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Wani Swaka Lo Buluk

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Wani Swaka Lo Buluk
Swaka Lo Buluk in September 2020
No. 9 – Illawarra Hawks
PositionShooting guard / small forward
LeagueNBL
Personal information
Born (2001-06-09) 9 June 2001 (age 23)
Sudan
NationalitySudanese / Australian
Listed height198 cm (6 ft 6 in)
Listed weight88 kg (194 lb)
Career information
High school
Playing career2017–present
Career history
2017–2018BA Centre of Excellence
2018–2021Perth Wildcats
2019–2020Warwick Senators
2021Albury Wodonga Bandits
2021–2022Sydney Kings
2022USC Rip City
2022–presentIllawarra Hawks
2023Sydney Comets
2024Darwin Salties
Career highlights and awards
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  Australia
FIBA Asia Cup
Gold medal – first place 2022 Jakarta
FIBA Asia Under-16 Championship
Gold medal – first place 2017 China Team

Wani Lodu Swaka Lo Buluk (born 9 June 2001) is a Sudanese-Australian professional basketball player for the Illawarra Hawks of the National Basketball League (NBL). Opting to forgo college basketball in the United States to begin his professional career in Australia, he made his debut for the Perth Wildcats in the NBL in 2018. He won two NBL championships with the Wildcats over three years before joining the Sydney Kings in 2021 and winning a third championship in 2022. He also helped the Warwick Senators win the West Coast Classic in 2020.

Early life and career

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Swaka Lo Buluk was born in Sudan and moved to Perth as a four-year-old.[1][2][3] He attended La Salle College in Perth and then spent two years at the Australian Institute of Sport's NBA Global Academy in Canberra.[1][2] He also attended Lake Ginninderra College while at the AIS.[4]

Swaka Lo Buluk played two seasons in the South East Australian Basketball League (SEABL) with the BA Centre of Excellence. He averaged 2.4 points and 1.2 rebounds in 13 games in 2017 and then 1.6 points and 1.6 rebounds in five games in 2018.[5]

At the 2018 Under 18 National Championships, he helped Western Australia win the title, the state's first since 2001, scoring 16 points in the gold medal game.[6]

Professional career

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In the lead-up to the 2018–19 NBL season, Swaka Lo Buluk played for the Perth Wildcats during the pre-season when a large portion of the squad was on international duties.[1] In December 2018, he joined the Wildcats as a development player and became the youngest player to debut for the team at 17 years old.[1] He also became the sixth youngest player in NBL history to score on debut.[7] He played four games during the season and received minutes in Game 3 of the NBL Grand Final series against Melbourne United.[6] He was a member of the Wildcats' championship-winning squad in March 2019.[8][9] Following the season, he signed a scholarship agreement with California Baptist University.[10]

For the 2019 SBL season, Swaka Lo Buluk joined the Warwick Senators.[11] In 20 games, he averaged 12.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game.[12]

On 15 July 2019, Swaka Lo Buluk signed a three-year contract with the Wildcats, opting to forgo college basketball in the United States to begin his professional career in Australia.[6] However, on 3 September 2019, he was ruled out for three to four months after injuring his right ankle at pre-season practice. He suffered a torn syndesmosis and underwent surgery.[13] He returned from injury to make his 2019–20 season debut on 21 December against Melbourne.[14] On 15 February 2020, in the Wildcats' regular-season finale, he made his first NBL start and recorded eight points and four rebounds in a 94–79 win over the Adelaide 36ers.[15][16] In March 2020, he was crowned an NBL champion for the second year in a row.[17][18] He averaged 1.9 points in 13 games during the season.[19]

He re-joined the Warwick Senators in 2020 and helped them win the West Coast Classic. In the grand final, the Senators defeated the Perry Lakes Hawks 96–81, with Swaka Lo Buluk recording nine points and six rebounds.[20][21] In 13 games, he averaged 10.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game.[12]

