Jonathan Nicola of Sudan, far right, is pictured with the Catholic Central Comets basketball team in Windsor, Ont.
Jonathan Nicola, the high school basketball player who may be almost 30 years old, faces his second detention review hearing on Tuesday in front of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada.
Nicola came to Canada in November from South Sudan on a student visa that indicated he was born Nov. 25, 1998. He then attended Catholic Central High School in Windsor, Ont., as a 17-year-old student in Grade 11, and played on the basketball team.
He was arrested by the Canada Border Services Agency on April 15 and is being held at the South West Detention Centre, a maximum-security jail in Windsor.
Nicola had his first detention review hearing last Tuesday and it was determined he was a flight risk.
Detention reviews occur until the main case is heard. On Monday, the Canada Border Services Agency applied to the Immigration and Refugee Board for an admissibility hearing.
Border Services has alleged that Nicola misrepresented material facts in his application for a permit to study in Canada.
Border Services said Nicola had previously used a date of birth of Nov. 1, 1986, for an earlier application to enter the United States.
If the allegations are found to be true in an admissibility hearing, Nicola faces deportation from Canada, said Anna Pape, a spokeswoman for the Immigration and Refugee Board.
Nicola's basketball coach, Peter Cusumano, is hopeful the former player will not be deported. Nicola stayed at Cusumano's home throughout the winter, brokered by the Canada Homestay Network.
Cusumano said Nicola was an excellent guest, living alongside his wife and 24-year-old daughter.
"Everybody went into this with good intentions, and it's blown up in our face," said Cusumano on Monday.
Cusumano wondered about Nicola's age but there was an array of official documentation that had been vetted by government officials. Cusumano once asked his other players if they thought Nicola was older but there was no outcry.
"He had a kind soul," said Cusumano. "He was desperate to get out of a bad situation."
According to Cusumano, Nicola had previously applied for refugee status in the U.S. in 2007. Then there was an application in 2015 to go to a prep school in Florida.
These emerged in December, when Cusumano and Nicola went to the U.S. Consulate General in Toronto to apply for a visitor visa to the United States, so Nicola could join the Catholic Central team for some games in Michigan.
The visa was eventually denied.
Cusumano said Nicola told him he didn't know about the previous applications. There were questions about aliases and the spelling of Nicola's mother's name.
On the basketball court, some were skeptical about Nicola.
"We all said, 'There's no way that kid is 17,'" said Trish Biffin, a coach at Pine Ridge Secondary School, which played Catholic Central early in the season and then defeated them in the provincial playoffs. "I didn't know how old he was."
The stress has been difficult, said Cusumano.
"It's been bad for me. It's been horrible for my family. I can't imagine how bad it is for this kid," said Cusumano. "I do feel I was duped in a way. I question myself, for sure. I don't like being called the village idiot."