South Sudan's Teny Puot resolute about fulfilling FIBA World Cup dream

MELBOURNE (Australia) - South Sudan's point guard Teny Bak Puot has eyes locked on a specific target: Making it to the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 that will be held in Indonesia, Japan, and Philippines.

But first, the South Sudanese side need to right some wrongs.

When they made it to the 2021 FIBA AfroBasket Quarter-Finals in Kigali, Puot and his Co. knew they achieved more than just a feat.

"WE WILL FIGHT FOR EACH POINT, FOR EACH REBOUND, JUST TO BE ABLE TO SHOW THAT WE DESERVE WHAT'S HAPPENING TO US."- Teny Puot

By winning three of their five games for their first ever appearance, they caused quite an upset, overcoming Uganda and Kenya.

In fact, making it to this stage meant that they won the right to challenge the other teams for one of the five African tickets to the FIBA Basketball World Cup.

Their loss to Tunisia, who would go on to win the crown for the second time in a row, however, showed what their flaws were. And this is exactly what they need to work on if they want to make it to the FIBA flagship event.

"To be honest, we are confident", says the point guard, who plies his trade for the Waverly Falcons in Australia.

According to Puot, the South Sudanese side leaves no stone unturned ahead of the big showdown later week in Dakar (February 25-27).

 
"We caused quite an upset in Kigali," he says. "Now is the time to repeat the feat."

The whole South Sudanese side stills has that game against Tunisia in mind. And when they enter the Dakar Arena, Senegal, in February, they know it's time for revenge. "We will be doing what is expected of us. We'll be there, doing our job to the maximum of our capacities," he promises.

Except that there is a fine line between wishful thinking and reality. However, Puot acknowledges that South Sudan will seize every available opportunity on the way to the East. "We will fight for each point, for each rebound, just to be able to show that we deserve what's happening to us."

So much so that they are now hopping up and down with some legitimate impatience as the February window is nearing. "We are men on a mission. And it's clear to us that we need to change the narrative of the story," argues the 1.85m (5ft 9in) tall point guard.

 For that, they have exactly what they need: pure and raw will to win.

It might not mean much, but it can move mountains. "When we went to the FIBA AfroBasket, we made it a point to show that we belonged right there, among the top teams in Africa. Now is the time to show the world that we belong out there."

But there could be a shortcoming to this: the fact that the team has been together for a short time only, as compared to the powerhouses like Tunisia or Rwanda.

They will, however, trust their guts when it comes to defying the odds.

"I really think we have what it takes to make it. We have every position covered and we can match anybody. We only need to believe in ourselves and grab every chance that comes our way."

Qualifying for the FIBA World Cup would give so much meaning to a side that has earned both the respect and recognition of a whole continent. "We did it for our people. We made them proud back then."

Going to Japan/Philippines/Indonesia would, however, be the penultimate recognition South Sudan deserves. "With all that has happened, we want to give the South Sudanese people something positive to dwell on and make them feel like we can achieve anything."

South Sudan will face with Rwanda in their opening FIBA World Cup Qualifiers game on February 25, then will have to square Tunisia (February 26) and Cameroon (February 27) as part of their Group B games.

FIBA