A Journey of 7,830 miles | A Visit with Ole Miss Men’s Basketball Freshman John Bol: ‘I want to win! That was one of the reasons why I came to Ole Miss’
OXFORD, Miss. — To reach Oxford, MS, from Boma, South Sudan, one must travel 7,830 miles. The journey is a long one, but for Ole Miss men’s freshman John Bol, leaving his hometown of Boma to come to the United States meant taking the next step to fulfilling his dream of playing basketball at the collegiate level.
At 16 years of age, Bol became a student at Overtime Elite. While in high school, he was listed as the top recruit from the state of Georgia by ESPN and was selected to play in the 2024 McDonald’s All-American Game, just to name two of the many honors Bol received.
Ole Miss men’s basketball signee John Bol named a 2024 McDonald’s All-American, just the second in school history! @kam_wicker has more on @JohnBol_7. ⤵️ #HottyToddy https://t.co/ibpqRq8EVr
— The Rebel Walk (@TheRebelWalk) January 23, 2024
We sat down with Bol recently to learn more about his move to the United States and why he chose to become a member of the Ole Miss Men’s Basketball team.
Basketball wasn’t something Bol was automatically attracted to. However, Bol’s mother encouraged him to try the game. “My mom kept telling me to play,” he explained.
“There was a court right next to our house, and people were playing on it. I went over there. I wasn’t going to play; I was just going there to watch, and they ended up picking me. I just started playing, and I liked it.”
John Bol on playing basketball
As we all know, basketball requires an athlete to be agile. We asked Bol if he naturally picked up the game or if it took him a good bit of practice to become good at the sport. “I mean, you have to learn all of the stuff,” Bol began. “You have to shoot, all of that, but I feel like I was able to move well. It just transitioned easily for me because growing up, I played some soccer, not a lot, but some, and, in soccer, you have to be agile. It was a little easy for me because of that.”
Some would say that, for Bol, the opportunity to come to America was fate. Being in the right place at the right time proved beneficial, as Bol recounted the experience.
“Coming to America is a long story. I got here about three and a half years ago. I was just playing outside, and apparently, some scouts and some people were watching. They liked how I moved, how I played, and my IQ of the game. I was fortunate enough to get a scholarship to play. My mom didn’t want me to come here (America). She was against me coming here by myself to America. But then I reminded her that she’s the one who told me to get out of the house and go play something. Ultimately, she accepted me coming here cause I had a scholarship offer to come to high school. I came and just started playing, and here I am.”
John Bol on his basketball journey
Playing for Coach Beard
Bol says the decision to play for Ole Miss was primarily based on the coaching staff, especially Coach Beard.
“I believe in Coach Chris Beard, great dude, great coach. I believe in everything that he does. I believe that he’s going to help me progress to the next level where I want to go. That’s the main reason why I came to Oxford.”
John Bol on Coach Chris Beard
If you look at Bol’s Instagram account, you will see in his bio that he lists a quote that states, “I am who I am today because of the choices I made yesterday.”
We asked Bol what significance the quote holds for him. Bol explains: “It came from one of the people that I really believe in, a person that I really look up to a lot. It’s from a soccer player named Cristiano Ronaldo. He’s a really hard-working dude. You know, every choice and every decision that he ever made, he lived up to it. There are times in life when you are like, man, I’m going to do this. I’m going to do that. I’m going to get up tomorrow at 6 am and go shoot. But then when that time comes, you don’t have the same feeling, the same urgency, the same thought process that you had when you were saying that last night, you know, cause you were feeling it. You were like, man, I’m going to do this. But then when that time comes, you’re not doing it, you know? So it’s always about doing the things that you want to do long after the mood changes. That’s one of the reasons why that quote is up there: to remind myself that I should live up to every choice and every decision that I make. First of all, it’s me making it, not somebody else.”
Playing Defense
Players usually have a role in the game they enjoy most. Whether offensive or defensive, there is always a niche an athlete naturally fits into and embraces. For Bol, defense is his niche.
