As a standout basketball player, Bol Bol has been reaching new heights.
He and his Mater Dei teammates will face off with Westchester of Los Angeles on Friday at Mater Dei High in the first round of the CIF state championships.
Bol Bol’s on-court prowess could be in part, a genetic gift from his father Manute Bol. The elder Bol was a 7’7” player in the NBA. He was also a celebrated humanitarian in his native Sudan.
“I’m trying to go to the NBA to help family,” Bol Bol told the Kansas City Star last year. “Like my dad.”
Bol Bol is only a junior at Mater Dei but has already caught the attention of NBA scouts.
The towering Manute Bol, nicknamed the “Sudanese Swatter,” was a celebrated shot-blocking specialist in the league from the mid-80s to the mid-’ 90s.
Bol was a member of Sudan’s Dinka tribe. They are the tallest group of people on the planet. Men have an average height of about 6’4”.
As a young man, Manute Bol tended to his family’s cattle. Armed with a spear, the boy kept the cattle safe from predators.
Seeking an education, he ran away from home twice. Both times he was caught and forced to return to resume his job as a cattle keeper.
When Manute Bol was through blocking shots in the NBA, he was donating his time and basketball-achieved wealth to help the people in his war-ravaged country. He established the Manute Bol Primary School.
“Manute spent most the earnings from his basketball career to feed and educate the people of his native country,” said Tom Prichard, executive director of Sudan Sunrise, a relief organization. “At one point, Manute was living in a mud hut.”
During a 2001 relief mission, Bol was offered the position of Minister of Sport by the Sudanese government under one condition — that Bol, a Catholic — would convert to Islam. When Bol refused to convert, the government denied him an exit visa.
Bol escaped to Egypt. With the help of Connecticut Sen. Joseph Lieberman, Bol was eventually granted refugee status and was allowed to return to the United States after six months.
Manute Bol died of acute kidney failure in 2010 he was only 47.
A memorial service was held at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback was one of the eulogists. Brownback is now the governor or Kansas.
“He literally gave his life for his people. When he went over (to Sudan) he was sick. He stayed longer than he should have. He probably contracted this ailment that took his life while in Sudan. He didn’t have to do that,” said Brownback.
“Education was something that Manute took seriously. He’d be very happy that Bol was going to a good school. I also think that Manute would have hoped that his son would follow in his footsteps as a humanitarian,” said Prichard. Bol is regarded as a folk hero in his native land.
At 7’0’’, young Bol Bol is continuing the legacy of the Bol clan. He recently wowed a sellout crowd watching a CIF playoff game at USC’s Galen Center.
“I think Manute would be happy to see that his son was playing in a 10,000-seat basketball arena,” said Manute’s first cousin and best friend, Nicola Bol.
Bol Bol’s mother Ajok Bol, joined thousands of others who watched young Bol follow in his father’s size 16 footsteps and help Mater Dei beat Chino Hills High in a recent game. Bol had 14 points and 14 rebounds, blocked five shots and altered at least a half-dozen others.
“Manute would be proud that his son is excelling in sports but equally happy that Bol was getting a good education,” said Prichard.
Head basketball coach Gary McKnight was one of the main reason she brought Bol Bol to Mater Dei said Ajok. “(McKnight) is a good basketball coach, but he is also a kind man who teaches the kids good values and how to be respectful,” she said.
“I want my son to be a good player and a good person. Manute would be very proud of his son. Not just because he is a good player but because he has a good heart,” Ajok said.
