Duke star Khaman Maluach impacted by U.S. South Sudan visa revocation

An order from the U.S. State Department revoking visas for South Sudanese nationals

could affect the very bright future of Duke men's basketball player Kamen Malawach

Reality may be setting in for Malawach, the 7-2 freshman who helped Duke to the Final Four

The devastating loss to Houston in the national semifinal aside, there are now political issues he and his family must think about

On their way to the Final Four, Malawach played sports reporter and had fun with his teammates

It feels great. My first final fall. This is a blessing. Let's go to San Antonio

Are we ready for some good food in San Antonio, like tacos? Yeah, bro. Definitely going to have better food in Jersey

Quesadilla? Whoa, shots fired. But things got serious on April 5th, the day of Duke's Final Four game against Houston

Secretary of State Marco Rubio released a statement that said, in part

The administration made this decision because Rubio said

South Sudan has not accepted the return of its deported citizens in a timely manner Malawach fled war South Sudan with his family at a young age and moved to Uganda

where he lived until scouts noticed him at 14 years old and recommended him for the year-round NBA Academy in Senegal

From there, he honed his skills and eventually helped his home country of South Sudan qualify for the 2024 Olympics

There has been no deportation order given by the Trump administration regarding Sudanese citizens, so Malawach and others can remain in the country for now

If they leave, however, they likely would not be allowed back into the country

Duke University spokesperson Frank Tramble issued a statement explaining, Duke University is aware of the announcement from the Department of State regarding visa holders from South Sudan

we are looking into this situation and working expeditiously to understand any implications for Duke students

If things remain as they are, the 18-year-old's next stop could be the NBA

Should he decide to leave Duke, he'll likely be a lottery pick in the June draft

Playing in Toronto or in another overseas game like the recent Paris games will be an issue

unless the Trump administration provides some sort of waiver. For Straight Arrow News, I'm Chris Francis