Reng Deng Set For Major Season at Capilano

VANCOUVER,BC– Out of Guildford Park Secondary in Surrey, British Columbia Reng Deng was first spotted at the NPH BC Showcase in June of 2011.

At the time, the six foot seven forward showed a glimpse of his perimeter game and a lot of promise, drawing comparisons to a young Bol Kong with less of an offensive game. Fast forward a year and a half, and Deng is turning heads as a freshman at a Capilano.

The developing talent finished with 27 points, 12 rebounds, and seven steals a few weeks ago at an exhibition game against Kwantlen University.  Excluding all the other variables involved in his success story, that stat line is one definitely worth salivating over if you are a Capilano Blues fan.

Coming in at a delicate age of seventeen is one aspect of the challenges, being a young player and having to elevate your game to the next level is difficult for anyone. But when it means playing out of the position you have been given over the past five years of your high school career, it becomes exponentially more difficult. Being as tall as he is, it was natural for most coaches to have Reng start at a power forward or center position, but Reng has been itching to take his talents out onto the perimeter.  Seeing him train in Guildford Rec Centre, we could see his ambition to learn how to attack from the wing position.

“When recruiting Reng, I knew he had the size to be successful at our level. What impressed me about Reng was his ability to rebound, especially on the offensive glass,” said Cap Head Coach, Dwayne Selby.

After Coach Selby had coached him through a club program he realized that Reng had a much “broader skill set.” He boasts about his freshman’s ability to handle the ball and improve the team’s overall transition game.

So far Coach Selby has been very impressed with what he has seen and with Deng’s recent performance in his CCAA debut he has surely built some excitement around the program.

While Reng’s perimeter game is still raw he hasn’t found himself relying on his increasing range from distance. He has showed his slashing ability as he relentlessly attacks the rim and even finished with a monstrous two handed cram in the lane.

In order to be a true leader, the Blues coaching staff are hoping he increases communication and takes the bull by the horns.

“ Being the quarterback of our defense, we need him to be a bit more vocal and making him a little more aggressive offensively” his coach adds, while hoping to immediately assist in this regard as he realizes Reng’s stay with Cap may be short lived.

“We would love to keep him for two years but…he has been getting some D1 land D2 looks…he has the potential to be the rookie of the year in our conference and maybe the freshman of the year in the nation.”

As Deng continues to develop, you can expect him to continue drawing attention from both CIS programs and coaches down south.

However, there is still work to do first in the CCAA.