University of North Texas Athletics
Geu Rejoins Uganda National Team
6/26/2019 1:47:00 AM | Men's Basketball
DENTON — When North Texas men's basketball newcomer Deng Geu arrived in May to move in to the dorms it wasn't the first time the North Dakota State graduate transfer had been to the Dallas Metroplex.
Less than a year earlier, Geu flew from Fargo, North Dakota, to Dallas for the first leg of a journey that has reunited him with his home country of Uganda and expanded his playing experience internationally.
It's a journey he's picked up again this summer.
A leader on the improving Uganda "Silverbacks" National Team, the 6-foot-8 Geu and his teammates open the Zone 5 AfroCAN qualifiers Wednesday night (11 a.m. in Denton) against Kenya in Uganda's capital city, Kampala.
"It was a really good experience to see how different people do different things," Geu told the Grand Forks Herald after returning from Uganda last summer when the Silverbacks competed in the FIBA World Cup qualifiers. "I think it helped me be a better overall person just seeing what the rest of the world is like. And the competition has given me some confidence and helped me be a better player."
As a six-year-old in 2003, Geu immigrated to the United States.
He landed in Fargo where his older brother was already living, started playing organized basketball in junior high school and then in high school they moved to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where he'd attend Washington High School.
It was at Washington where the legend of Geu was established.
A 6-foot-8 athletic high school hooper, Geu became known for his high flying dunks. He averaged 17.4 points and 7.8 rebounds per game as a senior and was named South Dakota's Gatorade Player of the Year.
After graduating, he'd return to Fargo to play North Dakota State.
In his first two seasons playing for the Bison, Geu played in every game and increased his scoring average from 3.2 points per game as a freshman to 6.6 points per game as a sophomore. Following his second season, a Uganda representative reached out to NDSU's head coach David Richman and asked if Geu would like to try out for the Silverbacks.
Geu didn't hesitate.
He quickly was on the plane to Dallas where he'd workout with the team for a week and then went to Turkey for five scrimmages and then earned the call up to the national team.
FIBA allows national teams to have just two foreign based players on its roster. The 2019 Silverbacks' other foreign player is former BYU standout Brandon Davies who played briefly for the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets in 2014-15 right after college but most recently played in Lithuania and was named a 2019 First Team member in the Euro League's Premier level and signed with Barcelona in May.
After earning the call up, Geu made his name known like he did in Sioux Falls.
Though Uganda didn't qualify for the World Cup, Geu's rim rattling dunks, impressive blocks and average of 13.3 points, 11.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game on an international stage could not be ignored.
The success over the summer translated to even more improvement as a junior at NDSU.
Geu averaged 9.6 points and 5.0 rebounds per game last season for the Bison. He had the second-best field goal percentage on the team (.527) and helped lead NDSU to a Summit League championship and earn a trip to the NCAA Tournament.
Looking to improve the front court of its roster, Uganda head coach George Galanopoulos — also a video coordinator for the Dallas Mavericks — of course asked Geu to return with the national team this summer as the Silverbacks aim to qualify for the AfroCAN Championships. They will need to place first in their zone, which consists of Kenya, Tanzania, Egypt, South Sudan and Rwanda in order to advance. With a FIBA World Ranking of 98, the Silverbacks are the third-highest ranked team in its zone. Rwanda's No. 87 ranking bests Uganda and Egypt's No. 52 ranking is the best.
Uganda is the zone's host country but the AfroCAN Championships will be played in Mali in late July.
Less than a year earlier, Geu flew from Fargo, North Dakota, to Dallas for the first leg of a journey that has reunited him with his home country of Uganda and expanded his playing experience internationally.
It's a journey he's picked up again this summer.
A leader on the improving Uganda "Silverbacks" National Team, the 6-foot-8 Geu and his teammates open the Zone 5 AfroCAN qualifiers Wednesday night (11 a.m. in Denton) against Kenya in Uganda's capital city, Kampala.
"It was a really good experience to see how different people do different things," Geu told the Grand Forks Herald after returning from Uganda last summer when the Silverbacks competed in the FIBA World Cup qualifiers. "I think it helped me be a better overall person just seeing what the rest of the world is like. And the competition has given me some confidence and helped me be a better player."
As a six-year-old in 2003, Geu immigrated to the United States.
He landed in Fargo where his older brother was already living, started playing organized basketball in junior high school and then in high school they moved to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where he'd attend Washington High School.
It was at Washington where the legend of Geu was established.
A 6-foot-8 athletic high school hooper, Geu became known for his high flying dunks. He averaged 17.4 points and 7.8 rebounds per game as a senior and was named South Dakota's Gatorade Player of the Year.
After graduating, he'd return to Fargo to play North Dakota State.
In his first two seasons playing for the Bison, Geu played in every game and increased his scoring average from 3.2 points per game as a freshman to 6.6 points per game as a sophomore. Following his second season, a Uganda representative reached out to NDSU's head coach David Richman and asked if Geu would like to try out for the Silverbacks.
Geu didn't hesitate.
He quickly was on the plane to Dallas where he'd workout with the team for a week and then went to Turkey for five scrimmages and then earned the call up to the national team.
FIBA allows national teams to have just two foreign based players on its roster. The 2019 Silverbacks' other foreign player is former BYU standout Brandon Davies who played briefly for the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets in 2014-15 right after college but most recently played in Lithuania and was named a 2019 First Team member in the Euro League's Premier level and signed with Barcelona in May.
After earning the call up, Geu made his name known like he did in Sioux Falls.
Though Uganda didn't qualify for the World Cup, Geu's rim rattling dunks, impressive blocks and average of 13.3 points, 11.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game on an international stage could not be ignored.
The success over the summer translated to even more improvement as a junior at NDSU.
Geu averaged 9.6 points and 5.0 rebounds per game last season for the Bison. He had the second-best field goal percentage on the team (.527) and helped lead NDSU to a Summit League championship and earn a trip to the NCAA Tournament.
Looking to improve the front court of its roster, Uganda head coach George Galanopoulos — also a video coordinator for the Dallas Mavericks — of course asked Geu to return with the national team this summer as the Silverbacks aim to qualify for the AfroCAN Championships. They will need to place first in their zone, which consists of Kenya, Tanzania, Egypt, South Sudan and Rwanda in order to advance. With a FIBA World Ranking of 98, the Silverbacks are the third-highest ranked team in its zone. Rwanda's No. 87 ranking bests Uganda and Egypt's No. 52 ranking is the best.
Uganda is the zone's host country but the AfroCAN Championships will be played in Mali in late July.
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