Growing up in South Sudan, Diing Diing was a soccer player.
As he grew to near his current height of 6-foot-3, Diing decided to give volleyball a try.
It wasn’t until he reached the age of 15 that Diing gave basketball a little attention.
Two years and three moves later, he was in Columbus pursuing his dream of someday playing the sport professionally.
“Growing up, all I used to do was play soccer,” Diing said. “But I started growing taller. So I tried volleyball, and I saw basketball, and my dad took me and signed me in, and that’s when I started learning. We know we’re blessed with height (in South Sudan), so we have a basketball court where the kids go there and learn, and that’s where I picked up basketball for the first time when I was 15 years old.”
Now 19 and a senior at Columbus North, Diing is a key player on a Bull Dogs squad that shared the Conference Indiana title and has hopes of winning their first sectional crown since 2013 next week at Bloomington South.
Journey to America
Although there are basketball courts and teams in South Sudan, they aren’t as common as in the United States.
“It’s one of the smallest and one of the poorest countries, and we don’t really have experience with new stuff, but some of the people that come from South Sudan made it here to America and made it to the NBA like Manute Bol, Luol Deng and some others,” Diing said. “So those are some of the people that motivate us.”
Right around the time he picked up basketball, Diing moved to South Africa. But he went to a school that did not have the sport, so he went and practiced with club and college teams.
“They really didn’t have a lot of basketball things over there,” Diing said. “All they did was rugby and other sports. They’re really not into basketball.”
So in 2018, Diing came to the United States and lived with his sister and her new husband in Lynn, Massachusetts.
“My dad wanted us to get better education and our careers and other stuff,” Diing said. “He talked to me about it and said he could see a better opportunity for me to make it to the U.S. where there are good colleges, and a way for me to make it to college ball and continue my dreams.”
During his year in Massachusetts, Diing attended Lowell Catholic, but he had a rough time while trying to learn the game and adjust to life in a new country.
“It was kind of tough,” Diing said. “I didn’t learn enough, and I didn’t play enough because I wasn’t a great player. I had the height, and I was rebounding and everything, but I didn’t have the skills.”
After hearing that they had relatives in Columbus, Diing’s sister moved them here in the summer of 2019.
“I didn’t really know I had a lot of relatives here,” Diing said. “But I heard that we have relatives and families here that actually talked to my sister that Indiana is better place for me, and it’s safe. They wanted to keep away from the streets and continue with my education and sports. So they brought me to Columbus because Columbus is a safe place, and it’s peaceful and I really liked it.
“People treat you as family,” he added. “Back in Massachusetts, it was only me and my room and school. Here, you can hang out with friends and families. (Assistant) coach (Mike) Harmon and his kids invite me to his house. I’m really blessed to be here with these people and being part of the Bull Dog family.”
Diing has been impressed with Indiana as a basketball state, as well.
“I came here to Columbus, I saw the difference,” Diing said. “The first time walking into the gym seeing the boys playing, I was surprised, and I saw the difference between here and the old school that I went to.”
Growing as a player
Last year, Diing split time between North’s junior varsity and varsity teams and saw a little varsity action. This season, his role has increased tremendously.
Diing has played in all 15 games for the 11-4 Bull Dogs and started two. He is averaging 3.1 points and 2.3 rebounds and is shooting 74 percent (23 of 31) from the field.
“Diing has made amazing progress this year,” North coach Paul Ferguson said. “I’m so proud of him for how far he’s come. When he came to us in the summer before his junior year, he was a very athletic kid who had played very little basketball and was just learning the game, learning offensive and defensive systems, learning how to defend, just the nuances of the game which he hadn’t been taught. So last year was a growth year.”
Ferguson was looking forward to helping Diing further develop his game during the offseason, but the time coaches were able to spend with players was minimal because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“He just continued to work very hard on his skills over the summer,” Ferguson said. “One of the things that was really disappointing about losing the summer because of the COVID stuff, was Diing really needed that summer basketball. So he ended up playing a lot of 3-on-3 at the park and some old-school summer stuff, trying to find a pickup game anywhere he could. He came back this fall and really hit the ground running, and we saw right away just a huge improvement, and that’s continued throughout the year. He’s gotten better and better.”
Ferguson said Diing played two of his best all-around games the final weekend in January, when the Bull Dogs beat Southport and took a close loss to Class 4A No. 4 Cathedral.
“We played really well that weekend, and Diing played really well both nights,” Ferguson said. “To watch him play against a top-five team in the state and to play at that level and to play so well that night and be able to defend those guys — they had three Division I players on the court — was really exciting for us to see as a staff. His improvement has been very key to the success of our season.”
North returned to practice this week following two weeks in quarantine and saw its last four regular-season games get canceled. The Bull Dogs open sectional play Tuesday against Bloomington North at Bloomington South.
“I’m really proud of myself and how the whole team has become through all the effort that we’ve put here in practice and all the effort that the coaches have given teaching us,” Diing said.
Looking to the future
After college, Diing plans to return to South Sudan and use a business management degree to help the people in his homeland.
First, though, Diing will attend college in the United States. He committed in January to play basketball at Indiana Tech, an NAIA school in Fort Wayne.
“I saw Indiana Tech, and I couldn’t believe I got an offer,” Diing said. I was so excited and blessed. Soon enough, I’ll be playing in college, and I’m so excited. I can’t thank God enough.”
Diing does plan to return to Africa this summer for the first time since moving to the United States.
“After I graduate high school, I want to go see my family,” Diing said. “I haven’t seen my dad in three years, almost four years now. All we do is FaceTime and talk, and I miss my little siblings, too, and my step-mom and my mom. I miss all my family back home. I want to go see them and say bye for the next four years.”
When he plays at Indiana Tech, Diing hopes to continue his development to the point where he can eventually play professionally.
“Coming here, my dream was to make it to the NBA,” Diing said. “As a kid, you have a big dream, and you think it’s something small. You need to put a lot of effort in it and a lot of hard work, and I still have the dream. I still want to become a professional basketball player, and hopefully, I’ll make it to the NBA and make my dad proud because that’s his dream, too.”
While the NBA is a longshot, Diing might have better opportunities to play in Europe or other places overseas.
“That’s also one of the things I’ve been talking with my dad, because he’s my No. 1 supporter,” Diing said. “My dad shows me all the support and all the love. He’s done all these things for me, and I would love to return something back.”
