John Richard Nunge (born February 20, 1999) is an American professional basketball player for ESSM Le Portel of the LNB Pro A.

Jack Nunge
Nunge in 2021
No. 24 – ESSM Le Portel
PositionPower forward
LeagueLNB Pro A
Personal information
Born (1999-02-20) February 20, 1999 (age 25)
Newburgh, Indiana
NationalityAmerican
Listed height7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)
Listed weight245 lb (111 kg)
Career information
High schoolCastle
(Newburgh, Indiana)
College
NBA draft2023: undrafted
Playing career2023–present
Career history
2023–2024Scafati Basket
2024–presentESSM Le Portel
Career highlights and awards

Nunge played college basketball for the Xavier Musketeers of the Big East Conference. He previously played for the Iowa Hawkeyes.

High school career

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Nunge played basketball for Castle High School in Newburgh, Indiana. In his junior season, he averaged 19.3 points, 11.4 rebounds and 3.7 blocks per game.[1] As a senior, Nunge averaged 22.8 points, 11.6 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game, leading his team to the Class 4A Seymour semistate. He was named Evansville Courier & Press All-Metro Player of the Year.[2] He committed to playing college basketball for Iowa over offers from Clemson, Nebraska, Georgia Tech, Creighton and Vanderbilt, among others.[3]

College career

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As a freshman at Iowa, Nunge averaged 5.7 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. He opted to redshirt his next season to gain strength and to develop his skills.[4] In his fifth game as a sophomore, Nunge suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, forcing him to miss the rest of the season.[5] He averaged 7.1 points and 5.3 rebounds per game as a redshirt sophomore, before sustaining another season-ending right knee injury, a torn meniscus.[6] For his junior year, Nunge transferred to Xavier.[7] On December 11, 2021, he posted a career-high 31 points and 15 rebounds in an 83–63 win against Cincinnati.[8] Nunge was named Honorable Mention All-Big East.[9] In his final season, he averaged 14.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocked shots per game.[10]

Professional career

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On October 1, 2023, Nunge signed his first professional contract with Scafati Basket of the Lega Basket Serie A.[11]

On June 17, 2024, he signed with ESSM Le Portel of the LNB Pro A.[12]

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

College

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2017–18 Iowa 33 14 15.7 .443 .333 .755 2.8 1.0 .6 .8 5.7
2018–19 Iowa   Redshirt
2019–20 Iowa 6 5 14.7 .364 .214 .750 3.8 1.5 .2 .0 5.0
2020–21 Iowa 22 0 15.9 .445 .298 .829 5.3 1.3 .3 .9 7.1
2021–22 Xavier 36 19 26.5 .548 .365 .706 7.4 1.1 .7 1.4 13.4
2022–23 Xavier 34 34 29.0 .511 .366 .673 7.7 2.1 .9 1.2 13.8
Career 70 53 27.7 .528 .365 .692 7.6 1.6 0.8 1.3 13.6

Personal life

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Nunge's father, Mark, was an emergency physician and played basketball for the University of Rochester. On November 21, 2020, Mark died unexpectedly at age 53, causing Nunge to miss the first two games of his sophomore season at Iowa.[13] His mother, Beth, played basketball and softball for Central College. Nunge's sisters have played volleyball at the college level: Rebecca at Notre Dame, and Jessica at Florida State and Illinois.[14] His brother, Bob, also played for Xavier - he was a Junior during the 2023-24 season. His cousin, Chelsea Poppens, played in the Women's National Basketball Association after a college career at Iowa State.[15]

References

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  1. ^ Neddenriep, Kyle (July 7, 2016). "Recruiting: Castle's Jack Nunge attracting high-major interest". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
  2. ^ Engelhardt, Gordon (April 1, 2017). "Castle's Nunge towering force, earns all-Metro Player of Year honors". Evansville Courier & Press. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
  3. ^ Sanderson, Blair (September 11, 2016). "Nunge commits to Iowa". HawkeyeReport. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
  4. ^ "Iowa F Jack Nunge back after unique redshirt season". USA Today. Associated Press. October 9, 2019. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
  5. ^ Emmert, Mark (November 25, 2019). "Iowa Hawkeyes lose forward Jack Nunge to ACL tear. How do they replace his minutes?". Hawk Central. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
  6. ^ "Iowa Hawkeyes lose Jack Nunge to season-ending knee injury". ESPN. Associated Press. February 27, 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
  7. ^ Engelhardt, Gordon (April 9, 2021). "Castle graduate Jack Nunge transfers to Xavier from Iowa". Evansville Courier & Press. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
  8. ^ "Nunge scores 31 to lift Xavier past Cincinnati 83-63". USA Today. Associated Press. December 11, 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
  9. ^ Fitzpatrick, Mike (March 6, 2022). "All-Big East: Gillespie unanimous, Champagnie honored again". The Telegraph. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
  10. ^ "Xavier's Nunge will not return to school, announces he will turn pro". Local 12. April 13, 2023. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  11. ^ "Jack Nunge agreed terms with Scafati". Eurobasket. October 1, 2023. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  12. ^ "ESSM Le Portel inks Jack Nunge". Sportando. June 17, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  13. ^ Emmert, Mark (December 4, 2020). "Iowa basketball: A grieving Jack Nunge has inspirational return to the court for No. 3 Hawkeyes". Hawk Central. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
  14. ^ Baum, Adam (September 17, 2021). "Jack's journey: Through grief and adversity, Nunge finds fresh start with Xavier basketball". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
  15. ^ Emmert, Mark (May 16, 2017). "Neighbors with Fran McCaffery for a week, Jack Nunge comes full circle as Iowa recruit". Hawk Central. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
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