Jack Nunge Explained

Jack Nunge
Position:Power forward
Height Ft:7
Height In:0
Weight Lb:245
League:LNB Pro A
Team:ESSM Le Portel
Birth Date:20 February 1999
Birth Place:Newburgh, Indiana
Nationality:American
High School:Castle
(Newburgh, Indiana)
College:
Draft Year:2023
Career Start:2023
Years1:2023–2024
Team1:Scafati Basket
Years2:2024–present
Team2:ESSM Le Portel
Highlights:

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

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

High school career

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

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

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

College

|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2017–18| style="text-align:left;"| Iowa| 33 || 14 || 15.7 || .443 || .333 || .755 || 2.8 || 1.0 || .6 || .8 || 5.7|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2018–19| style="text-align:left;"| Iowa| style="text-align:center;" colspan="11"| Redshirt|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2019–20| style="text-align:left;"| Iowa| 6 || 5 || 14.7 || .364 || .214 || .750 || 3.8 || 1.5 || .2 || .0 || 5.0|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2020–21| style="text-align:left;"| Iowa| 22 || 0 || 15.9 || .445 || .298 || .829 || 5.3 || 1.3 || .3 || .9 || 7.1|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2021–22| style="text-align:left;"| Xavier| 36 || 19 || 26.5 || .548 || .365 || .706 || 7.4 || 1.1 || .7 || 1.4 || 13.4|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2022–23| style="text-align:left;"| Xavier| 34 || 34 || 29.0 || .511 || .366 || .673 || 7.7 || 2.1 || .9 || 1.2 || 13.8|- class="sortbottom"| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career| 70 || 53 || 27.7 || .528 || .365 || .692 || 7.6 || 1.6 || 0.8 || 1.3 || 13.6

Personal life

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]

External links

Notes and References

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