NBL Stars Lead South Sudan to Historic Qualification

The youngest nation in the world has secured qualification for the FIBA World Cup – and a veritable handful of NBL stars were on hand to make it happen.

South Sudan went unbeaten in its recent trio of qualifying games, and it was the first game of the break against group competitors Senegal that secured the historic qualification for the nation.

Senegal were the only side to have defeated the South Sudanese team in the second stage of qualifying and, at the time of the game, sat third in the group behind both their matchday opponents and Egypt.

The South Sudanese team celebrate after securing FIBA World Cup qualification.

Cairns star Bul Kuol and Adelaide’s Sunday Dech both played strong supporting roles to G-League talent Nuni Omot – who finished with 26 points – in the victory.

Kuol was the second top-scorer for his side with 12 points, while Dech pulled in nine rebounds and six assists to supplement his seven points in the eight-point win.

The vibes were up and the feeling was good in South Sudan’s second game against DR Congo.

Cairns’ Majok Deng was immense in the 21-point win and scored 18 points in 15 minutes as South Sudan fought back from a nine-point quarter time deficit.

Deng once again starred in his side’s final game of the qualification window – with a 22-point, six rebound performance in a 20-point win over Egypt.

Former Taipans and Kings forward Kuany Kuany – who currently plies his trade in Finland – also dropped 22 points in the win.

New Zealand’s NBL contingent led the way for the Tall Blacks’ massive win over Saudi Arabia on Friday as reigning Next Generation Award winner Sam Waardenburg put in a dominant performance in the 47-point demolition job.

Waardenburg continued on from his immense rookie season to finish the game with 17 points, eight rebounds and three assists.

South East Melbourne’s Reuben Te Rangi added 17 points and five assists of his own on 85.7 per cent shooting, while his NBL teammate Tohi Smith-Milner contributed with 14 points of his own.

Reuben Te Rangi was one of New Zealand's top performers in the win over Saudi Arabia.

Adelaide’s Hyrum Harris put in a strong all-around performance with seven points, seven rebounds and five assists.

The performances of South Sudan and New Zealand’s NBL contingent adds to the good games pulled together by a number of Australia-based Boomers stars.

Boomers Game Report vs Bahrain

Boomers Game Report vs Kazakhstan

Todd Blanchfield shook off the rust against Bahrain with a 20-point game before he exploded against Kazakhstan to the tune of 31 points.

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His rout of the Kazakhs marked the first time a Boomer scored 30 points in a game since Patty Mills put Slovenia to the sword in the Olympic bronze medal game at the 2022 Olympics.

Kyle Adnam also added 20 points against Kazakhstan, while Isaac Humphries also added 18 points against Bahrain.

Former Wildcat Nick Kay led the Boomers in the pair of qualifiers and scored 13 and 11 points respectively.

New Zealand’s NBL stars are once again in action for the Tall Blacks tonight against Lebanon.