Basketball player brings Angolan pride to Maryland

Selton Miguel, born in Luanda, Angola, is a college basketball star in the United States.

The 6-foot, 4-inch (193.04-centimeter) guard for the University of Maryland admits that, like many Angolan kids, he first played soccer. But when he was around 8 years old, he recalls, “my dad said, ‘Why don’t you play basketball?’ … because I was getting taller and taller.” How tall? By age 10, Selton was almost 6 feet (182.88 centimeters).

Miguel’s educational and basketball journey would take him to Portugal, the U.S. Midwest and then the U.S. South, before he landed in Maryland, just outside of the nation’s capital, Washington.

Miguel has not forgotten Angola — its beautiful beaches and vibrant culture or its residents from many countries. When he thinks of U.S. President Biden’s upcoming visit to his homeland, he says he knows the president will be well received by the “very friendly” people there. The president aims to strengthen the United States’ longstanding engagement with Angola and other African nations, especially in the areas of infrastructure, trade, security and health.

A phenom

His father’s suggestion led Miguel to start playing basketball in Angola at a local park and later at a “real club,” he says. And when he turned 13, he went to Portugal to attend a military academy because his father, who was from Portugal, wanted him and his older brother, Rifen, to be educated there.

But Miguel kept playing basketball, and he was getting good.

He realized a dream of someday playing in America, when he enrolled in private secondary school in Orlando, Florida. It was not an easy time for him, however. The move to Florida was a big adjustment. “As soon as I got off the plane,” Miguel says, “everything was different.”

His brother, Rifen, had come to America earlier and encouraged him to work on his English. As Miguel gained proficiency, life got easier. (Today he is fluent in four languages — Portuguese, Spanish, French and English.)

His educational pursuits did not stop his basketball career: By the end of secondary school, Miguel rated among the top 150 college basketball prospects. He decided to play at Kansas State University, having been impressed by its then-coach, Bruce Weber.

The vast plains of the Midwest — which he laughingly describes as “snowing … country … grass” — brought new challenges. He was starting most of the games for the Wildcats in his first two seasons, but after Coach Weber left the program, Miguel transferred to the University of South Florida for “a new beginning.”

In Florida, he was selected the American Athletic Conference (AAC) Sixth Man of the Year, which honors the most talented player who is “first off the bench” after the starting five players, as well as the AAC’s Most Improved Player.

With one more year to play in college, Miguel again transferred, this time to the University of Maryland. He had established relationships with the coaches and liked the school’s reputation.

Bruno Fernando, the only player from Angola to play in the National Basketball Association (NBA), influenced the decision. Fernando and Miguel had belonged to the same sports club in Angola, and the two men keep in touch, often talking about life on and off the court. Miguel told Inside Maryland Sports that Fernando, who played for Maryland from 2017 to 2019, “told me, ‘It’s a big basketball school; everybody is going to embrace you.’”

Indeed, things are going well — the “Terps” (short for Terrapins) are winning, and Miguel is starting at guard for Coach Kevin Willard.

His round-the-world journey is becoming more common. Lots of international players are coming to the United States to play the game that, while invented in America, is becoming popular worldwide.

At the beginning of the 2024–2025 season, a record 125 players from 43 countries are on NBA rosters. It is the same at American colleges. An estimated 15% of the players on major men’s and women’s college basketball teams come from outside the United States.

While Miguel focuses on boosting the Maryland program this season, he does have an eye on his future. When asked if he might play professionally in the NBA or some European league, Miguel says he will go with “the best situation for me.”

If he joins the NBA, he will be the second Angolan player, after Fernando, to go pro. Whatever happens next, Miguel told the sports-media company PressBox, he hopes to be a source of inspiration for Angola. “Every shot that I shoot, every workout that I go to — I’m doing that not only for me, I’m doing that for the whole country,” he said. “… It’s really a big deal to me to be able to represent my country.”

For now, he plans to continue to work with his brother for a foundation that helps kids from Angola and other countries to find educational and athletic opportunities. Miguel says he wants to “give them a path to be successful in life.”

It is clear Selton Miguel is going places.

Find information on opportunities to study in the U.S. at EducationUSA.

Fred Bowen is a freelance writer.