By Emmanuel Mandella

Duke University’s basketball star Khaman Maluach is facing a challenge far greater than a missed championship — a potential deportation.

The Trump administration announced over the weekend that it is revoking all U.S. visas held by South Sudanese nationals, citing the country’s “refusal to accept deportees in a timely manner.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared that the new policy, effective immediately, will not only cancel current visas but also suspend the issuance of new ones until “South Sudan is in full cooperation.”

“It is time for the Transitional Government of South Sudan to stop taking advantage of the United States,” Rubio said in a statement released Saturday.

For Maluach who captured national attention for his unique basketball showcase, the timing couldn’t be worse. His team was knocked out of the NCAA tournament by the University of Houston on Saturday night, just hours after the visa revocation was announced.

Now, the future of the 7-foot center who dazzled fans with double-digit performances in the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight is hanging in the balance.

“I didn’t know I was going to go to college,” Maluach said in an interview with media platform Connecting You (CT). “It never really crossed my mind that one day I’ll be playing for Duke, let alone on the edge of deportation.”

Frank Tramble, Duke’s Vice President of Communications, confirmed the university is assessing the policy’s implications.

“We are looking into the situation and working expeditiously to understand any implications for Duke students,” Tramble said.

According to U.S. State Department data, only 46 nonimmigrant visas were granted to South Sudanese nationals in January a stark contrast to neighboring countries like Uganda and Tanzania.

According to CT, Maluach has been projected as a first-round pick in the upcoming NBA draft. The player made a name for himself last year when he represented South Sudan at the Olympics, marking a symbol of pride for the country and the continent, which only had its youngest nation presented.

The visa crisis adds a new layer to the volatile political climate in South Sudan.

While the State Department has yet to provide a detailed roadmap for affected individuals like Maluach, the policy’s immediate enforcement leaves little room for hope.

As Maluach’s basketball dreams take shape, his future in the United States now lies not in his hands but in the shifting sands of international diplomacy.

Back home in South Sudan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has already set the pace with a meeting with US Ambassador, H.E Michael Adler, to iron out some of the diplomatic buffs that led to the cancellation of visas of citizens from the young African nation.