Sometime around 10 AM Monday morning, four boys from Sudan will likely walk into an Illinois High School Association (IHSA) conference room in Bloomington, Illinois and talk to a room full of strangers (the Illinois High School Association Board of Directors) about how they got to America and what their dreams are for the future. I have wondered all weekend what these boys will be thinking. In many ways they have hit the lottery after being born in Sudan and getting the opportunity to be educated in the United States. 7000 miles away in their home country a brutal civil war, that has been on and off for over 50 years and considered by many the bloodiest of the 20th century, will probably be waging on.
But in Bloomington, they will be walking into another battle that -- although not violent -- is certainly passionately fought. The interesting thing to me is even though the Sudanese conflict is complicated and long lasting, it may be easier to understand than the one they are about to walk into. From my limited understanding of the conflict in Sudan, it has its roots in oil profits, border rights, ethnic and religious differences.
At the center of the Sudanese conflict is a brutal dictator, Omar al-Bashir, the president of Sudan since 1989. He is the first sitting Head of State to be indicted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide as he is likely responsible for 3-400,000 dead in Darfur alone. He is known to have personally invited Osama Bin Laden to his country. In 2011, students in Khartoum tried to start an Arab Spring-like movement, but his security forces quickly arrested them and hung the protesters from ceiling fans.
Fortunately, the four boys Wal Khat (a cross country runner), Mangisto Deng, Makur Puou, and Akim Nyang have gotten to the United States through a group called A-Hope. I met these boys at Mooseheart last February as they sat out a full year of ineligibility (as the Illinois High School Association rules require), and they certainly seemed full of hope at that point.
And why wouldn't they be. Mooseheart is a school known throughout the country for making a difference in the lives of children at risk. Who could be more at risk than four boys whose homeland is impoverished and enmeshed in a civil war.
However, it is the United States, and basketball state championships are at risk here.
Although I obviously believe in Mooseheart and what they are doing, I want to be fair. There are things to worry about. I would encourage all of you to watch the documentary Elevate which chronicles a number of African youth basketball players that come from Senegal to play at American Boarding Schools in order to qualify to go to US Colleges. After watching the movie, you will wonder who is being elevated here: the young kids from Africa, the high schools they attend, the colleges they matriculate to, or other outside organizations. Although at the beginning of the movie, you think its the African athletes. By the end, it is unclear. No educator I know wants African youth exploited for basketball profits.
On Monday, the IHSA board will debate whether A-Hope (which stands for African Hoop Opportunities Providing an Education) -- a foundation that "finds educational opportunities for deserving student athletes from across Africa" -- is a legitimate organization for placing African students in American Schools. This is a fair question as A-Hope has been under scrutiny: Huffington Post 12/8/12 -- Sudanese Mooseheart Basketball at Center of Recruiting Controversy. The IHSA has strict rules about approved programs for foreign students. At North Shore Country Day, we host an ASSIST student every year. Several years ago both ASSIST and North Shore had to go through rigorous scrutiny in order to allow our foreign exchange students to participate in sports.
Further the issue of F-1 student visas has become controversial as some IHSA member schools feel this may be a loophole that could affect a level playing field.
But I believe none of these questions would be debated if Mangisto Deng wasn't 6'7", Makur Puou wasn't 6'10" and Akim Nyang wasn't 7' tall. No one protested when Wal Khat ran cross country this fall and qualified for the state meet. Mooseheart has been upfront about the students from the first day they were admitted. It was even announced in a February, 2011 New York Times article. Mooseheart followed all listed IHSA by-laws.
But complicating all of this I believe is continued suspicion among the majority public schools in Illinois towards the private schools and their perceived advantage of attracting students from large non boundaried areas. I can only imagine public school basketball coaches or athletic administrators in our state wondering if a private school can get 7 footers from Sudan, how are public schools going to stay competitive. (This is a suspicion not just in Illinois, but is a national debate in high school sports.)
But I also believe the paranoia does not reflect reality.
As my mentor basketball coach John Schneiter used to say "if you're 5'7" you have to prove you can play; if you're 6'7" you have to prove you can't." Well so far the jury is out on the Mooseheart players. Mooseheart has played a competitive Class A schedule -- but not as competitive as ours -- and is 3-3. The three basketball players are obviously tall, but have yet to learn the nuances of the game. The fear is maybe they will prove they can play before the end of the season, and that might affect the outcomes of the Boys Class A Basketball tournament this February.
In the five years since Illinois went to four classes in basketball, the IHSA has awarded twenty State Basketball Championships, and private schools have won only three. If you count non-boundaried public schools (these would be magnet or charter schools), the total goes to five (Whitney Young and North Lawndale College Prep). The fact is the level of basketball competition in this state is very high. Player height measurements alone are not going to sway the state championships.
Also private schools like North Shore Country Day, who reach certain levels of success in one year of play, as our boys basketball team did last year, are now subject to an enrollment multiplier that bumps us up in class for six years. We will not return to playing Class A Boys Basketball until the Class of 2018 graduates.
There do have to be rules to keep things fair in sports. Sadly, I know of schools who will bend rules. However in my nineteen year association with Mooseheart, nothing can be more unlikely than that Mooseheart is trying to do that in this case. We have referred a number of students to Mooseheart who did not fit our student profile. These students have done remarkable work both at Mooseheart and post-Mooseheart. Although originally a school for orphaned children of Moose Lodge members, I read this weekend that today 20-25% of their students are refugees. Look at the record books too. To my knowledge, you will not find a Mooseheart team state champion.
I do not know a person who got into teaching or coaching without the motivation somewhere deep inside them of changing the world. What better way to change the world Monday than to let these boys play. Let them play so they can fully experience American education. Let them play so they can interact with students from other schools. Let them play as a symbol to American youth of what resilience looks like. Let them play to develop and share their talents with the entire state. Let them play to show men like Omar al-Bashir that he cannot crush the hopes of all the people of Sudan. Let them play, to show that educational sports has a power to bring cultures together.
I hope the judgement of the IHSA board of directors will not be clouded Monday by fear, and they will let Wal Khat, Mangisto Deng, Makur Puou, and Akim Nyang play for the next 18 months at Mooseheart.
Interview with Mooseheart Executive Director Scott Hart
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