Sunday Dech Elite Basketball Camp
Senior Men’s National Basketball Team player Sunday Dech, recently organized the Sunday Dech Elite Basketball Camp in Perth, Australia. The initiative aimed at honing basketball skills and developing a sense of community among the youth. SSBF Media had the opportunity to catch up with the Bright Star himself, and it is clear that this camp transcends the realms of basketball.
(SSBF Media) Briefly tell us about the Sunday Dech Elite Basketball Camp.
(Sunday Dech) This is my first camp, and I am super excited and grateful to have held it. It's been a long time coming. Obviously, Perth is my home, and I haven't been back in a very long time. My brother and I, close friends and family, discussed holding it years ago. We got the uniforms sorted, and they were just sitting at my mom's house. Finally, we were able to put the camp together. I'd say about 95% of the kids were South Sudanese youth. Putting this together was predominantly my main focus point. Giving back to the community and the kids here in West Australia. Since it was school holidays, we were able to facilitate rides, uniforms, food, and a great experience. I think Basketball is a great way to bring our people together, especially South Sudanese youth and kids of all ages.
(SSBF) What kind of impact do you hope to achieve by hosting this camp, and do you plan to regularly host it?
(SD) The impact I hope it has on the kids is for one, to facilitate a sense of community and togetherness. To be able to be in the same space with your friends enjoying the game of basketball. Hopefully spur things on to the future where they’re getting together and staying connected. I want to host this camp regularly, ideally every school holiday, which amounts to four times a year. But a lot goes into that too so for us to do that we need a lot of help from the community here in Perth, which we have so many people willing to put their hand up. Hopefully the kids can take the camp and run with it whether to get together for basketball or anything else. I think the sense of community is the main message from this camp.
(SSBF) What have you learned from the camp and are there any specific areas that you’ll focus on when hosting the next one?
(SD) I learned how important it is to be able to bring the community together. You know, I think we had so much fun. The kids had a blast, and the feedback was overwhelming, and one that we’re really happy about which motivates us to do these camps more often. Another takeaway is the interest of South Sudanese girls in basketball. With the right guidance, they could become part of the women's national team in the future. We probably had a group of 20 girls at the camp, and for basketball that’s really positive especially for South Sudanese girls who go through a lot of challenges. It was eye-opening and something we’re going to facilitate more and even involve South Sudanese pro and semi-pro women players from WA to help out in the next camp.
(SSBF) As a player on the SSD National Team, what lessons have you learned on your journey with the team that you wish to instill in the youth attending the camp?
(SD) As a South Sudanese national team player, I learned that nothing holds you back more than yourself, and anything is possible if you put your mind to it. I want to instill in the youth that if you have a vision, go for it. I think Luol set the tone with the Federation by bringing us together from all over the world to be able to represent our country. The youth can do the same, and obviously you don’t do it alone, you do it with people around you and those who support you along the way. You just got to put your heart, mind, and soul into it, and good things will happen. Another lesson is to share your story, your voice is heard. Be who you are and embrace it because your story is a powerful one.
(SSBF) Looking ahead, what is the bigger picture and vision in terms of giving back, nurturing young talents, and finding your individual purpose as a player?
(SD) The bigger picture going forward is to hopefully one day have a facility here in Perth that we can call home. I want to start something that lasts for years, where kids can come after school to receive tutoring, have have, and also help on the basketball side of things. Basketball can be a gateway to help them understand the importance of education while giving them a platform to express themselves and become great citizens and people of the community. Not everyone will become a professional player, but if our program can help them find jobs or career paths in other avenues such as coaching or anything they want, we want to facilitate that for them.
“My why is to help the younger generation see their potential and help them reach their potential. That’s through basketball, through my voice and through camps such as this. ”