Two decades after winning a national championship, former players of a Nova Scotia university basketball squad are rallying in support of a teammate caught up in a violent unrest in his native African country.
Members of the St. Francis Xavier University squad of 1993 are fundraising to help Guy Mbongo, one of three players on the team who hailed from Central African Republic.
Mbongo, who obtained a degree in economics while studying at St. Francis Xavier, helped the team win a national championship in 1993 – the school’s first.
Mbongo, a fan favourite, developed a strong relationship with coach Steve Konchalski.
“He learned English actually faster than the other players did,” Konchalski says. “He said by watching cartoons – (it) was one of his learning experiences.”
Mbongo moved back to Africa to work as a customs official, but this spring, he and his family were victims of violence during a rebel uprising in their hometown. They were forced from their home and interrogated.
“Basically, he told me, they put a gun to his head and told him that he was going to die,” Konchalski told CTV News. “They did spare him, but they took all his belongings.”
With Mbongo in hiding, former teammates are raising money to help the family by selling wristbands with ‘Free Guy’ written on them.
In addition, longtime friend Henry Johnston is leading an effort to bring the Mbongo family to Canada.
“It was decided that because of his connection to Canada that maybe we could consider trying getting him back to Canada and rebuilding his life here instead,” Johnston said.
An immigration lawyer is helping with the application paperwork.
Whether the effort to bring Mbongo to Canada is successful or not, Konchalski said he’s moved by the comraderie that endures 20 years later.
“The fact that his teammates have rallied around him, the way they have, is an illustration of how team sports can really teach many life lessons,” Konchalski said.
With a report from CTV News’ Atlantic Bureau Chief Todd Battis
