Jump Ball: Mighty Migration

If These Courts Could Talk - Written by Malik Sulieman

In the third installment of Jump Ball, Mighty Migration, Sunday School continued to dive into the ethos of the African Diaspora and its connections to the game of basketball. Jump Ball landed in an unassuming place to some, Manchester, New Hampshire. Manchester is the home and community for many South Sudanese immigrants in the United States, including the Gabriel family. 

Well known in the community, the Gabriels are one of the most welcoming households. The home is often filled with family friends and upon arrival, you are greeted by a deep and rich culture that can be felt throughout the residence. Basketball is one form of creative expression for this family, no different than the food, fabrics, and artwork that encompass the home.

One of the Gabriel family’s most recognizable members is NBA athlete and former Kentucky hooper, Wenyen Gabriel. Wenyen is the brother of UCONN commit Piath Gabriel, pro league prospect Gob Gabriel, and Boston College alum Karima Gabriel. The game of basketball runs deep across the family, but this wasn’t something that was imagined by the eldest brother, Komot, who introduced his siblings to basketball. Komot never seriously pursued basketball like his siblings but has stood beside them as their basketball careers have skyrocketed. With his wife Ayak and mother Rebecca, they look back at the origins of the family’s hoop dreams, as well as the trials and tribulations of their journey to the United States. When Rebecca immigrated, she never thought a child of hers would be a top pro basketball prospect, let alone multiple.

Neighboring the Gabriel home is the community recreation center, where some of the state’s top college prospects spend their time. This is a central home for youth all over the city where they laugh, play, and perfect their game with determination and fearlessness. Basketball is more than a game for these hoopers, and this is something many of the parents in the South Sudanese community of Manchester have grown to recognize. 

Jump Ball is a platform about cultural connection and how life intersects with the beautiful sport of basketball, creating melting pots of global culture. Life is about perspective, and every component of basketball forces us to understand beyond what we can see. Courts all over the world are platforms for assimilation, connection, and education; ever since the first court was raised in Springfield, Massachusetts .

This is a Sunday School production. Photography by Joshua Kissi, directed by Josef Adamu, cinematography by Samuel Pierre, produced by Andrew Somuah and Malik Sulieman, in collaboration with the Gabriel family.

Q & A Interview with the Gabriel Family

Interview Conducted by Andrew Somuah

We were welcomed by the Gabriel family, who seeked refuge due to war in Khartoum and found a home, away from home. The interview below details how Rebecca Gak and her eldest son Komot Gabriel made their journey from Sudan to Manchester in 1999. The interview will also explain their love for the game, and how basketball found its way into the lives of the family.

1.  Let’s talk about your journey. How did it start and how did your travels get you to Manchester, NH?

Rebecca Gak: My journey started when I came from Khartoum, Sudan. I first left Khartoum, Sudan back in 1997 to travel to Egypt where me and my family lived in a refugee camp for two years. Once we were approved, in 1999, we traveled to the states and settled in Manchester, New Hampshire, and have been here ever since.  

2. That’s great to hear. For you Komot, how has your journey from South Sudan to New Hampshire –– strengthened you and your family?

Komot Gabriel: I would say having people from back home around us made us feel like we were whole again. It’s a blessing to have people from the same background in the community, because it helped ease the culture shock we experienced when we first got here. We were able to really congregate and experience the same struggles while also experiencing new things. 

3. What were some of those new experiences? 

Komot Gabriel: I mean, take sports for example. Like the game of basketball wasn’t even a thought when we were back home. Now look at us (Gabriel family), the game is part of our family’s identity.  

4. It’s interesting you mention basketball being a part of your “Family’s identity”, because as you look at the walls of the home –– there are jerseys and accolades all over. How did this game even get introduced in the household.

Rebecca Gak:

It all started with Komot when he was 11 years old. He would play basketball in the park and then one day he came home and he said “I’m going to play at St. Anne’s. I said “Oh  those are the kids playing in the street, it's dangerous”. I told him you are not going to play there, because I didn’t know if there was anybody in the area watching them. You really don’t know what’s going on or what happens to the kids over there and we didn’t even know what the team St. Anne’s was – so we refused to sign Komot up.

Komot Gabriel: 

So the biggest thing was that me and my siblings were all interested in playing, but for my parents they were not too fond of it. They looked at it as, with all these kids playing in the street, it was almost like it was a dangerous thing and I don’t want to lose my kids to that. So for the first couple of years I wasn’t allowed to play. But as the years went, and my younger siblings started to show interest as well as my parents feeling more comfortable, the game found its way into our home and its been with us ever since. 

5. So Komot with you being the first person to bring the game to the household, how have you seen the effect it has on your siblings? 

Komot Gabriel: The game has had a very large impact on all of us. From Karima at BC, Wenyen doing his thing with the Portland Trailblazers, Gob now at Monmouth University and now Piath heading off to UConn –– the game of basketball has been very good to us. 

6. It’s apparent the game has been great for all of you. But it’s important to note how the game was passed down. For you Piath, you're the next in line to take the game to the next level. How important is it to know you will be barring the family name on the UCONN floor next season? 

Piath Gabriel: It’s very important. When I first started playing the game it was because of my brothers. Especially Wenyen. Seeing what he did and understanding how we came from nothing really made me want to work at this game. I knew since 8th grade I wanted to do this. I was built for this. 

7. That’s a powerful statement. How far can you take this? 

Piath Gabriel: WNBA. I know I can play in the WNBA. But more importantly show everyone that we can play this game at a high-level also. There’s this negative stigma about the women’s game and I’m gonna help change it.