Australian basketball prodigy of South Sudanese descent draws NBA attention

Australian basketball player Jongkoch Mach has emerged as one of the sport’s most promising young talents, drawing the attention of several US universities and NBA scouts thanks to his extraordinary height of 2.29 meters, with his physical development continuing despite being only 18 years old.

Mach, who is of South Sudanese descent, currently plays for the Centre of Excellence team in Australia’s NBL1 East league. He continues to work on improving his skills as he pursues his dream of playing in the NBA, where he hopes to join his favorite player, French star Victor Wembanyama.

During the 2025 season, Mach appeared in 16 games, averaging 2.7 points, 3.2 rebounds, and one block per game, with a shooting success rate of 70 percent, despite playing less than 10 minutes per match on average.

With growing interest in his abilities, Mach has received offers from Louisiana State, Colorado, and Santa Clara universities, and is also being monitored by scouts from other clubs. He is widely expected to become one of the sport’s top prospects in the coming years.

Recently, Mach has focused on building his physique through an intensive nutrition program, increasing his weight from 73 kilograms to 91 kilograms to boost his muscle mass and prepare for higher levels of competition.

Mach has also gone viral on social media after videos surfaced of him easily performing slam dunks during training. Some fans have dubbed him “Cheat Code,” while others have compared him to a taller version of Oklahoma City Thunder’s Chet Holmgren.

His coach, Robby McKinlay, emphasized that talent alone is not enough for success, noting that Mach possesses a professional mindset and a constant desire to improve, fully aware of the effort required to reach the NBA.