BELFRY, Ky. – It is not uncommon for African-born players to chase their basketball dreams in America, but doing so in rural eastern Kentucky is something new. 

Nestled in the Appalachian Mountains among the Pike County coalfields a few miles from the West Virginia border is Belfry High School, which is known for its dominance on the gridiron as the Pirates have won seven state football titles, including five in the past seven seasons.

The basketball team has never captured a KHSAA Sweet 16 title and has not appeared in the state tournament at Rupp Arena since 1992, but this year could be different with the arrival of Bol Kuir, a 7-foot, 3-inch tall, 220-pound center from South Sudan. The Pirates found themselves in the 15th Region semifinals against Paintsville, two wins away from advancing to the Sweet 16, but lost 55-51 to the eventual 15th Region champion Tigers.

Kuir, 18, is a junior and playing his first year of organized basketball. He made headlines across the country when he grabbed 42 rebounds in a double-overtime win against 60th District opponent Lawrence County. The tally ranks second all-time in Kentucky, behind Russ Milton’s 48 in a 1957 game and just ahead of “King” Kelly Coleman’s 41 in 1956. Kuir’s 14.2 rebounds-per-game average leads the state. He also averages 14 points and four blocks per contest. Just before tipoff of the Painstville game, Kuir received his first official Division I offer from West Virginia University.

Bol Kuir, a 7-foot 3-inch tall junior center at Belfry High School in Pike County, attempts to block a shot against 60th District Rival Pike Central. (Photo by Ray Justice Photography)

The Path to Pike County

Kuir, a member of the Dinka Tribe from the savanna country surrounding the central swamps of the Nile River basin, grew up playing soccer.

“Sometimes in practice, you’ll see him use a basketball like a soccer ball,” said Mark Thompson, head basketball coach at Belfry. “It’s just out of habit, I think, but it shows how much he loves it and it has helped him develop really good footwork for a big kid.”

Kuir came to America nearly three years ago with another African player, Gabriel Beny, from Sudan, with Daniel Hicks, a South Charleston, W. Va., man well-known in the circles surrounding the “African-born-players-coming-to-America” pipeline. Hicks tried to enroll Kuir and Beny at Hurricane High School in Hurricane, W. Va.

Still, the pair were ruled ineligible by the West Virginia High School Athletic Association for not being part of a formal exchange program and lacking legal guardianship. Hicks was later awarded permanent minor guardianship of Kuir and Beny while the pair were attending South Charleston High School.

Sal Dean, Belfry’s standout sophomore point guard and leading scorer, was a teammate of Kuir’s on the AAU circuit in West Virginia, and when Dean transferred to Belfry from South Charleston, he convinced Kuir to do the same.

Belfry junior Bol Kuir leads the state in rebounds, averaging 14 per game. (Brandon Roberts/Spectrum News 1 KY)

Bol as Belfry Pirate

Kuir is humble and soft-spoken. He speaks four languages but admits English is not his strongest. He did, however, find the words to describe the transition from South Sudan to Central Appalachia, his teammates, and his future.

“It took some time getting used to the American people, the culture, and the food,” he said. “It’s different, the way people do things here. Even playing basketball, it’s different here. It’s tougher. There’s more contact.”

Even with all the changes and adjustments in Kuir’s life over the past few years, he recognizes how this year’s Belfry boys’ basketball team has grown together.

“Some of these guys I knew before coming here to play basketball,” he said. “But, even with the ones I did not know, now, we are coming together as a team.”

Belfry junior center Bol Kuir had 42 rebounds in a game, the second most all-time. (Photo by Ray Justice Photography)

A Big Man Part of Something Bigger

Kuir’s height, performance, and potential have garnered much-warranted attention but perhaps lost among the hype is what he has helped his team accomplish this season. The Pirates are 17-9 overall, champions of the 60th District, and have a real shot at winning the 15th Region and playing in the Sweet 16 for the first time in nearly 30 years. 

