On the road to big things

By Paul Pickering
HOME has always been a relative concept for Sudanese refugee Gatluak Deng Gai, but the towering basketball star is beginning to feel at home at the Dandenong Rangers.
The 203cm giant has become a familiar face at the Stud Road stadium since joining Dandenong’s Youth League team earlier this year, and his incredible story has become an inspiration to many.
Deng Gai, 22, fled strife-torn Sudan for Syria when he was just 11, leaving behind his parents and family.
He discovered basketball in 2001 and was playing professionally in the Syrian league a year later.
If his school and basketball commitments weren’t enough, Deng Gai worked as an English translator for the United Nations as a teenager.
He arrived in Australia at the age of 17, playing briefly in New South Wales before arriving in Melbourne to finish his secondary schooling.
Deng Gai now lives in Dandenong with his two oldest brothers and is currently in his final year of a chemical engineering degree at Monash University.
He has been recognised by the State Government for his work as a mentor for fellow refugees at the Springvale Community Centre.
In his role as a volunteer coach and organiser of the New Stars basketball program, Deng Gai is encouraging local youths to use basketball as a social platform – just as he has.
“It was hard for me when I arrived, because I didn’t know anybody around the town,” he reflected last week.
“You have to meet other people. That’s the only way you’re going to work your way through things, and this (New Stars) is another way of meeting each other.”
After playing domestic competition at Dandenong for three years, Deng Gai approached the Rangers coaching staff at the start of the year and asked if he could try out for the men’s team.
Championship Men’s coach Warren Dawson recalled that Deng Gai was very raw, but his potential was undeniable.
“He hasn’t had the luxury of the good coaching that some of the kids here have had, but we’re trying to fast-track-him,” Dawson said.
“To his credit, he’s there (at training) every night, he wants to learn and he’s getting better. At six-foot-eight, there’s a massive upside to him.
“I think he’s improved a lot this year, but there’s still at least 50 per cent more (improvement) that he can make.”
Deng Gai has been an impact player off the bench for Stewart Baird’s development squad, but he made his debut for the top side in the Anzac Day blockbuster against Sandringham.
Baird says Deng Gai is a chance of securing a regular spot in the Championship Men’s team next year, but his enthusiasm and work ethic have already inspired his teammates.
“He’s an exciting kid to have around,” Baird said.
“From my point of view, it’s a good feeling watching him come along, knowing what he’s been through to get where he is as a person.”
While Deng Gai is determined to grow as a basketballer, he takes his status as a role model for young refugees even more seriously.
“I’m just trying to set an example for the kids that are trying to come up,” he said.
“You see that they’ve got a lot of potential, and, with everything we tell them, they’re learning. That’s why this is my passion.”
Deng Gai and his Youth League teammates will begin their Big V playoff campaign at Diamond Valley on Saturday night.