George Washington University Athletics
'Such a Blessing'
8/26/2021 11:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Lok made history with South Sudan National Team
With an enthusiastic cheer of "South Sudan Oyee!", the South Sudanese national women's basketball team broke its pregame huddle and headed to the court to face Egypt in its first-ever competition on July 12.
Taking in the scene at Kigali Arena in Rwanda, Nya Lok made sure to take a mental snapshot of a moment to remember to begin an unforgettable week.
Though the fledgling squad dropped all five of its games at last month's FIBA Women's AfroBasket 2021 Zone 5 Qualifiers, Lok and her trailblazing teammates greeted every historic first along the way with excitement and finished the tournament optimistic about the future of the sport in their homeland.
"It was definitely such a blessing," said Lok, a junior guard who signed with GW women's basketball in May after two seasons at Midland College in Texas. "We made history. There's no doubt about it. Our names will always be in the history books for years to come."
Used to playing on the wing, Lok handled point guard duties for South Sudan and was named to the tournament's All-Star Five after averaging 12 points and 3.2 assists per game.
As she prepares for her debut season in Buff and Blue, Lok is grateful for her on-court experience on the international stage and just as appreciative of the fellowship that came along with the chance to represent the African nation where her parents were born and many family members still live.
Beyond all that, it was a chance to inspire: She was proud to see video from South Sudan's capital city of Juba of hundreds of girls taking part in basketball camp in the days following the tournament.
"This is huge for our country," Lok said. "It's something that is going to carry on, and it's definitely going to be beneficial for the future generations to come.
"Our parents, their generation didn't get that opportunity to be able to strive for what they want to do in life. With an opportunity like this, I feel like kids, especially young girls, will aspire to do more in our culture."
Lok's journey to representing South Sudan is an amazing testament to her rapid progress on the court and drive to make the most of her opportunities.
Lok's parents fled Sudan amid the country's civil war, and she was born in an Ethiopian refugee camp before her family settled in Melbourne, Australia.
An avid soccer player growing up in a household with four brothers and three sisters, Lok's experience with basketball was limited to the playground until high school.
"It wasn't anything serious," Lok said. "I never really understood what it was. I just knew that the ball would go in the basket."
Lok's first organized hoops experience came when she volunteered to fill in when some friends needed an extra player on their team. That cameo led to a permanent spot on the squad and then a promotion to a better club and ultimately the chance to continue her career in the U.S.
A 5-foot-11 guard with excellent shooting range and a zeal for playing defense, Lok attracted the attention of both the South Sudan Basketball Federation and the new GW staff led by Head Coach Caroline McCombs thanks to an All-Conference sophomore season at Midland.
"We were obviously looking to find some impact players to bring in," McCombs said. "What I love about Nya is we got excited seeing her skillset on film, and then when we got to know Nya the person, we could really see how special she is."
Through a series of Zoom calls with the staff, Lok decided she wanted to be part of what McCombs is building in Foggy Bottom.
"For me, GW provided a sense of love that I feel like you can't really get in a lot of places," said Lok, who is majoring in Business Entrepreneurship. "It's a love where they will help you, on and off the court. I feel like they showed something where it felt like they will love you beyond basketball."
By the time Lok pledged to the Buff and Blue, she had her summer plans with the Sudanese National Team set.
Adut Bulgak, the first Sudanese WNBA draft pick back in 2016, and veteran overseas pro Acheil Tac helped organize the group that included representatives from the U.S., Australia and Canada as well as three players living in South Sudan. They got to know each other via group chat before reporting to Sacramento for training camp under former WNBA standout-turned-NBA coach Lindsey Harding.
"It was beautiful," Lok said. "It was just a sisterhood that is definitely unbreakable. We had a bond that was already natural. We were all so excited because we'd never actually experienced so many Sudanese girls in one room."
Asked by Harding to run the point, Lok took on the job without hesitation. The South Sudan squad ultimately came up short in all five games but showed that it could compete with more established opponents in Rwanda, Egypt and eventual champion Kenya.
"For us, it was more about the learning curve," Lok said. "Even though we really wanted to win, at least we got South Sudan on the map. That's all that really mattered at the end of the day."
Every step of the way, Lok could feel the support.
The five games received more than 90,000 combined views across YouTube and Facebook, counting plenty of support from South Sudan and a devoted following from Lok's coaches and teammates in D.C.
"I was really proud of her," said McCombs, who paid a visit to South Sudan's training camp at the Sacramento Kings training facility. "She took that point guard role and owned it and wanted to be the best she could for her team. It was neat to see the way she took on that challenge."
Back in Australia, her parents stayed up deep into the night watching the action and then called her afterward to recap the action in a sport they're still learning.
"It brought tears to their eyes to know that things like that are possible, that when they came to the Western world to be able to give us a better opportunity, it didn't go to waste," Lok said, proudly.
The next chapter in Lok's remarkable tale will be written at GW.
Following the AfroBasket qualifier, she flew directly from Rwanda to join the Buff and Blue's summer workouts. In recent weeks, she's worked hard to catch up on the finer points of McCombs' fast-paced, defensive-minded brand of hoops. She's enjoyed the challenge and fit right in with the group while adjusting to life in the nation's capital.
As her history-making summer winds down, Lok is ready to use all she's learned to help her take on what's next.
