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From 7 feet up and half a world away: Meet HSE’s next top prospect

FISHERS, Ind. (WISH) — If you want a good seat, get there early.

If you did that this high school basketball season, there is a chance you saw Hamilton Southeastern’s 7-foot tall freshman Mabor Majak.

Majak played on the Royals junior varsity team, but his height, speed and fluid jumper seem destined to soon be seen by much bigger crowds.

“I just love the running,” Majak said. “I like getting up and down and getting a sweat in. I just love the game.”

One of five children born in South Sudan, Majak caught the eye of arguably the country’s biggest basketball ambassadors, the Duany brothers, during a pickup game as a seventh grader. Kueth Duany captained Syracuse’s 2003 national title team, while his older brother Duany Duany played at Wisconsin.

The Duany family made Mabor an offer: move to America for an education, basketball and most importantly — to find peace.

“At times there was shooting and there were government tanks outside of the house,” Majak said. “I just got used to it. It continued to get worse after the civil war. The inflation had gone so high, I had no idea if my parents were going to send me to school again.”

Majak made up his mind and a world away, just outside of Indianapolis, the Fox Family did the same. During April of 2015, Dylan and Oscar Fox made room for a new middle brother.

“I brought a couple pictures of my mom and my brothers and two pairs of clothes in my bag,” Majak said. “That was it.”

Mike and Lisa Fox are now Majak’s legal guardians. Mike is also his AAU basketball coach for the Indiana Elite.

Michigan and Purdue are already inquiring about the 7-footer with a can’t miss smile.

Expect to see him on a varsity court near you next season.

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