Recent FIBA World Cup history hasn’t been kind to African teams. In the past ten years, the highest finish from an African team was when Angola and Nigeria tied for ninth place along with six other countries in 2006. If you swear by FIBA world rankings, you wouldn’t expect much difference in this iteration of the competition. But looking beneath the surface, there’s a new addition to the field of 32 that should have you second-guessing what you think you know about African basketball on the world stage entirely.

Enter South Sudan: the world’s youngest country with an even newer national team, qualifying for the World Cup for the first time in as many attempts. Currently ranked 62nd in the world, South Sudan far outplayed their FIBA world ranking during the African qualifiers, beating the previous record for an 11–1 finish and defeating archetypal powers on their way to clinching a spot at the World Cup.

South Sudan has immense positional size and shrinks the court thanks to their long arms across the board. In addition to their physical strengths, they are generally very skilled and visibly have a good team IQ. This team is as close to positionless as possible and almost anyone positions 1–4 can be seen bringing the ball up or creating for others. Put all that together with savvy organization and solid coaching and you have a recipe for a potential trip to the podium. Here are three of South Sudan’s qualities that make them tough to beat:

1. Positional shooting

The expression “live by the three, die by the three” simply doesn’t register with this team because they shoot like they believe they’re immortal.

Their guards can shoot. Their wings can shoot. Their bigs can shoot. South Sudan led Africa in points per game (78.6 PPG) and is a team full of firepower that isn’t shy about letting them fly. The expression “live by the three, die by the three” simply doesn’t register with this team because they shoot like they believe they’re immortal. But they aren’t just hoisting shots without a conscience — the Bright Stars convert efficiently, leading the continent in three point percentage (37.6%), thanks to an uncommon unselfishness that starts from the top down.

Each guy trusts his teammate to make the right play so that’s what routinely happens — even from their clear star players, Nuni Omot and Sunday Dech. Despite their basketball acumen, this duo isn’t comprised of one-dimensional or singular-focused stars; they fit right into South Sudan’s schemes, correctly picking spots to distribute or take over.

2. Timely defensive rotations

Modern websites list teams’ average ages and heights but listing the average wingspan would be beneficial in scouting a team like South Sudan. Their defense is incredibly long and that in combination with a synergetic discipline leads them to be a top three African team in blocks (3.3 per game) and hold opponents to 33.9% shooting from the field. It’s evident that Luol Deng has had a firm hand on this team because they play a style reminiscent of the Tom Thibodeau system Deng is intimately familiar with. Conversely, South Sudan averaged the fewest number of steals per game out of all the teams in the African qualifiers (6.7 per game). This could be one defensive styling that has drastically separated them from the rest of the continent.

Instead of taking advantage of their physical tools early in possessions by gambling for steals like many other programs might, South Sudan prefers to stay patient and principled without overextending themselves, funneling the offense to their adept shot-blockers near the end of a possession. They then alter shots, block them or make the shooter reconsider their attack completely. Every possession where a steal happens is one less possession a potential block can occur, and both can result in a change of possession. South Sudan is as good in the half court offensively as they are in transition so it doesn’t matter if a change of possession is a live or dead ball situation.

3. Disciplined execution

South Sudan’s greatest strength is their patience. With their measurables they could easily go all out from the first whistle to try to rout teams but they patiently whittle away at teams, punishing the smallest of mistakes their opposition makes and still blowing games open. Perhaps more than any other type of basketball, FIBA basketball necessitates exceptional team chemistry. Add the pressure of representing an entire nation and that cohesiveness (or lack thereof) becomes even more apparent. There are very few instances of an individual single-handedly taking their team to the podium of an important FIBA tournament and the Bright Stars shine by leaning on one another. South Sudan is a complete team with remarkable chemistry and it shows when you watch how smoothly their offense flows. The stats backup the eye test as they were the second best passing team in Africa averaging 17.7 assists per contest.

There seem to be no egos and despite the presence of their star players, everyone is comfortable in their roles because they know at any moment they can have a chance to contribute. That instilled confidence allows South Sudan to run their sets all the way through without getting rattled by defenses. Then when a breakdown does occur, they each have the skill, will and freedom to successfully attack 1-on-1.

A factor that can’t be ignored for the Bright Stars is the intrinsic motivation they have as a new country born out of civil war. In a sports landscape that’s becoming increasingly devoid of moral significance due to contrived narratives and blatant bag-chasing, it’s refreshing to see a program that truly stands for something deeper than material gain. South Sudan’s edge is evident when you watch them play and that is the main reason I would pick them to advance from their group at the World Cup.

Sports are meant to inspire and one thing is for sure — success for South Sudan at the World Cup is good for basketball on the entire continent. A deep run in this tournament could even mean automatic qualification in next year’s Olympics. South Sudan Basketball Federation president Luol Deng said it best:

“I know we’re playing basketball but we’re not a basketball team. We’re representing a nation that needs more than basketball. We’re just using basketball as a tool to bring the attention to what we are capable of.”

Stats and photos from FIBA.basketball