On Friday, President Donald J. Trump signed an executive order temporarily barring the entry of non-American citizens from seven countries.
On of those nation’s listed is the Sudan. The basketball community has been quick to question how this would affect players like Lakers forward Luol Deng and Bucks first-round pick Thon Maker, two former refugees of the Sudan. (It’s worth noting, that both are from what is now known as the South Sudan, which was not listed in Trump’s executive order).
Peter Jok, Iowa’s leading scorer, is also a former refugee from the Sudan. On Thursday, Jok, who is a naturalized citizen of the U.S., spoke with ESPN’s Andy Katz about the ban.
“I think about it a lot and pray every night and every day,” Jok told Katz. “God has blessed me and my family to come here. ... If it weren’t for the refugee program, I wouldn’t have had that chance.”
“I feel sad for the families that can’t see [their loved ones] for a long time, for however long this takes,” Jok later added. “I have friends that can’t come here for basketball, who are Sudanese, even with dual citizenship.”
Jok, who has lived in the United States since he was 10 years old, is averaging 21.0 points per game for the Hawkeyes this season.