The curious case of the 30-year-old high school basketball star

Jonathan Nicola stood 6-foot-9, wore size 16 shoes and weighed just over 200 pounds. Those are massive measurements for anyone, let alone a teenager — and they helped make Nicola a star on the Catholic Central High School basketball team Windsor, Ontario. 

But the whole thing was apparently a big sham. Nicola really is that large, and he really is good at basketball. But Canadian authorities say he's actually a 30-year-old who's spent the past several months pretending to be a high schooler. 

Nicola was arrested this week by the Canada Border Services Agency for violating Canada's Immigration Refugee Protection Act, The Windsor Star reports. 

He'd previously told the paper he was an immigrant from South Sudan, who'd arrived in Windsor last November, just three days before he turned 17. 

The Star reports Nicola had been staying with Catholic Central coach Pete Cusumano through a program that provides home-stays for foreign students.

On Feb. 1, a video posted to YouTube touted Nicola's basketball skills. It identified him as an 11th grader. 

Since The Star's initial story broke, Nicola has also been identified as 29 and 31 years old. At this point, it seems, there are far more questions than answers. 

“There’s really not a whole lot to say,” Windsor-Essex Catholic District School spokesman Stephen Fields told the Star. “Because of the fact this is a matter that’s still outstanding before the federal authorities, obviously we can’t really comment on it. Beyond that there’s not a whole lot to say.”

There will be plenty more to say once it's figured out just what the heck happened up inWindsor. 

Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.