Anchorage basketball star Mareng Gatkuoth was named Alaska Athlete of the Week after being selected to the 12-man squad to represent South Sudan at the FIBA Africa Championships.
The 21-year-old sophomore at Montana State University is one of only four college players on the team that will compete in the tournament starting tomorrow in Rwanda’s capital city of Kigali.
Gatkuoth is helping South Sudan usher in a new era. Ten years after the country gained its independence, the South Sudanese have punched their ticket to FIBA Africa for the first time.
Since being selected for the weekly honor on Friday, Gatkuoth logged important minutes and delivered several big plays in South Sudan’s victory over Uganda in Group play, helping them advance to the next round of the Africa Championships.
The former Anchorage Christian Schools star signed with Montana State in the spring after spending the previous two seasons at the NJCAA Division I level.
The Alaska Sports Hall of Fame Alaska Athlete of the Week is selected by a panel each Friday and announced publicly Monday morning on our Facebook page.
Have a candidate in mind? Email us your nomination: info@alaskasportshall.org.
View past winners here.