Swaka Lo Buluk missed pre-season action leading up to the 2020–21 NBL season due to a groin aggravation.[22] He helped the Wildcats reach the 2021 NBL Grand Final series, where they lost 3–0 to Melbourne United.[23][24] He averaged 1.3 points in 33 games during the season.[19] The Wildcats decided to not take up the club option on his contract following the season, making him a free agent.[25]

After playing for the Albury Wodonga Bandits in the NBL1 South,[26] Swaka Lo Buluk joined the Sydney Kings for the 2021–22 NBL season, initially as an injury replacement player for Dejan Vasiljevic,[27] before becoming an integral part of the squad.[28] On 13 January 2022, he scored a career-high 17 points in a 97–89 loss to the Illawarra Hawks.[29] He helped the Kings win the 2022 NBL championship.[30]

For the 2022 NBL1 North season, Swaka Lo Buluk joined the USC Rip City. In 11 games, he averaged 12.55 points, 3.55 rebounds, 1.82 assists and 1.55 steals per game.[31]

On 20 May 2022, Swaka Lo Buluk signed a two-year deal with the Illawarra Hawks.[32] Following the 2022–23 NBL season, he joined the Sydney Comets of the NBL1 East.[33] Following the 2023–24 NBL season, he joined the Darwin Salties of the NBL1 North.[34][35]

On 24 July 2024, Swaka Lo Buluk re-signed with the Hawks on a three-year deal.[36] He was a standout defender to start the 2024–25 season while proving to be an offensive threat, averaging a career-high 8.3 points per game over the first six games.[37]

National team career

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In 2018, Swaka Lo Buluk represented Australia at the Under-17 FIBA World Cup in Argentina and won gold at the Under-16 FIBA Asia Championship in China.[3][6] He was named in the all-tournament team for the U16 Asian Championship.[38] In 2019, he played for Australia at the Under-19 FIBA World Cup in Greece.[6]

In June 2022, Swaka Lo Buluk was named in the Boomers' World Cup Qualifiers team.[39]

