Ater Majok He played only one season at UConn, appeared in 26 games, averaged 2.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.6 blocks per game, modest stats for a 6-foot-11 center who arrived on the outside with an air of mystery and excitement.
But it was just one stop on a long basketball road that began in his native land Sudancrossed a refugee camp in Egypt to Australia to UConn in 2008. It’s a basketball road that continues, as Majok, 35, still plays and works to make his mark in Africa.
“UConn was an experience I will always cherish,” Magok said in a ZOOM interview from Cairo. Coach (Jim) Calhoun, incredible human being, incredible coach, the guy literally taught me how to be a winner, how to fight in life, how to be a survivor in this game of life.
“I learned a lot from Kimba (Walker), from Stanley Robinson, may God rest his soul, from Jeff Adrian, AJ Price, and don’t forget Coach (Andre Lafleur) and Patrick Sellers. Those guys have a lot to do with who I am today.”
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Majok plays for Petro de LuandaIt is an Angolan club in the African Basketball League. A partnership between FIBA and the NBA, BAL is a professional league with club teams from 12 African countries. Majock, now in his third BAL season, won the 2022 Finals and Desert Conference Defensive Player of the Year awards as a member of the US Monastir.
“The level of competition is increasing every year,” he said. “This year is a bit tougher than last year. In the Sahara Conference, the Monastir defenders were eliminated, and that tells you that the competition is heating up. This was a great initiative to grow the game.”
Since leaving UConn in 2010, Majok has played all over the world, a few summer league games for the Lakers in 2011, 26 pro teams overseas, winning championships in China, Germany, Belarus, Slovakia, Lebanon, Tunisia as well as the BAL.
“At this point in my career, it’s not so much about making money,” he said. “It’s more about winning trophies and leaving a legacy, and my legacy, I want this guy to have gone out and won everything and also helped young children develop the game to be the standard bearer for the game in Africa.”
As Majok helps spread the love of basketball in Africa, he worries about The last strife in his homeland.
“I have family in Sudan and they are very safe,” Majok said. “But for the amount of death that is happening there, it is painful to see the refugees and to watch the news, it is very sad. I am not a politician, but I am in favor of democracy coming to Sudan and for the people of Sudan to find peace, same with the people of South Sudan.
“After all these years of war, I pray and beg… A lot of guys from that area are trying, through sports, basketball and (soccer) to bridge that gap and make peace and try to distract people from what’s going on. We are working and trying to bring peace from during sports.”
Majock says he’ll play basketball “until the wheels drop,” but he’s having another season and wants to add two or three more championships to his record. For a global citizen, UConn was only one stop, and from where it stands today, it was an important stop.
“I took my experience, what I learned, cherish it, love it, enjoy it and move on to the next phase of my life,” Majok said. “This is who I am now, and I am still a blessed man and a successful man. I am African. I was born and raised on the continent and it is time for me to give myself to build this beautiful continent. I focus on helping the community and helping the children.”
And more on Sunday read:
Maker of the iconic Whalers logo dies at 80
A work of art and genius, the Whalers logo has outlived the franchise itself, and has outlived the man who created it. Sad news this week, Peter Judd, the artist who conceived of the blue coincidence, who fit like a puzzle piece over a green “W” in 1979, the negative white space that makes up the letter “H,” passed away this week, His family announced on Facebook. He was 80 and lived in Chester.
Development graphics by graphic designer Peter Judd, who designed the Hartford Whalers logo. pic.twitter.com/LnVnhjmCj9
– Paul Lucas (UniWatch) January 11, 2016
Good created the logo as a freebie for Jack Lardis Associates, who handled advertising for the Whalers during their joining the NHL. The old WHA logo, featuring a bayonet, would not be appropriate.
“Well, you know, harpoons are used to kill whales,” Jade told ESPN in a 2016 interviewBut the whale was the team’s mascot. So there was something not quite right about that, some cognitive dissonance. You don’t want to kill your mascot! And they agreed when I explained it to them. That’s when I came up with the whale tail. The other whale-based ones at that first presentation, but none that had just the tail. And I found it worked really well with W. It didn’t happen right away, it just took a while to get there.”
But once Good, who took $2,000, got there, Howard Baldwin fell in love with it, and one of professional endurance sports was born. The Whalers logo can still be seen anywhere people love hockey, and it’s a great legacy for its creator.
Former UConn star Tiffany Hayes is enjoying a trip she took back to Connecticut with the Sun
How will the sun rise?
The new-look CT Sun will get its first public exposure on Wednesday, with an exhibition match against Liberty at the Mohegan Sun. I asked trainer Stephanie White what the product would look like.
“We want to play freely,” White said. “We want to play more pace, get up and down the floor, we want to play more pace in the quarter court, more movement with and without basketball, not quite in an organized fashion. There will be times when it seems chaotic, because we have to learn each other, and then There are times when you’re going to look beautiful. It’s going to be so much fun, and it’s going to be seamless. Our goal is to have more of those ‘nice’ moments.”
Sunday takes short
* The UConn women’s lacrosse team avenged the regular season loss by defeating Marquette in the Big East Semifinals. They go on to win the title against top-seeded Denver, who are undefeated in the league, on the last Sunday in Storrs.
Fun fact: both bears and wolves have dens. Let’s make sure our den is the loudest!
Sign up for our pre-sale here ➡️ https://t.co/K2frYca0Ax#BackThePack pic.twitter.com/27YLbE9YZN
– x – Hartford Wolf Pack (WolfPackAHL) May 6, 2023
* Wolf Pack guard Dylan Garand had a veteran mentor, Luis Domingo, who started most of the season. When Domingue went to New York as insurance for the postseason, Garand took over and was great, winning five or six, including a shutout to clinch the series against Providence on Friday.
Domingo is back with Hartford, but it makes sense to let the youngster play in the Calder Cup. Hershey’s next, Games 3 and, if necessary, 4 in XL on May 17 and 19.
* So the Red Sox have a better record than the Yankees or Mets. This summer is shaping up to be a summer of frustration in one part of the country, and a pleasant surprise in another.
* Mike Krzyzewski, retired Duke coach, will be in Connecticut as Honorary President at the 37th Franciscan Sports Gala and Silent Auction, June 6 at Aqua Turf in Southington. Tickets and information in franciscansportsbanquet.orgor call 203-237-8084.
* CCSU linebacker Chise Omonakwe glances at the chiefs Junior camp.
The last word
Paul Morris, the last Whalers coach, is crafting a great story with the Florida Panthers. a year ago, Morris, 56, thinks he’s done trainingHe was burned out after 24 years as a head coach in the NHL when he left Winnipeg.
Returning to the bench, he led the Panthers to a late-season playoff run and a stunning first-round collapse over the Bruins. Leading 2-0 in Game 3 against Toronto on Sunday night. He coached 1,767 games in the National Hockey League. It’s hard to imagine a coach more deserving of having his name in the cup.