Ater Majok will begin his freshman year of eligibility at the conclusion of the Fall 2009 semester. It was quite a different road than most to get to UConn for Ater. Born in Sudan, he was forced out of the country at the age of five, and spent the next eight years as a refugee in Cairo, Egypt. At age 13 his family, with the help of the United Nations, landed in Australia. “While in Australia my cousin used to play basketball so I used to practice with him, and I just started liking the game.” At the age of 16, Ater met Ed Smith, an Australian coach. Five years later Ater was brought to Connecticut where he’ll soon be playing for UConn.

Although Ater has already had some memorable experiences playing for Team Australia at Adidas Nations Camp, participating in the 2008 Adidas Derby Classic, and was captain of his team at American International High School, he said, “Back in Australia I won championships but that’s nothing like the Final Four.” He was not able to play at last years Final Four but coming to UConn, and going to the Final Four have been Ater’s most memorable experiences so far.

His decision to play at UConn was easy—UConn is what brought him to the United States. “Coach Calhoun is a good coach, and I’m really enjoying the whole team and the environment here at UConn, it’s been great.”

Final Four Bound: “It’s going to take heart. We need to bring energy and teamwork, and we’ll be there again.” What Ater is looking forward to while playing at UConn is winning a National Championship and wearing the championship ring.