Oklahoma Sooners reserve center Akolda Manyang was not present for his team’s Sweet Sixteen-clinching win over No. 10 VCU last Sunday due to a death in the family, and now we know more details.
According to multiple reports, including one from The Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Manyang returned home to Minnesota due to the suicide of his brother, former Minnesota high school star Ater Manyang. Per the report, Ater Manyang had been admitted to a treatment center on Thursday morning and was found dead on Friday, about an hour after the Sooners tipped off their first-round game against Cal State-Bakersfield.
“We don’t even know yet exactly when he’s going to be back or when the services are for sure,” said Sooners head coach Lon Kruger. “I think we’ll find that out today. But yeah, it’s tough. I mean, you just feel for anyone, but especially a young guy at this time of season. It adds to the difficulty because he wants to be here, but he needs to be there, I mean, all those things that he’s got to deal with.”
Manyang, a seven-foot junior, averaged 2.5 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.4 blocks over eight minutes per game this season. There has been zero indication as to when he will return to his teammates, if at all during the tournament, but this is clearly a situation where he should be free to take all the time he needs.
Campus Sports sends its deepest condolences to the Manyang family and will update this story as new information becomes available.
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*Featured Photo (above) credit to USA TODAY Sports
