*UPDATE* Will Bol Kong end up at Gonzaga?

UPDATE: According to The Slipper Still Fits, Bol Kong is currently on campus. Great news for him and great news for the Zags. Mark Few's back court is shaping up to be one of the better in the country with Kong joining Matt Bouldin, Demetri Goodson, and Steven Gray.

Last summer, the NYT ran a piece on Bol Kong, a Sudanese refugee living in Canada. Kong (who has one of the best names ever) is a basketball player, and a damn good one at that. He had some impressive numbers (23 vs. Marquette, 30 vs. Boise State, 14 vs. Oklahoma) in scrimmages against DI teams playing for Douglas College in Canada. The 6'7" guard committed to and signed with Gonzaga.


But Kong has yet to make it to the Spokane campus. You see, Kong's parents never established Canadian citizenship. He moved to Canada when he was 7, which means that Kong is still a Sudanese citizen. For those unfamiliar with immigration law, Sudan is a considered a state sponsor of terrorism, which makes it very difficult for Sudanese nationals to gain entry into the States. Kong has tried and been denied a visa to study here three times before.

And it is looking like this could be the fourth time.

According the To Slipper Still Fits, Kong's case to obtain a visa has hit a snag. Andy Katz wrote in his blog over the weekend that Kong has 12 day grace period after the start of the fall semester to make it to campus, which means that he needs to be on campus by the end of next week.

Gonzaga lost a lot from last year's Sweet 16 squad. Kong, a 6'7" guard with range, could be the perfect replacement for a guy like Micah Downs, providing the Zags with athleticism and length they are currently lacking on the perimeter.

But that is besides the point.

I try to keep this blog as apolitcal as possible, because as we all know, sports and politics don't always mix. Regardless of your feelings on opening up the borders, our nation's war on terror, or Obama's homeland security policies, I think we can all agree that, if his visa is denied, Kong will have gotten screwed.

Just because this kid happened to be born in the Sudan (he hasn't lived there in 13 years), he is going to be denied the opportunity to further his education and pursue a lucrative career in basketball?

Wouldn't we want to help a family that was able to escape a place like Sudan?

I appreciate the need for laws limiting immigration from state sponsors of terrorism, but to me this seems like a situation where we are following the letter of the law as opposed to the spirit of the law.