South Sudan star Carlik Jones can’t contain his excitement for what lies ahead for the Bright Stars, following yet another historic achievement on Saturday night.
After a significant victory against the home team, Gilas Pilipinas, South Sudan completed its sweep of the classification phase by defeating fellow African squad Angola, 101-78, in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023.
Just a couple of minutes later, the Bright Stars’ first-ever entry into the Olympics was officially confirmed after Egypt suffered a narrow 88-86 loss to New Zealand in the classification round.
“Oh, it’s looking very promising. You know, I believe this team has a high ceiling—we’re just getting started, man. This is our first go-around, and I can’t wait to see what lies ahead,” said Jones moments after the victory.
The 2023 edition of the world tournament marked several firsts for this emerging basketball nation.
(C) FIBA.basketball
South Sudan secured its inaugural World Cup appearance after a dominant performance in the African qualifiers, boasting an impressive 11-1 win-loss record and topping Group F to claim one of the five slots allocated to the continent.
The team continued to impress during the World Cup, commencing its campaign with a close 101-96 loss to Puerto Rico, a nation with an established basketball program. They eventually clinched their first-ever world-stage victory against China.
Although the Bright Stars were eliminated from contention after losing to Serbia in the first round, they continued to put on remarkable performances. The team defeated both Gilas and Angola en route to Paris.
Carlik Jones undeniably played a pivotal role in the Bright Stars’ ascent. In their final game against the Black Antelopes, the Chicago Bulls guard finished with a game-high 26 points, along with a record-tying 15 assists and seven rebounds.
Jones’ 15 assists matched Toni Kukoc’s record for the most assists by a player in a single game, a record set during the 1994 World Cup in Canada. He also became the first player in World Cup history to record more than 10 assists in three games.
“It’s a blessing, you know, to play in my first World Cup games and to etch my name in the history books is unbelievable,” he expressed.
“Unbelievable, on both ends. I didn’t even realize I had [15] assists, that’s crazy. But you know, it’s mostly about the team, man. I’m so glad we got it done. We knew after we won the first game that we had a really good chance to qualify [for the Olympics], and we just focused on what we needed to do. I’m glad we got it done.”
