Canadian border officers have arrested Jonathon Nicola, who spent the last six months posing as a high school basketball player. Nicola, who is actually believed to be 30 years old, became a well-known as the star center of the Central Catholic High School Comets throughout the 2015-2016 seasons.
He lived with the team coach, Pete Cusumano, on a student visa as a part of the Canada Homestay program. On Wednesday, he was arrested by the Canadian Border Services Agency for allegedly contravening the Immigration Refugee Protection Act, and is being detained under the authority of this act. His visa will likely be terminated due to the tremendous age discrepancy.
Standing 6’9” and weighing in at 202 pounds, Nicola had been posing as a 17-year-old 11th grade student. In a January interview, Nicola claimed to have arrived in November, seeking refuge in Canada from his disease-ridden, war-torn home in South Sudan. It was believed that Nicola very well could have gone on to play professional basketball.
The Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board is staying quiet about the whole situation, mostly because they have no choice in the matter; Canadian officials are unable to provide any specifics about the case due to privacy concerns. School board officials haven’t hesitated to exclaim that their students were never in danger with Nicola. The board hasn’t made the decision whether to alert students and parents about the situation.
Nicola’s case is not unique; he isn’t the first immigrant to lie about their age in order to obtain a visa; as expected, it’s likely that it won’t end well for the basketball player. If it’s determined that he is, in fact, 30 years old the consequences could be harsh. Nicola remains in custody at the South West Detention Center awaiting further hearing on his immigration status. It is unknown when word on Nicola’s via status will be released.
ITG Web Content
Jonathon Nicola
Central Catholic
Authorities Detain “High School” Student By Njeri Mathis
Photo Courtesy of windsorstar.com