Although Kuir is an integral part of the team’s success, the Belfry squad overall has many young, talented players and experienced older guys who have thrived alongside Kuir. Dean took the 15th Region by storm as a freshman, a season ago, for the Pirates as he led his team in points, rebounds, and assists per game. The southpaw point guard averaged 17 points, six assists, and 5.3 rebounds per game, and he leads the team in scoring this season as a sophomore with 16.4 points per game. He was named MVP of the 60th District Tournament.

Sophomore guard De’mahjae Clark is also averaging double-digits with 12.3 points per game. 

“Most players never get to play with a guy like Bol,” Clark said. “He gets so much attention on the floor from players on the other teams it allows us to take advantage of that.”

Kuir, who Thompson said is often double- or triple-teamed has still managed to put up impressive numbers. Aside from his 42-rebound game on March 11, he recently posted a triple-double with 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 blocks and later recorded a career-high 32 points, 15 rebounds, and four assists in a 95-70 victory over Floyd Central.

The Belfry players are as fond of Kuir as a person as they are a teammate.

“It’s a different experience (playing with Bol),” said senior forward Caleb Spears. “It took a little while getting used to it, but it is unbelievable how tall 7-3 can be against teams, especially in the 15th Region. He has helped us out so much by his presence on the floor.”

Senior guard Ben McNamee is also the beneficiary of the attention opposing teams give to Kuir.

“There’s an inbounds play where we stack up,” McNamee said. “Bol is in the middle, and he just stands there, and I’ll slip and get the ball and have a wide-open layup every time, at least once a game.”

Thompson said he had a really good core group of players even before Kuir came to Belfry and it has been great watching the team evolve as the season progresses.

“As a coach, I am impressed in terms of our leadership, our seniors,” he said. “I feel like our two guards (Dean and Clark) have really grown and, and in the last month, I just feel as a team we've played outstanding basketball. Having a center the size that we do kind of opens it up for all of us, and all our players are seeing the benefits because they have to double and triple-team Bol a lot of times. Opposing teams can’t keep Sal out of the paint, and (Clark) constantly gets into the paint. As a team, we do a great job rebounding because our opponents key on Bol to try to take his rebounds away. Tyler (Chaffin) had nine or 10 rebounds (in the 15th Region Tournament first-round game), and Sal had six or seven, Caleb had a few, and Ben had a few – these six guys (Kuir, Spears, Chaffin, Spears, Clark, and Dean) the last three weeks have just been impressive to watch.”

Kuir’s teammates have taken it upon themselves to make the transition from life in South Sudan to Pike County as comfortable and seamless as possible. 

“I just think he’s a great kid,” McNamee said. “He is coming from a different country, a different culture, and we've tried our best to point him in the right direction as far as life around here. Coming to America is different, but coming to eastern Kentucky is even more of a culture shock.

We do what we can to get him acclimated to this culture and make it feel like home. It's home to him now.”

Kuir said his teammates have made his transition to life and basketball in Eastern Kentucky easier. Pictured, from left, is senior guard Ben McNamee, sophomore guard De'mahjae Clark, Kuir, sophomore guard Sal Dean, senior forward Caleb Spears, and senior guard Tyler Chaffin. (Brandon Roberts/Spectrum News 1 KY)

The Future of Bol and Basketball

Kuir has made no secret that he plans to play basketball in college and beyond, even making an unofficial visit to the University of Kentucky in 2019. Thompson said college coaches’ interest in Kuir increases by the day, but limited attendance policies because of COVID-19 has limited Kuir’s exposure.

“He doesn’t have an official offer, but several major programs have expressed interest,” Thompson said. “The thing that I would tell any college coach is you need to see practice because what we see in practice has yet to get to the game. He's comfortable in practice. This is his first season, and the comfort level in the games is not always like it has been for him in practice. In practice, he is a dominant player. He dominates our practices.”

Several basketball recruiting experts expect Kuir to be one of the more highly recruited payers in America next season.

“He’s so gifted offensively,” Thompson said. “We have yet to see what he is really capable of as a player.”

Editor's note: This article has been updated to include the final score of the regional semifinal game against Paintsville, as well as the information about Bol Kuir's scholarship offer from West Virginia University.