“If you watch me play a lot of my game, what I’m really good at is actually defense. I pride myself on defense a lot. That’s something I take personally. Every time I guard somebody, I’m like, ‘this right here is me and him.’ It’s something personal, right? I feel I can always do really, really good on the defensive end of the ball. It just naturally came to me, you know, being able to move well, block shots, rebound outside my area, and stuff like that.”
John Bol on his defensive game
7’0 5 Star John Bol has a 7’9″ WINGSPAN 🤯 pic.twitter.com/GlF7Q5mbBQ
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) July 1, 2022
Winning basketball
Ole Miss men’s basketball is poised to have an exciting season. We asked Bol what he is most looking forward to, and his response was quick and enthusiastic.
“Winning! I want to win! That was one of the reasons why I came to Ole Miss. You know, Coach Beard, he has a history. He’s been to the Final Four. That’s my main goal right now, trying to win because when you win, you get opportunities, not just for you, but for your teammates and everybody else in the program. With success comes everything else.”
John Bol
Reaching his full potential
At 7-foot-2, Bol can be a force to be reckoned with on the court. Coach John Reilly, Strength and Conditioning Coach for Ole Miss Men’s Basketball, has a reputation for helping basketball players reach their full potential. Bol told us what working with Coach Reilly has done for him as a player. “You know, when I came here during the summer, I was weighing 205, 206,” Bol began. “Right now, I’m weighing 222, 225. I gained straight muscle. The work that we do is not just lifting. A lot of the strength coaches that I’ve been with, I mean, it’s high school, but a lot of them, it’s just lifting. But with him, it’s like strategic lifting. It’s like it’s specifically for some part of your body. It’s not just to bulk up. He’s not only a strength and conditioning coach. He’s somebody you can actually talk to. You know, I’ve grown, and I’ve been able to talk to him from time to time when I have time. He’s a great dude,” Bol noted.
Some interesting personal facts about Bol are that he likes to sketch pictures in his free time and he can speak several languages. He told us how he learned to speak different languages, and a few were quite surprising.
“I didn’t speak English. English is not my first language, not my second language either. It’s like my third. So, growing up, I spoke a different language in my household, and going to school a different language. I can speak English, Swahili, or Arabic. I learned how by just being around people in different places. Cause you know, back at home, I used to move a lot, go all these different places and people spoke different languages – French, Arabic, Swahili. So, I just picked up a little and you know, you got to pick up something if you want to stay there. You can’t just be there and not talk to people. I learned English, part of it in school, part of it watching a lot of movies, playing games, you know, Call of Duty, watching SpongeBob, just a lot of stuff.”
John Bol on learning languages
When asked if he picks up on accents from different areas of the country and if Southern accents are hard to understand, Bol chuckled and said, “I mean, sometimes over here, actually, if it’s a really strong Southern accent, I will hear it. But like for the most part, whatever you say and somebody else in Philly says, like y’all two sound the same. So, to me it’s like straight English, you know?”
Bol really looks forward to his first season as an Ole Miss Rebel. His excitement is contagious, and one just naturally roots for the guy with a big smile and eagerness to do well. His message to fans is simple.
“Show up. Pack the Pavilion. Every night, you know, we’re going to deliver. We’re always going to deliver. I believe in the team we have. We’re actually really, really good right now. Defensively, we’re going to be really good. Show up. Be loud. Give us the home-court advantage.”
John Bol on his message to fans
John Bol hasn’t been home in over three-and-a-half years. He hopes his mother will be able to visit during the Christmas season, and he plans to return home at some point next year for a visit. Rebel fans, show up for Bol and all the other players at as many games as possible. And when you attend a game this season, give an extra shout-out to a young man who is far away from home and let him feel the love of Ole Miss.
Hotty Toddy to John Bol, and we look forward to watching him progress and excel over his four years as a Rebel.
The Ole Miss Men’s Basketball Team sees action next against Lindenwood on Saturday, December 7 at 7:00 p.m.
Donna Sprabery
Donna Sprabery is a former teacher, graduation coach, and academic coach for boys basketball. She graduated from the University of West Alabama with a major in business education and from Arkansas State University with a MA in Educational Leadership. A native of Meridian, MS, Donna enjoys traveling, gardening, writing, volunteer work, and cheering on the Rebels.
