The Fast Break feat. Deng Adel

On joining the NBL and his goals for the upcoming season...

With everything going on in America with COVID, the NBL looked like a great opportunity and Australia has done a great job of keeping numbers low, so that was appealing. The NBL has always been on my list, I always wanted to play in this league and I always wanted to come home at some stage.  The chance to play with Goorj [Brian Goorjian] made the decision so easy. He's helping me grow my game and I think my development in this league is going to be off the charts. Goorj is helping me take that next step and I can't wait to show people what I've been working on.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Deng Adel (<a href="https://twitter.com/Foreverdeng?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Foreverdeng</a>) has hit the court with the Hawks, getting after it under the guidance of Goorj and co as the squad continue their progress leading up to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL21?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL21</a> ?<br><br>More from Adel on playing D, getting up and down the court and settling into Wollongong ? <a href="https://t.co/bRtacs9UKO">pic.twitter.com/bRtacs9UKO</a></p>&mdash; Hawks Basketball (@thehawks) <a href="https://twitter.com/thehawks/status/1323843095255904256?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 4, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

On how he got into basketball...

I didn't start basketball until 2012 when I was growing up in the Fitzroy area of Melbourne. I grew up playing against Deng Deng who was a little older than me and eventually I went to the US to finish high school. I had the opportunity to go to school on a scholarship, then to the University of Louiseville on scholarship. I played for a Hall Of Fame coach [Rick Pitino], I then got ranked nationally so my profile was starting to grow a bit and I also played in the national NCAA tournament, one of the biggest basketball events in the world. I've had some great opportunities and been very lucky.

On how he made his way to Australia...

I left South Sudan around the age of 7 and spent two years in Uganda going through the visa process until I was approved to move to Melbourne. I still have family and cousins in South Sudan and although I love my life now, I do miss it from time to time. The food there is amazing and whenever I get back home to Melbourne I definitely enjoy that homeland cooking. Opportunity is so scarce in developing countries like that so it definitely motivates you and puts a chip on your shoulder to prove you can do this [basketball]. I owe my family a lot as they have given me support to pack my bags and follow my dreams. The Sudanese generation and the younger ones coming up need to know that if you work hard and follow your dream, you can do it.

On his experience in and around the NBA...

A lot of it was a huge learning curve. It was all about buildng confidence and gaining experience because I didnt know what to expect. It all happened pretty quick you know, a lot of two-way contracted players don't play and I was on the court straight away in Cleveland. It was all about learning how to prepare for games, learning how to look after your body, I think people don't understand the travel commitments and how much disicpline you need to have over there. There's a lot of scouting, watching film and knowing the team tendencies. Being a young guy, it takes time to learn how to balance all o this stuff. I feel like I got my feet wet and the experience helped me mature a lot, both physically and mentally. I want to get back there one day but right now I'm focusing on this year and what I can control.

On working with Goorj...

It's the little details that make the biggest difference. He's always making sure you’re fundamentally sound. We are working each day on the right things and he's known my end goals and from day one, so he's been on me about that and making sure I become a better player. We both want the same thing - for me to realise my potential, so I'm looking forward to the challenge of becoming the best player I can just want to improve and help my team win each night.

On the team's recent two week stay in Albury...

It was awesome honestly. We were down in Wollongong for a few months, practicing and building bonds and friendships on and off the court with players the staff, then we went to down to Albury and only enhanced those relationships. It definitely helped us coming down here, we are tighter as a team, the chemistry on and off the court improves everyday. I think that's gunna help us go a long way toward winning the title this season. I feel like when things get tough this season, and they will at some stage, we'e got the right building blocks in place now to overcome that.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Handle ?<br>Jumper ?<br><br>Deng Adel&#39;s skillset is legit <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IllawarraProud?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IllawarraProud</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Foreverdeng?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Foreverdeng</a> <a href="https://t.co/yLcNQ1cQmZ">pic.twitter.com/yLcNQ1cQmZ</a></p>&mdash; Hawks Basketball (@thehawks) <a href="https://twitter.com/thehawks/status/1338812925075603459?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 15, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

On the potential of The Hawks this season...

Honestly the sky is the limit for us, I think we have a great roster and we’re only gonna get better each game. We're taking it one day at the time, we're trusting the process and growing from game to game. Why not have a goal where we can win this whole thing? We'd be limiting ourselves if we didn't have that goal. We’re trying to put together some wins and go all the way this year.

Pepper Money is the proud player partner of Deng Adel for the 2020/21 NBL season. 

Hawks Media