Talented teens and childhood friends Thomas Duach and Kuich Gatwech are the latest basketballers from Dandenong-based club Red Roo headed to the US.
The supremely athletic and motivated duo recently signed letters-of-intent to join Baltimore City Community College on four-year full scholarships.
For the occasion, they resolved not to smile for the Star News photographer.
But befitting their journeys of perseverance, the pair remained pictures of steel-eyed determination.
They’ve known each other since “little kids”, their families attending a Presbyterian church in Mulgrave. And played on the same team at Red Roo for several years.
And now the pair say they can’t wait to fly out together in August.
“We’ve got good chemistry together,” Thomas says of his on-court role with Kuich.
“With him cutting to the basket and me getting the ball to him.”
Kuich says: “I’ve know Thomas for years, he’s from a good family, we’ve grown up together.
“It’s great to be going over with someone I know.”
There’s a growing list of Red Roo recruits plying themselves at US colleges. But this is the first time two have been selected simultaneously for the same US college.
Aside from their athletic gifts, it’s clear this pair have been rewarded for years of hard work.
Thomas commutes up to two hours one-way by bus from Kilsyth to train with Red Roo at the Hoops 24/7 centre up to four nights a week.
But of course, it’s been worthwhile “doing what I love and playing basketball”, he says.
Similarly and unfailingly, Kuich buses to training from Burwood. He says it’s taken years of hard work, and really taken his goal seriously in the past few years.
“It was a mental battle, I got through it and it’s now paying off.”
Kuich, a forward who loves defence as well as attacking the ring, submitted his highlights film to Baltimore. And they clearly liked what they saw.
While studying business, he hopes that Baltimore is just the start of the US basketballing adventure – and that he doesn’t have to return home for a long time after that.
“I’m just very grateful. I knew the time would come but I didn’t know when.”
His family have always been behind him, as well as his teammates – and most importantly, he kept faith in himself.
“Of course, always I kept believing – no matter what people told me.”
Thomas is feeding off the advice of older brother Josh Duach, who is on a basketball scholarship with Iona College in New York City.
“I can’t wait. It’s pretty good!”
His brother has given him insight into walking into a “new experience” a long way from home and at such a young age.
Thomas’s plan is to “stay motivated, deal with the hard times that will come and stay the course with the schoolwork”.
He humbly attests to bouncing back from “many failures”, always striving to get better.
“Never lose heart, stay motivated, regroup and fix what’s messed up.”
The point guard loves attacking the ring and sharing the ball with teammates, helping them get easy shots.
He will study business management, while hoping to “make it as far as possible with my basketball”.
Red Roo coach Teny Puot – who is an assistant coach with South Sudan’s inaugural Olympics basketball team in Paris this year – lavishes praise on the two proteges.
He attests to Thomas’s “great character” and discipline.
“He’s not afraid of hard work – a guy who won’t back away from any challenge or assignment thrown at him.
“He reminds me of some of my older mentors with that vibe of wanting better.”
The more extroverted Kuich was a “vocal leader”.
“He’s always asking questions – that’s what everyone looks for as a coach or a teacher. He’s not afraid to put his hand up.”
Red Roo founder James Kerr credits the duo’s perseverance on the court and in the classroom.
“The No.1 determining factor is they never give up. They persevered.
“It’s very, very rare that we get two young men going to the same college on a full scholarship.”
Also big factors were their will to win and their dedication to schoolwork.
“We know they can play basketball, but we also want them to graduate.
“It’s very important that they’re a student first, a person and then a player.”
