John Richard Nunge (born February 20, 1999) is an American professional basketball player for ESSM Le Portel of the LNB Pro A.
No. 24 – ESSM Le Portel | |
---|---|
Position | Power forward |
League | LNB Pro A |
Personal information | |
Born | Newburgh, Indiana | February 20, 1999
Nationality | American |
Listed height | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) |
Listed weight | 245 lb (111 kg) |
Career information | |
High school | Castle (Newburgh, Indiana) |
College | |
NBA draft | 2023: undrafted |
Playing career | 2023–present |
Career history | |
2023–2024 | Scafati Basket |
2024–present | ESSM 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
editNunge 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
editAs 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
editOn 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
editGP | 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
editYear | 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
editNunge'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
edit- ^ Neddenriep, Kyle (July 7, 2016). "Recruiting: Castle's Jack Nunge attracting high-major interest". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
- ^ Engelhardt, Gordon (April 1, 2017). "Castle's Nunge towering force, earns all-Metro Player of Year honors". Evansville Courier & Press. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
- ^ Sanderson, Blair (September 11, 2016). "Nunge commits to Iowa". HawkeyeReport. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
- ^ "Iowa F Jack Nunge back after unique redshirt season". USA Today. Associated Press. October 9, 2019. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Iowa Hawkeyes lose Jack Nunge to season-ending knee injury". ESPN. Associated Press. February 27, 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
- ^ Engelhardt, Gordon (April 9, 2021). "Castle graduate Jack Nunge transfers to Xavier from Iowa". Evansville Courier & Press. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
- ^ "Nunge scores 31 to lift Xavier past Cincinnati 83-63". USA Today. Associated Press. December 11, 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
- ^ Fitzpatrick, Mike (March 6, 2022). "All-Big East: Gillespie unanimous, Champagnie honored again". The Telegraph. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
- ^ "Xavier's Nunge will not return to school, announces he will turn pro". Local 12. April 13, 2023. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
- ^ "Jack Nunge agreed terms with Scafati". Eurobasket. October 1, 2023. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
- ^ "ESSM Le Portel inks Jack Nunge". Sportando. June 17, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.