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Bishop Grimes head basketball coach Bob McKenney said there wasn’t any reason for him to attend a Le Moyne College men’s basketball game until February. The Dolphins were struggling in Northeastern Conference Play. Then, Le Moyne head coach Nate Champion put redshirt freshman and Grimes alum Deng Garang into the team’s rotation on Feb. 6.

About two weeks later, McKenney and 12 others from Grimes trekked over to see Garang, one of their former standouts, play Division I basketball.

“He brought a lot of sunshine to the school,” McKenney said of Garang, a 2023 Grimes alum.

Since breaking into its rotation, Garang has done the same for Le Moyne. After playing just six minutes in the Dolphins’ first 21 games against D-I opponents, the 6-foot-6 wing is averaging 32.6 minutes over his last eight games. In that span, he won back-to-back NEC Rookie of the Week honors, emerging as a future cornerstone for Le Moyne (9-22, 4-12 NEC) as the end of the program’s second D-I season approaches.

Garang was born in Cairo, Egypt, to South Sudanese parents, and moved to Syracuse as a toddler. When Mckenney first saw him play as a seventh grader, he said he was blown away by his talent and character.

After playing up a year in seventh and eighth grade, Garang played for Grimes’ JV team as a freshman. By the end of his sophomore season, he was called up to the varsity team. Two years later, Garang was one of the top players in central New York, becoming a finalist for All-CNY Large School Player of the Year.

Despite his high school success, he had just two scholarship offers, choosing Le Moyne over Division II Daemen. Garang signed shortly after the Dolphins announced their transition to D-I. Both offers were contingent on Garang — a raw, skinny, and young-for-his-grade player — redshirting. But he didn’t let it impact him.

“I get a whole year to work,” Garang said. “And just get better for a year, so it was a good experience, and I felt like it paid off in the long run.”

Deng Garang drives toward the rim in Le Moyne’s game against Chicago State. In his breakout redshirt freshman season with the Dolphins, Garang is averaging 7.5 points and 1.7 rebounds per game. Courtesy of Greg Wall | Le Moyne Athletics

As a 17-year-old redshirt freshman in 2023, Garang quickly formed a tight relationship with his roommate, guard AJ Dancler. The two bonded by trash-talking during practice. Garang showed Dancler his favorite restaurants in Syracuse and brought him to his home for his mom’s pasta dinners.

Champion noted they hold each other accountable and train at the gym together every day — a tradition that started just days after they arrived on campus.

Dancler assumed a bigger role late in his freshman season, averaging double digits over a six-game stretch in February after averaging 4.5 points in his first 16 games against Division I opponents. By then, the team was heading toward a fourth-place finish in the NEC, so Garang did all he could from the sidelines.

“What stands out is how much he was supporting his teammates in times where he wasn’t playing,” Champion said. “He was the guy on the bench that was standing up and cheering for his teammates when they were doing things well, and supporting them through times where they may be struggling.”

Following a successful first D-I campaign, Le Moyne graduated its top five-minute-getters. Still, Garang wasn’t sure if or when he’d play as a redshirt freshman. Dancler said he didn’t expect to see Garang in the rotation. But seeing Dancler develop throughout his first year reinforced Garang’s belief in his path.

“Me and my teammates stayed in his ear,” Dancler said. “‘We know what you can do, Deng, just be confident in yourself.’ In practice he would kill, day in and day out, so it was really just a matter of time before he would bust through the doors.”

But, as the calendar flipped to February, Garang entered just three games against D-I opponents in garbage time. With Le Moyne stumbling to a 2-6 mark in the NEC, Champion decided to shake things up.

The coach said he noticed Garang’s consistency improve during practices as the year went on. Thus, Garang entered the Dolphins’ rotation for their weekend trip to Saint Francis and Mercyhurst in early February.

“I was always ready for the moment,” Garang said. “(Coach) was just telling me to be ready, ‘Your number is gonna be called soon, be ready when it’s your time.’ I had a pretty good idea that I was going to get in (the Saint Francis) game, but I didn’t expect to be the sixth man.”

Garang played 26 minutes in the 86-78 loss to the Red Flash, tallying eight points, two rebounds, three steals and a block. Two days later, he got his first start, playing 20 minutes in a loss to Mercyhurst.

Though his play didn’t immediately result in wins during the first weekend, Champion stuck with Garang and wins followed.

In Le Moyne’s overtime win over Wagner on Feb. 13, Garang scored 15 points with three triples. He also made key defensive plays, helping the Dolphins hold on after blowing a second-half lead.

“We know that there’s going to be a learning curve with him,” Champion said postgame. “But I think just putting trust in him and understanding that you get rewarded for hard work around here, and he’s doing the right stuff all the time.”

Following another 15-point performance in Le Moyne’s ensuing game, a win against Chicago State, Garang took home NEC Rookie of the Week. From there, his spot in the Dolphins’ rotation was secured.

After learning Garang was receiving extensive playing time, a surprised McKenney made sure to see as many Le Moyne games as possible.

The Greater Syracuse Sports Hall of Famer was in attendance when Garang scored 20 points in an overtime loss to Saint Francis on Feb. 20. Two days later, he brought his group of 12 from Grimes to watch Garang and Le Moyne face Long Island University.

As Grimes’ first D-I player in a “long, long time,” McKenney said, Garang is emerging as a local hero for his high school and Le Moyne. Now, the once bench piece will try to lead the Dolphins through a new era as they continue adjusting to the D-I level.

Published on March 2, 2025 at 11:05 pm

Contact Sam: sefederm@syr.edu