash Health and Melbourne United to strengthen their community connection and provide the best.
It was through the social connections, positive environments and guidance that led the boys to Red Roo Sports and take part in Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball tournaments across Australia.
AAU is America’s youth basketball league known for its role in college basketball recruitment, and KC and Manjok were among the chosen ones.
Upon the completion of his two-year accounting studies, KC and Mangok would like to secure a four-year basketball scholarship, continuing his studies, but all that depends on both his academic and athletic performance.
The program is funded by the State Government, which has committed a $20 million investment over two years through the Investing Early in Young Victorians package, which includes continuation of critical and well-established programs and initiatives supporting young people.
These programs include six Community Support Groups, the Le Mana Pasifika Project and alcohol and other drug outreach support to engage and support young people from vulnerable communities.
