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AUSTIN (KXAN) — Royal Ivey, a standout guard for the Texas Longhorns from 2000-04, will lead South Sudan into its first-ever Olympic men's basketball tournament.
Ivey has been the Bright Stars' head coach since 2021 and was officially tabbed as the man to take the squad into the 12-team tournament after they qualified by winning the FIBA Africa bid. They'll start the tournament in Group C alongside Serbia, Puerto Rico and the tournament favorite United States.
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Ivey led South Sudan to an 11-1 record over two summers during the AfroBasket 2021 tournament and leading into the 2023 World Cup. The Bright Stars lost to both Puerto Rico and Serbia in the 2023 World Cup. Ivey is an assistant coach with the Houston Rockets.
As a nation, South Sudan gained its independence from Sudan in 2011 after years of conflict and civil war. This will be the first time the nation's Olympic Committee will send athletes to the Games under its flag. Guor Marial, a marathon runner, competed under the Olympic flag in 2012 shortly after South Sudan broke away and became its own country.
Luol Deng, a former Duke University and NBA star, is president of the South Sudan Basketball Federation and went to the same prep school, Blair Academy in New Jersey, as Ivey. Deng personally funded the South Sudan basketball program from his career NBA earnings.