Basketball: Village Christian’s Bak Bak has unusual name and game

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

Here’s a name you might have heard of once before, Bak Bak. If not, that’s fine, completely understandable. But let me give you a reason why you should remember his name: The 6-foot-9 junior of Sun Valley Village Christian created quite a stir on the springtime hoops circuit and the buzz surrounding him has showed no signs of slowing down since.

Bak Bak, originally from Sudan, first made news -- albeit minor -- when he transferred from Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage to Village Christian in October of 2007. However, he was unable to play because of international transfer rules, and at that point, there was no way of being certain he’d be cleared to suit up for the Crusaders.

‘Bak Bak is enrolled at school here. He’s eligible and cleared to play for us next season, his senior year,’’ Village Christian athletic director Kevin Aust said. ‘We had some issues at first but those are all cleared up now. He’s good to go.’’

In the meantime, Bak Bak has taken advantage of playing in numerous showcases, such as the Pangos All-American camp earlier this month at USC’s Galen Center. ‘I was surprised with how well Bak Bak played,’’ camp organizer Dinos Trigonis said. ‘If he keeps improving, the sky is the limit. He’s one of those guys with a high ceiling.’’

Gonzaga and Oregon St. seem to think so, both have offered him a scholarship. And there’s reports circulating on the Internet that indicate Louisville, Pittsburgh and San Diego St. are interested in Bak Bak, a name that we’re going to be hearing more and more about in the very near future.

-- Sean Ceglinsky