Fairfield's Gai can't block out tough loss

By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

For 44 minutes and 50 seconds, Fairfield's Deng Gai was everywhere the Hawai'i basketball team did not want him to be.

The 6-foot-9 junior soared for six blocks, boosting his three-game total to a Rainbow Classic-tying 16. But the one that got away — UH forward Julian Sensley's 3-pointer with 9.2 seconds left — proved to be the decisive shot.

During the post-game ceremony, Gai buried his tear-stained face in a towel. Later, leaning against a wall in the Fairfield locker room, Gai struggled with his emotions.

"It was ... disappointing," he said. "We thought they were going to No. 24 (Michael Kuebler). There were 9 or 10 seconds left. There was a lot of time. I didn't think (Sensley) would take the shot. But he shot it — and made it."

In the lane, Gai was a "stop" sign, blocking or altering several Rainbow shots. In the final minute of regulation, he rejected Sensley's attempted dunk.

"He's a big-time shot-blocker," UH coach Riley Wallace said. "He's got yo-yos for arms. They come flying out there. If he doesn't block it, you have to be looking for him."

But Gai is admittedly cautious defending the perimeter, and he hesitated when Sensley squared up on the left wing.

"I'm worried about fouling (on the perimeter)," he said. "I don't want to foul a 3-pointer. I'm more of an inside blocker. I was guarding (Sensley) outside. I didn't want to leave my feet. I felt if I left my feet he would go by me."

Fairfield coach Tim O'Toole consoled Gai, saying later, "He played a great game."

When told Gai blocked six shots, O'Toole said: "That's it? Oh, my God. I thought he had a lot more than six. Even if he doesn't get blocks, he can alter shots. You can't penetrate in there. He's getting better all of the time."

Indeed, Gai has made remarkable progress after playing the sport for only six years. In his native Sudan, Gai preferred to play soccer. But when he was 16, and the military draft approaching, Gai realized he did not want to be involved in a civil war in which he would be fighting against family members.

"I'd rather leave and have a better life and a better education," he said.

He sneaked away, traveling by boat and train until reaching Egypt. From there, he traveled to the United States, where he was reunited with a distant cousin, Ajou Deng.

"I wasn't scared," Gai said. "I read about the United States in magazines and books. I was ready."

Gai played at Milford Academy in Connecticut, and when his cousin transferred from the University of Connecticut to Fairfield, Gai soon followed.

With a 40-inch vertical leap, Gai said he uses "timing and my jumping to block shots. I let the ball go up, and I use my quickness and my jumping to block it."

He also relies on grit. He played the final three minutes on a sore foot after getting entangled with UH center Haim Shimonovich.

"The big guy fell on me," he said.

O'Toole said: "He was a little raw when he first came to us, but he works hard and gets better and better. He'll get over this loss."

Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8051.