A decade ago, Nuni Omot graduated from Mahtomedi as a late bloomer, with a developing basketball game and several inches more to grow.
His talent on the hardwood would eventually take him places he never could have imagined.
As a member of South Sudan's national team, Omot celebrated with thousands of fans last week after making history and putting the country on the world's basketball map.
The youngest nation in the world, founded independently in 2011, South Sudan finished as the top African team in the FIBA World Cup, earning a spot at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.