Only a few possessions after the opening tip-off, sweat already is pouring off Mac Koshwal, a tangible sign of the effort that has become the trademark of DePaul’s hard-working freshman.
If Koshwal’s statistics do not reveal his diligent approach, his saturated jerseys do.
“The kid’s soaking wet after every practice,” coach Jerry Wainwright said.
Koshwal’s rapid ascent into the role of DePaul’s most consistent and productive player is nothing compared to his high-speed climb since he took up basketball less than five years ago.
His industrious style stems from a deeply rooted desire to prove himself as a novice against veterans.
But the drive also developed from his transient childhood — from Sudan to Canada to Chicago — and a mysterious illness that continues to plague his father in political exile.
“I’m trying to prove to people, OK, I’ve been through struggles, but I’m going to keep continuing,” Koshwal said. “Look where I’m at now. I’m at a major college, playing in the Big East with a scholarship. I’m here. Thank God, I’m here.”
The 6-foot-10-inch, 240-pound forward/center, who played at Julian High and Boys to Men Academy, was named the first freshman captain in DePaul history.
His speed, size, agility and enthusiasm prompt assistant coach Ramon Williams to call him “our Energizer Bunny,” but those qualities also make him a versatile threat.
After playing his last two games with the flu, Koshwal averages 10.1 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. He has registered three double-doubles, including one against Georgetown’s intimidating front line, and was just one rebound shy of the achievement in two other games.
“He has improved every game,” Wainwright said. “That is a great mark of consistency.”
Learning to play
The first time Koshwal stepped onto a court for a game was a night-before-the-first-day-of-school anxiety dream. Like most nightmares, the experience jarred him awake.
“I had no clue about how to play the game of basketball,” he said.
Shortly after moving to Chicago from Ontario before his freshman year of high school, Koshwal debuted in a summer-league game. After grabbing a rebound and finding his teammates down the court, Koshwal was unsure what to do.
“I took like 20 steps,” he said.
He was immediately yanked.
“I was embarrassed,” he said. “One thing about me, I don’t like to be embarrassed.”
Koshwal vowed he’d never be embarrassed again.
“I saw other people’s games were better than [mine],” he said, “so from that point forward I was like, man, I’ve got to work harder.”
Koshwal moved to Chicago after his cousin, former Loyola player Majak Kou, told ex-Julian coach Loren Jackson about his tall relative. Jackson offered Koshwal a new home and a team. Koshwal figured, why not?
“I remember him not knowing the difference between the baseline and the top of the key,” Jackson said. “There was a lot of individual work, but he had the ability to pick up on things quick.”
Learning basketball was the first of many obstacles for a new athlete in a new country.
The Public League determined alterations had been made to Koshwal’s age in records and ruled him ineligible as a sophomore before the city playoffs. Jackson and Koshwal maintain there was no wrongdoing.
Jackson founded Boys to Men Academy, a charter school where Koshwal flourished. Rivals.com ranked him the No. 4 power forward prospect in the nation, and his suitors included Louisville and Tennessee before he chose DePaul.
‘Always running’
Koshwal intentionally chose jersey No. 13. His life has been about overcoming what many perceive as unlucky circumstances.
Born Nayal Mac Koshwal in Sudan, his childhood memories are fuzzy about the North African country ravaged by civil war and political instability.
He remembers nights without food and hearing gunshots. His father was exiled and fled to Canada, where his family later joined him.
“We were always running,” said Franda Akja, Koshwal’s mother. She could not recall precisely when the family moved, but she knows Mac was young.
Akja spoke from a Canadian hospital room, where she has been visiting her husband Martion Koshwal for 14 months.
After gallbladder surgery in 2004, Martion Koshwal suffered fatigue and lost weight. He declined more rapidly after a trip to Sudan in late 2006.
With few signs of improvement and even fewer medical explanations, Martion Koshwal remains on a ventilator.
“The good thing is when we go in he can open his eyes,” she said.
She shows him pictures of Mac’s game she attended at Detroit last month, which lifts his spirits.
Koshwal said his father is always on his mind, but he avoids dwelling on family struggles, knowing the more he concentrates on basketball and his education, the more he can eventually help.
“Thinking about him and not seeing him makes me keep working harder,” Koshwal said. “You’ve got to work hard for family.”
Mr. Road Runner
Koshwal’s exuberance ignites his teammates, but it sometimes makes him seem like a bowler throwing overhand.
“He was like the Road Runner — ‘beep-beep,'” Williams said. “He was going three times as fast as everybody else.”
Learning to corral that energy is challenging for a player who is admittedly excitable.
“I’m just hyped all the time,” Koshwal said. “I need a chill pill sometimes just to slow down.”
Coaches showed him a film of lowlights, including a 0-for-0 performance in an early-season loss to North Carolina A&T.
And Koshwal simply wasn’t himself in Wednesday night’s conference loss at Villanova. Bothered by a cold, Koshwal scored only two points and grabbed six rebounds. He had an epiphany, however, in a 76-60 drubbing by Georgetown. Going against 7-2 Hoyas center Roy Hibbert, Koshwal had 14 points and 13 rebounds.
“That made me realize I’m much stronger than I think I am,” Koshwal said.
Said Wainwright:
“He played like a senior. Those are the kinds of games in the league that get you respect.”
Conference rivals are picking up on that.
“He was patient with the ball in the post,” Villanova coach Jay Wright said after a Jan. 3 loss at DePaul. “He was very sound in his moves. He had some turnaround jumpers, and he really rebounded the ball well. He was very solid and didn’t make any mistakes.”
DePaul coaches intentionally allow Koshwal to progress naturally without pressuring him to become a go-to guy. The day that happens, watch out.
“It’s scary to think about,” Williams said. “We’re not even really running sets for him per se. He’s just kind of getting stuff on his own. When we are running sets for him, it’s just going to skyrocket.”
In a sense, Koshwal already has.
“That’s one of the main reasons I wear 13, to show you can have struggles and still be successful,” Koshwal said. “It’s not about what you’ve gone through. It’s about how you overcome it.”
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sryan@tribune.com
