Sarah Chan (basketball)

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Sarah Zeinab Chan is a South Sudanese former professional basketball player and lead scout in Africa for the National Basketball Association's (NBA) Toronto Raptors, who grew up as a refugee in Kenya. [1] She is the first woman to scout for an NBA team in Africa. [2] [3] She is also the founder of Home At Home/Apediet Foundation, a non-governmental organization that combats child marriage and advocates sports and education for girls. [2] In 2022, Chan was named to the BBC 100 Women list. [4]

Contents

Early life and education

Chan grew up in Khartoum, Sudan, during the second Sudanese Civil War. [2] She lived with her parents, two older brothers and younger sister alongside other families in a homestead that was "half-mud and half-brick". [5] [6] She speaks English, Swahili, Arabic, and Dinka. [6]

In August 1998, her family fled to Nairobi, Kenya, where her parents received an academic sponsorship to study theology, as well as tuition for Sarah and her sister's education. [6] [7] Chan played sports for the first time in 2004 at Laiser Hill High School, where she quickly excelled in basketball. [6]

In 2007, she moved to the US, and attended Union University in Jackson, Tennessee, on a basketball scholarship. [6] [4] There, she studied political science and history, and played on the school's National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) program. [6] After playing professionally for a few years in Europe and Africa, she returned to Nairobi, where she pursued a master's degree in peace and conflict studies at United States International University Africa. [6]

Sports career

Standing at 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) tall, [8] Chan played the forward position. [9] As a senior, she was named to the NAIA all-tournament team and a first-team NAIA All-American. [10] Over four seasons at Union University, she scored 1,892 points and had 1,112 rebounds. [6]

She tried out for the Women's National Basketball Association team Indiana Fever, but was not selected. [6]

Chan continued playing basketball professionally in Spain and Portugal, and also played for clubs in Tunisia, Angola, and Mozambique. [7] She subsequently returned to Kenya, where she played for the United States International University Africa. [7] Chan was the top scorer and rebounder, and was in the 2015 FIBA Africa Women's Champions Cup All-Star Five, [7] [11] and also competed in the 2017 FIBA Africa Women's Clubs Champions Cup. [6]

While coaching at a Giants of Africa basketball camp in Kenya in 2017, she was discovered by Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri, [6] who followed her career and later hired her as a scout and basketball development associate. [1] As the lead scout, Chan travels throughout Africa recruiting talent for the Raptors. [1] She has also persuaded Ujiri to hold Giants of Africa camps in Juba, South Sudan, and Mogadishu, Somalia, to offer girls the opportunity to try basketball. [6]

Foundation

Chan started her charity, the Home At Home/Apediet Foundation, to provide mentoring to girls, prevent child marriage, and promote education and sports. [2] It is a national non-governmental organization named after her mother. [5]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Mbamalu, Socrates (December 16, 2019). "Meet Sarah CHAN - the First African Woman to Be Manager, Africa Scouting for an NBA Franchise". This Is Africa. Retrieved 2022-12-09– via Gale OneFile.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Lime, Ashley (8 December 2022). "Women's basketball: 'I've been spat at in the face for the colour of my skin'". BBC News. Retrieved 2022-12-09.
  3. ↑ Ujiri, Masai; Sharp, Andrew (September 23, 2019). "Going Back and Giving Back". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2022-12-09– via EBSCOHost.
  4. 1 2 "BBC 100 Women 2022: Who is on the list this year?". BBC News. 6 December 2022. Retrieved 2022-12-09.
  5. 1 2 Chan, Sarah. "On the Shoulders of Giants". Park Journal.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Brady, Rachel (February 11, 2020). "The untold story of Sarah Chan, the Toronto Raptors' dynamic new talent seeker". The Globe and Mail. Toronto, Canada. Retrieved 2022-12-09– via ProQuest.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Basketball changed my life: Former refugee Sarah Chan". The Star. Nairobi, Kenya. August 24, 2019. Retrieved 2022-12-09– via Gale OneFile.
  8. ↑ Vines, Matt (14 January 2011). "Chan on pace for historical season". The Jackson Sun . p. 22. Retrieved 9 December 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ Shields, Brandon (25 March 2009). "Coaches rise early for game prep". The Jackson Sun . p. 7. Retrieved 9 December 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ Vines, Matt (24 March 2011). "Locals load up on awards". The Jackson Sun . p. 17. Retrieved 9 December 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ "D'Agosto win 2015 FIBA Africa Champions Cup Women, Dongue scoops MVP honours". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 2022-12-09.
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