It’s a testament to how far the basketball program of South Sudan has gone that its Olympics-bound squad came extremely close to beating the mighty Team USA yesterday. They were 43.5-point underdogs heading into the set-to, and with cause; any single player from the stacked opposition stood to be better than any of theirs. Yet, from tipoff until the final buzzer, they appeared to be collectively better, living proof that the whole can, indeed, be better than the sum of its parts.
To be sure, South Sudan has benefited in no small measure from its esprit de corps. Even as the program itself took off only when former National Basketball Association stalwart Luol Deng headed it four years ago, the deliberate manner in which it pushed for familiarity allowed it to lean on a level of togetherness that Team USA could not possibly match. Owing to a variety of reasons, the latter was finalized only in April, with the stalwarts’ first contest a mere two weeks ago.
That said, yesterday’s encounter was nothing short of a shocker. Poor ball movement — body language, even — from Team USA had South Sudan pulling away by 16 points in the first half. Sloppy defense, unforced turnovers, and general malaise had the red, white, and blue looking like headless chickens against the purposeful representatives of a country recognized only 13 years ago. Only a spirited charge from LeBron James, who should otherwise be enjoying an stress-free valedictory, prevented an embarrassment of historic proportions.
Considering yesterday’s near-miss, Team USA cannot but be worried about its chances. It will most certainly remain the overwhelming favorites heading into Paris, but it needs to get its act together in order to meet expectations. It has, if nothing else, been consistently inconsistent, and, given its propensity to play with fire, it will get burned sooner rather than later. Meanwhile, South Sudan should be proud, losing on the scoreboard by the slimmest of margins, but winning precisely where winning counts most.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and human resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
