About this item
Akoy Agau led Omaha Central High School to four straight high school basketball state championships (2010-13) and was a threetime AllState player. One of the most successful high school athletes in Nebraska's history, he's also a South Sudanese refugee. At age four, Akoy and his family fled Sudan during the Second Sudanese Civil War, and after three years in Cairo, they came to Maryland as refugees. They arrived in Omaha in 2003 in search of a better future. In Omaha the Agaus joined the largest South Sudanese resettlement population in the United States. While federal resources and local organizations help refugees with housing, health care, and job placement, the challenge to assimilate culturally was particularly steep. For Akoy basketball provided a sense of belonging and an avenue to realize his potential.
About the Author
I do journalism and history.
My stories connect with me on a personal level -- but they aren't about me. I try to get out of the way of the story.
"Next Up at Fenway" reflects my interests in public education in Boston, baseball, and Latino immigration. All of those stem from my background as a reporter with the Boston Globe and Boston Herald, and as a researcher/producer with the ESPN E:60 show.
"The Rhythm Boys of Omaha Central" is a story about social upheaval and basketball at my high school in 1968. I carried it with me for 40 years until it seemed to find closure in politics and cultural evolution.
"Sorcery at Caesars" stems from my coverage of boxing for the Boston Globe from 1979 to 1987. I had a ringside seat to the rivalry between Sugar Ray Leonard and Marvelous Marvin Hagler, whose fight in 1987 is the climax to my story.
I respect my subjects and the craft. The process -- research and writing -- is exacting and humbling.
