Hard work pays off for Ringwood youth star Angok Angok

For a man who really only started playing basketball at 13 years of age, Ringwood Hawks Forward Angok Angok has had an extremely quick rise up the ranks.

In 2020, he was ready to make the step up but COVID-19 put those plans on hold.

Now, he is set to debut in NBL1 South this year and make his mark on the growing competition.

Angok will still be playing for the Hawks Youth league team but when available, he will take the court for the Hawks' NBL1 team.

Even in the early part of pre-season, Hawks Head Coach Ken Harrington has been impressed by Angok’s work ethic and athleticism.

“He challenges his teammates to work harder and he will run himself to exhaustion,” Harrington said.

“He is the youngest on the team but is still able to set the tone at training, it is impressive.”

With Angok's rapid development and work ethic, the 197cm forward could be a surprise packet and play a more significant role than expected for the Hawks this season.

“Each training session is a chance to learn something and add it to my game,” Angok said.

“We have veteran players and they have plenty of tricks so there is plenty for someone like me to learn.”