Mawot Mag and his teammates spent most of Saturday night getting lit up by Wisconsin’s John Tonje, but when it mattered most, with the season on the line, Mag dug in and defended Tonje like his life depended on it.
Trailing 91-89 in the final seconds, the Badgers All-American, who blistered BYU for 37 points, drove to the baseline. When Tonje attempted to go to his left — Mag was there. When he went right — Mag was there. And when he attempted his shot with 3.8 seconds remaining — Mag was in his face.
As a result, Tonje shot an airball and the Cougars upset the Badgers to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2011. BYU will face Alabama on Thursday in Newark, New Jersey, (5:09 p.m. MDT, CBS).
Mag’s big moment wasn’t dramatic in the same way that Danny Ainge and Jimmer Fredette carried their BYU teams to the region finals, but it was just as impactful. And as fate would have it, the win is sending Mag back to where he came from — sort of.
The twists and turns of Mag’s life are enough to fill the pages of a storybook, and he will add another unexpected chapter this week when the 6-foot-7 defensive specialist returns to New Jersey and he’s bringing his Cougars with him.
Mag spent four years playing in 80 games for Rutgers before graduating and vacating The Garden State to blossom in Provo, Utah. He joined Kevin Young’s roster basically incognito because of all the attention going to freshmen additions Egor Demin and Kanon Catchings.
He also sat on the bench for two months while watching the new kids on the block play in front of him. Fortunately for BYU, patience is in the fiber of his family. Mag prepared as he waited and on Jan. 14, Young inserted him into the starting lineup and the Cougars have gone 16-4 since, including victories in 11 of their last 12 games.
Mag traveled a long way to make one of the most significant defensive plays in BYU history.
As a young boy in Juba, South Sudan, he, his parents and eight siblings escaped civil war and fled 1,600 miles to Cairo, Egypt. A year later, they traveled 8,673 miles to Melbourne, Australia. It was there, in the land Down Under, where the 13-year-old was introduced to a sport that turned his life in an upward trajectory.
With a skillset suited for basketball, Mag came to America to develop his game and get an education. He flew 7,885 miles from Melbourne to Napa, California, where he attended Prolific Prep. From there, Mag moved 2,901 miles east to New Jersey to suit up for Rutgers.
Last summer, with his degree in hand and a desire for something new, Mag entered the transfer portal, where Young and his staff convinced him to relocate 2,161 miles to Provo. With little information on where he was going, but fueled by the unconquerable spirit of his parents, Mag took a chance on BYU and hoped for the best.
The late UCLA coaching legend John Wooden never met Mag, but one of his famous quotes describes his journey like none other — “Things work out best for those who make the best out of the way things work out.”
Last Tuesday, Mag flew 431 miles from Provo to Denver for the first round of the NCAA Tournament. It was there, late in the 39th minute of Saturday night’s game, that he stopped Tonje and made his mark on BYU history — adding a thrilling chapter to his story that started a world away in South Sudan and further perpetuates the school slogan: “The world is our campus.”
Mag will board a flight back to New Jersey on Tuesday. During the 2,161-mile trip and while sitting alongside a plane full of new friends, many of them global travelers of their own, Mag will have a few hours to reflect on the improbable journey that brought him to BYU and his defensive play that took the Cougars to the Sweet 16.
Dave McCann is a sportswriter and columnist for the Deseret News and is a play-by-play announcer and show host for BYUtv/ESPN+. He co-hosts “Y’s Guys” at ysguys.com and is the author of the children’s book “C is for Cougar,” available at deseretbook.com.