Life changing experience reignites Manny's drive

Manny Wugol returned home to South Sudan for the first time last year and has come back as motivated as ever to achieve his basketball dreams and be part of South West Slammers success.

Following last NBL1 West season Manny Wugol had a lifechanging experience returning to South Sudan and that's now only motivated him further coming back to the South West Slammers to achieve his basketball dreams.

Wugol left South Sudan with his family when he was just two years of age and spent the majority of his childhood growing up in Perth and then first making the move to Melbourne with his family while in high school, and the leap to the United States.

That's where Wugol completed high school and spent four years in college with him graduating from Florida National University in 2022 and then deciding to come home to Western Australia.

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He is now about to be part of his third NBL1 West season with the Slammers, but it's with a newfound drive and hunger on the back of his experience of returning to South Sudan which has him hungrier than ever to achieve everything he dreams in basketball.

Returning home to South Sudan

Having initially left South Sudan from the Kakuma Refugee Camp at the age of two, Wugol had never had the chance to return to where he was born and had no memories of what his homeland was like.

However, the chance presented late in 2024 and in so many ways it was a life changing experience from meeting new family members including his younger brother, to seeing what the country was like, and to then getting a clearer picture of what he wanted to achieve.

"That was like the most lifechanging experience I've ever had. It was just surreal meeting some family for the first time like my little brother and my great uncles for the first time to see where you've come from," Wugol said.

"Even though it is pretty much a third world country still and a little bit at war, you feel at peace connecting with your roots. Then that in turn has just changed me and remotivated me and given me more purpose.

"It's strengthened my why of playing basketball having seen how my people are so it makes me even more motivated to get to the top level.

"My goal is to make it to the NBL or to play in Europe, and to also play with the national team to really represent my family. It's just strengthened my why going back and has given me that new purpose."

Setting big goals

Reaching for the stars is something that Wugol has never been afraid to do and even though he's already achieved a lot in his life, he is never shy on setting himself new, and bigger goals.

Considering he already went from growing up in Perth to finishing high school in the United States, then after attending junior colleges Southwestern in Iowa and the ASA College for Excellence in Miami, he completed college with NAIA school, Florida National.

He is now entering his third season playing in the NBL1 but he doesn't want to stop there and earning a contract either in the NBL or internationally after this season at the Slammers top his list, as does getting to represent South Sudan.

"I'm always someone who stays hungry and I've got big dreams and aspirations, and want to take it to the next level with everything I do," Wugol said.

"The next level to me would be NBL and when I first came back from college, I was in the gym with the Wildcats and was practicing against someone like Bryce Cotton and Nick Kay had even come back a few times.

"That let me see what it would take to get to that level and I feel like I have the tools to make it so I just have to stay hungry and keep working which isn’t that hard because I love the game."

Improving game to make that leap

It's one thing to have those big goals, but Wugol has a clear vision with his game on how he can achieve them as well with his versatility and ability to play multiple positions and roles one of his great strengths.

He also wants to become known for his defence and a reliable three-point shooter. He only has to look at what Bul Kuol and Sunday Dech have done reliably in the NBL, and Lat Mayen did for the Adelaide 36ers in NBL25 for inspiration.

"I think how versatile I am is my great strength and I can guard one through the five even, and I can play one through four and my biggest strength is defence," Wugol said.

"I want to be the anchor on defence and I try to set the tone early on that end and my way into the league would be as that three and D guy.

"I look at someone like Bul Kuol and I would try to provide the same things that he does so he is someone I try to emulate my game after. I can bring the same attributes that they do to a team."

Seeing South Sudan at the Olympics

The dream of playing for South Sudan was only strengthened when Wugol saw something last year that he never thought would be possible and that was his nation playing basketball at the Olympic Games.

That only made him want to strive to part of the national team more than ever.

"It was just amazing and it gives you hope of what is possible. I know Sunday really well and his little brother, Okummu, played with us here in my first year at South West, and it just gives you hope that anything is possible if you put the work in," Wugol said.

"I've been following the national team for years and have been in contact with them, and I remember first seeing them at Africa Basket in 2020.

"To see them go from there playing on outdoor courts and with no sponsorships on the jerseys, and see them make it to the Olympics is incredible. It just gives you hope."

Excitement for 2025 season

Beyond his personal ambitions, Wugol can't hide his excitement for this 2025 season with the Slammers and to get things underway this Saturday at home to the Eastern Suns.

"It's only a few days away now and I'm very excited. It's been a long pre-season for us and the boys just going at it, and that first game can't come quick enough," Wugol said.

"I feel like this season we're going to turn some heads with what we're doing down here at South West. I'm very excited to see all the work we've been putting in come to fruition, and come to life. It's going to be exciting."

Reigniting successful culture

A big part of why Wugol is so excited to get this season underway with the Slammers is because he is feeling as buoyant as ever about their prospects for a successful season with the culture shift he's already felt with Jason Chalk taking over as coach.

Having fellow 1990s championship winning stars James Fitch and Paul Craig on the coach staff is helping this current crop of Slammers players start to learn what it will take to recreate that winning culture.

"It's so exciting as you see things at the club starting to change right before your eyes. Now I'm going on to my third season and this is the first time there's a real vibe and energy shift that you can feel in the air," Wugol said.

"There's more intensity to everything we're doing and there's a whole different vibe, and it's exciting to be part of. A lot of that can be attributed to Chalky who believes in all of his players and is pushing us and pushing us.

"Then bringing back that 90s culture that all three of the coaches were part of means they know what it takes to be successful and they are putting that into us to try and get this club back to that. That's going to contribute a lot to the success we have."

How Slammers became home

Tracing back to the end of 2022 when Wugol was trying to decide firstly where to live after finishing college and then where to play basketball, for so many reasons it was the Slammers that became the obvious choice.

Now three years later and he couldn’t imagine a better place than Bunbury to be living or a better club to be trying to bring success back to.

"I think it was just the opportunity that I saw down here. My mum relocated to Melbourne but when I came back from college, I wanted to come back to Perth because I love Perth and I looked around the league and I'm a guy who doesn’t run from the grind," Wugol said.

"I want to earn my time so I thought coming to South West, I could see what they were building and that there could be an opportunity there. Then the community is also so amazing with how they get behind you and how much they love and support you.

"So it was the opportunity that presented in the first place but what's kept me around is the community down here. I give them love and support, and they show it right back."

Season opener against All Stars

The Slammers now open their season this Saturday at Eaton Recreation Centre against the Eastern Suns. Wugol can't wait to give it a go at 'shocking the world' by knocking off a team featuring Marshall Nelson and Terrico White.

"Man, these are the games I live for as a professional as the underdog. These are the challenges I live for and I can't wait to get out there and compete against these guys," Wugol said.

"I have played against Marshall the past two years and I'm looking forward to that challenge again, and then Terrico White is someone I remember seeing play at the Wildcats when I was younger.

"That's a match up I can't wait for, but as an underdog we've got nothing to lose and we'll go out there and play our game, and go shock the world. That's the goal."