"It's so exciting because it was an opportunity to grow," Lok said. "I want to be a leader for a lot of South Sudanese girls one day, and I think everything that I've been positioned to do is all for a reason. Each and every one of those things have helped me grow emotionally, mentally, physically and just pushed me to be a better person and to be a better athlete."
Taking in the scene at Kigali Arena in Rwanda, Nya Lok made sure to take a mental snapshot of a moment to remember to begin an unforgettable week.
Though the fledgling squad dropped all five of its games at last month's FIBA Women's AfroBasket 2021 Zone 5 Qualifiers, Lok and her trailblazing teammates greeted every historic first along the way with excitement and finished the tournament optimistic about the future of the sport in their homeland.
"It was definitely such a blessing," said Lok, a junior guard who signed with GW women's basketball in May after two seasons at Midland College in Texas. "We made history. There's no doubt about it. Our names will always be in the history books for years to come."
Used to playing on the wing, Lok handled point guard duties for South Sudan and was named to the tournament's All-Star Five after averaging 12 points and 3.2 assists per game.
As she prepares for her debut season in Buff and Blue, Lok is grateful for her on-court experience on the international stage and just as appreciative of the fellowship that came along with the chance to represent the African nation where her parents were born and many family members still live.
Beyond all that, it was a chance to inspire: She was proud to see video from South Sudan's capital city of Juba of hundreds of girls taking part in basketball camp in the days following the tournament.
"This is huge for our country," Lok said. "It's something that is going to carry on, and it's definitely going to be beneficial for the future generations to come.
"Our parents, their generation didn't get that opportunity to be able to strive for what they want to do in life. With an opportunity like this, I feel like kids, especially young girls, will aspire to do more in our culture."
Lok's journey to representing South Sudan is an amazing testament to her rapid progress on the court and drive to make the most of her opportunities.
Lok's parents fled Sudan amid the country's civil war, and she was born in an Ethiopian refugee camp before her family settled in Melbourne, Australia.
An avid soccer player growing up in a household with four brothers and three sisters, Lok's experience with basketball was limited to the playground until high school.
"It wasn't anything serious," Lok said. "I never really understood what it was. I just knew that the ball would go in the basket."
Lok's first organized hoops experience came when she volunteered to fill in when some friends needed an extra player on their team. That cameo led to a permanent spot on the squad and then a promotion to a better club and ultimately the chance to continue her career in the U.S.
A 5-foot-11 guard with excellent shooting range and a zeal for playing defense, Lok attracted the attention of both the South Sudan Basketball Federation and the new GW staff led by Head Coach Caroline McCombs thanks to an All-Conference sophomore season at Midland.
"We were obviously looking to find some impact players to bring in," McCombs said. "What I love about Nya is we got excited seeing her skillset on film, and then when we got to know Nya the person, we could really see how special she is."
Through a series of Zoom calls with the staff, Lok decided she wanted to be part of what McCombs is building in Foggy Bottom.
"For me, GW provided a sense of love that I feel like you can't really get in a lot of places," said Lok, who is majoring in Business Entrepreneurship. "It's a love where they will help you, on and off the court. I feel like they showed something where it felt like they will love you beyond basketball."
By the time Lok pledged to the Buff and Blue, she had her summer plans with the Sudanese National Team set.
Adut Bulgak, the first Sudanese WNBA draft pick back in 2016, and veteran overseas pro Acheil Tac helped organize the group that included representatives from the U.S., Australia and Canada as well as three players living in South Sudan. They got to know each other via group chat before reporting to Sacramento for training camp under former WNBA standout-turned-NBA coach Lindsey Harding.
"It was beautiful," Lok said. "It was just a sisterhood that is definitely unbreakable. We had a bond that was already natural. We were all so excited because we'd never actually experienced so many Sudanese girls in one room."
Asked by Harding to run the point, Lok took on the job without hesitation. The South Sudan squad ultimately came up short in all five games but showed that it could compete with more established opponents in Rwanda, Egypt and eventual champion Kenya.
"For us, it was more about the learning curve," Lok said. "Even though we really wanted to win, at least we got South Sudan on the map. That's all that really mattered at the end of the day."
Every step of the way, Lok could feel the support.
The five games received more than 90,000 combined views across YouTube and Facebook, counting plenty of support from South Sudan and a devoted following from Lok's coaches and teammates in D.C.
"I was really proud of her," said McCombs, who paid a visit to South Sudan's training camp at the Sacramento Kings training facility. "She took that point guard role and owned it and wanted to be the best she could for her team. It was neat to see the way she took on that challenge."
Back in Australia, her parents stayed up deep into the night watching the action and then called her afterward to recap the action in a sport they're still learning.
"It brought tears to their eyes to know that things like that are possible, that when they came to the Western world to be able to give us a better opportunity, it didn't go to waste," Lok said, proudly.
The next chapter in Lok's remarkable tale will be written at GW.
Following the AfroBasket qualifier, she flew directly from Rwanda to join the Buff and Blue's summer workouts. In recent weeks, she's worked hard to catch up on the finer points of McCombs' fast-paced, defensive-minded brand of hoops. She's enjoyed the challenge and fit right in with the group while adjusting to life in the nation's capital.
As her history-making summer winds down, Lok is ready to use all she's learned to help her take on what's next.
"It's so exciting because it was an opportunity to grow," Lok said. "I want to be a leader for a lot of South Sudanese girls one day, and I think everything that I've been positioned to do is all for a reason. Each and every one of those things have helped me grow emotionally, mentally, physically and just pushed me to be a better person and to be a better athlete."
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