MAGOK Manyang is set to spend most of 2021 in Eunice, Louisiana after the Trinity College graduate was offered a spot on LSU Eunice’s junior college basketball team.
Manyang, 18 years old and standing at six-foot-eight, has only been playing basketball since he was 14, but has moved from strength to strength in his development under Trinity College head basketball coach and ex-Adelaide 36er Rupert Sapwell.
Originally picking up the game simply because he was tall and it was a good reason to get out of the house, Manyang said he began realising he could take the game seriously as he continued to receive positive feedback from Sapwell and coach Ricky Simpson, who he said is “like a second father”.
“It was hard at the start, because everyone knows how to dribble and how to shoot, and I didn’t even know the rules,” he said.
“But I’m a quick learner – I feel like I can watch someone do something three or four times and I can go do it myself.
“There was a lot of catching up to do, and I’ve still got a long way to go, but because I picked up the game later I didn’t start with any bad habits, and I was able to learn everything the right way.”
After narrowly missing out on the under-18 state team, Manyang took it as a sign he could compete with the best players in his age group, and went on to make the under-20 state team in 2020.
“I felt that was a good tournament for me personally,” he said.
“We lost in the semi-final which was sad, but being able to score, rebound and help the team against all the best under-20 players in the country made it feel like I’d proved myself.”
As well as training four times per week with Sapwell, who also coached Manyang as part of the Central District Basketball Club under-18 division one side, he had a chance to train with the Adelaide 36ers and see what he’s made of.
“The idea came from Rupert when we had school holidays, he suggested I come down with another couple Trinity players to train with the 36ers and see what it’s like playing against and learning from pros,” he said.
“They play very fast, and I like playing fast, and they’re very touchy and specific about playing proper defence, which I pride myself on as well.”
Sapwell said Manyang has grown leaps and bounds since the two met, both as a player and as a man.
“When Magok first came into our program, we did our yearly player survey and he was voted as most likely to pout and show negative body language,” he said.
“At the end of his three years here, he was voted most likely to pick you up and show positive body language, so for him to turn into this uber-positive force in our team was amazing.
“In terms of his energy, he lifts everyone up, and he obviously can do some freakishly athletic things on the basketball court, too.
“He’s clearly got NBL-level athleticism, so his time at college is going to be all about adding a skills package to pair with that athleticism, and a lot of that will fall on his coaches to put him in a position to succeed.”
Manyang is planning to play at LSU Eunice for two years – the maximum allowed in junior college – before re-assessing his options.
Whether he receives division one scholarship offers, or opts to return to Australia and push for the NBL, Manyang is ticking all the boxes on the way to a long basketball career.