RJ Nunn is preparing for BIG Senior Season
RJ NUNN: CLASS OF 2019
Ryan (RJ) Nunn (6’0/ 165 lbs) is in the midst of preparing for a big senior season for Findlay High School. You may be familiar with the last name “Nunn” because his older brother Kyle was a 1,000 point scorer and an All-State football player for Findlay High School. Kyle just finished his freshman football season at the University of Pittsburgh. RJ is smaller than his brother but he shares the same competitive spirit and you’ll be hard pressed to find some athletes who work harder than these brothers.
RJ is coming off a junior season in which he averaged 18 points per game, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. With these numbers, he earned 1st Team All Three Rivers Athletic Conference, 1st Team District 8 and Honorable Mention All-State. In order to improve on these already impressive numbers, RJ is working out daily which usually includes lifting weights in the morning, and then playing in open gyms, AAU practices with NW Ohio Basketball Club, take part in his high school team 4 man work-outs, participating in the Toledo Summer League, high school team camps and also attending different college individual elite camps.
RJ currently has 2 NAIA offers which includes Madonna and Goshen. He has also been on a couple of visits to the Univ. of Findlay and also Walsh, who has stayed in contact since the visit. Concordia and Mt. Vernon are two other colleges that have been in contact. With a G.P.A. of a 3.6, qualifying for a college will not be a problem. Nunn is hoping to get his first D2 offer this summer but is very happy to have a couple of NAIA schools offer him a full scholarship. When choosing a college, Nunn said, “The first thing I’ll look at is to see if they have my major (Criminal Justice), then most likely the location and the relationship with the coach will be the other factors that play into choosing a college.”
RJ is a solid ball handler that has a little “wiggle” to him. He’s tough to guard because he does a good job getting separation from defenders by changing his pace, setting up the defenders to get screened or back doored. He can shoot the ball from deep (volleyball line) and has a nice pull up jumper as well. RJ doesn’t mind posting up smaller guards and he does his best work when he catches the ball in the short corner. He can attack from there or use a variety of post moves that he has including a consistent little fade away jumper against bigger defenders. He also rebounds the ball well for a guard, especially on the offensive end. Defensively, RJ has a high IQ therefore he anticipates passing lanes because he’s able to read the offense and what they’re trying to do. He watches film of every opponent and studies the tendencies of the players he knows he’ll be guarding.
As far as a weakness, Nunn believes he needs to improve mentally. He said, “I’m a super competitive person that hates losing. I am hard on myself because I want to win so bad and I wear my emotions on my sleeve. Coach Rucki (Findlay H.S. Head Coach) will remind me to remain poised and keep my composure. It’s the best advice I’ve received and I really try to think about that during games.”
As far as this upcoming senior season goes, RJ is looking to join his brother in the 1,000 point scoring club. He has already scored over 700 points and if he’s able to average around 12 points a game this year he’ll surpass 1,000 points. RJ would also like to make a push for Player of the Year in the Three Rivers Athletic Conference. Jackie Harris (Toledo St. Francis), Eddie Colbert (Toledo Whitmer) and RJ will be the front runners for this honor. Nunn hopes he can lead his team to a league title as well as advancing to the District Tournament for the first time in his high school career.
A couple other interesting facts about RJ Nunn:
- Why he wears #20- He wears #20 because his mom (Angie Shardo- Maiden Name) wore #20 at Tiffin University. When RJ was little, his mom was inducted into the Tiffin Hall of Fame and he thought that was the coolest thing.
- RJ’s dad (Jeff Nunn) was an All-American Linebacker for Tiffin University and even spent time on the Detroit Lions practice squad.
- When he’s not playing basketball, you can find RJ volunteering at the Humane Society or working with younger kids/teammates to make them feel like they’re part of the team.