Personal life

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His brother Kuron is also a basketball player at the junior level.[40]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d O'Donoghue, Craig (12 December 2018). "Late bucket caps off wild debut for teenager Wani Swaka Lo Buluk with Perth Wildcats". PerthNow.com.au. Archived from the original on 12 December 2018. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  2. ^ a b Arsenis, Damian (24 July 2018). "NBA Global Academy enabling Lo Buluk and Garang to follow in Maker's footsteps". pickandroll.com.au. Archived from the original on 27 September 2020. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Swaka Lo Buluk will be counting on chemistry for Australia at U17 World Cup". fiba.basketball. 23 June 2018. Archived from the original on 6 July 2018. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  4. ^ "Lake News November 2017" (PDF). lakeonline.act.edu.au. p. 25. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 November 2017. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  5. ^ "Player statistics for Wani Swaka Lo Buluk". SEABL. Archived from the original on 7 June 2021.
  6. ^ a b c d e "Wani Swaka Lo Buluk signs with Wildcats". Wildcats.com.au. 15 July 2019. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  7. ^ "Number crunching: NBL- Round 8". draftcentral.com.au. 12 December 2018. Archived from the original on 28 March 2019. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  8. ^ "Wildcats Clinch Ninth Championship on the Road". NBL.com.au. 17 March 2019. Archived from the original on 11 March 2023. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  9. ^ "Wildcats claim Ninth Championship!". Wildcats.com.au. 17 March 2019. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  10. ^ "Croy Announces Additions to MBB Program". cbulancers.com. 18 April 2019. Archived from the original on 7 June 2021.
  11. ^ "ROUND 19 SPOTLIGHT | WANI SWAKA INSPIRES SENATORS OVER FRUSTRATED FLAMES". SBL.asn.au. 20 July 2019. Archived from the original on 7 June 2021.
  12. ^ a b "Player statistics for Wani Swaka Lo Buluk". SBL. Archived from the original on 7 June 2021.
  13. ^ "Wani Swaka Lo Buluk suffers ankle injury". Wildcats.com.au. 3 September 2019. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  14. ^ Salt, Hannah (22 December 2019). "Tough loss for Wildcats". coastlive.com.au. Archived from the original on 7 June 2021. Wani Swaka Lo Buluk played three minutes in his return from an ankle injury.
  15. ^ "Undermanned Wildcats thump Sixers". Wildcats.com.au. 15 February 2020. Retrieved 7 June 2021. At just 18 years of age, young gun Wani Swaka Lo Buluk picked up his first NBL start and made the most of it with eight points.
  16. ^ "Kay Ensures Wildcats Spoil Wright's 500th". NBL.com.au. 15 February 2020. Retrieved 7 June 2021. ...and Wani Swaka Lo Buluk eight (four boards) in his first career start.
  17. ^ "Perth Wildcats Back-to-Back NBL Champions". Wildcats.com.au. 19 March 2020. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  18. ^ "Perth Wildcats Crowned NBL20 Champions". NBL.com.au. 19 March 2020. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  19. ^ a b "Wani Swaka Lo Buluk". RealGM.com. Archived from the original on 7 June 2021.
  20. ^ "Senators vs Hawks". FIBALiveStats.com. 27 September 2020. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  21. ^ "DEEP SENATORS TOO MUCH AS WARWICK WINS FIRST BANNER". SBL.asn.au. 28 September 2020. Archived from the original on 28 September 2020.
  22. ^ Houben, Michael (8 January 2021). "NBL21 Prospect Watch: 17 names you should know this season". pickandroll.com.au. Archived from the original on 7 June 2021.
  23. ^ "United secure NBL21 championship on home court". NBL.com.au. 25 June 2021. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
  24. ^ "So proud of the boys: Gleeson". Wildcats.com.au. 25 June 2021. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
  25. ^ "Wildcats farewell Wani Swaka Lo Buluk". Wildcats.com.au. 6 July 2021. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
  26. ^ Greenway, Beau (2 July 2021). "Albury-Wodonga Bandits sign Wani Swaka Lo Buluk from Perth Wildcats". bordermail.com.au. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  27. ^ "Sydney Kings Sign Wani Swaka Lo Buluk". NBL.com.au. 9 July 2021. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  28. ^ Keoghan, Sarah (29 January 2022). "From Sudan to Sydney: How way to make friends became NBL career for Swaka Lo Buluk". smh.com.au. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
  29. ^ "Hawks Overpower Kings in the 'Gong". NBL.com.au. 13 January 2022. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  30. ^ "Kings Win First Championship in 17 Years with Record Crowd". NBL.com.au. 11 May 2022. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
  31. ^ "Wani Swaka Lo Buluk". NBL1.com.au. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  32. ^ "Defensive dynamo Swaka Lo Buluk signs with Hawks". Hawks.com.au. 20 May 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
  33. ^ "Wani Swaka Lo Buluk". NBL1.com.au. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  34. ^ "We are thrilled to announce that Wani Swaka Lo Buluk, a three-time NBL Champion, has signed with the Tamboran Darwin SALTIES for the upcoming 2024 NBL1 season, set to kick off on April 13th!". facebook.com/darwinsalties. 14 March 2024. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  35. ^ "Three-time NBL champion signs with Darwin". NBL1.com.au. 15 March 2024. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  36. ^ "It's Official! Wani Swaka Lo Buluk re-signs with the Illawarra Hawks for NBL25". Hawks.com.au. 24 July 2024. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  37. ^ Pike, Chris (20 October 2024). "Tatum lights fire for Wani's NBL25 defence". authory.com. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
  38. ^ "Sotto, Sun and Wigness lead the FIBA U16 Asian Championship Mythical Teams". fiba.basketball. 10 April 2018. Archived from the original on 11 April 2018. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  39. ^ "Boomers Team Named for World Cup Qualifiers". NBL.com.au. 9 June 2022. Archived from the original on 9 June 2022. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  40. ^ Woods, Dan (4 July 2023). "The NBL's Next Family Dynasty?". NBL.com.au. Archived from the original on 5 July 2023. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
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