Jack Nunge
The exciting style of Class 4A state runner-up Evansville Reitz last season helped shine a light on the southwest corner of the state, an area that has produced a number of talented players over the years.
One of the players from the area to watch is Jack Nunge, a 6-9 sophomore from Castle High School, who is playing with the 16U Pocket City Basketball team this spring and summer.
Nunge averaged 13.1 points and a team-leading 6.2 rebounds as a sophomore at Castle. He also shot 26-for-68 (38 percent) from the 3-point line.
“At the beginning of the season we weren’t playing as a team but at the end we got on a four-game winning streak before we lost to a tough (Evansville) Central team,” he said.
Tindley freshman Hunter has one offer, early Division I interest
Castle, a Class 4A program, finished 10-11. Nunge has an enviable combination of size and skill.
“For Castle, I played inside and out and I can do that with (Pocket City), too,” he said.
Schools that have shown initial interest in Nunge include Evansville, Indiana, Indiana State, Northern Kentucky, Toledo and Xavier. He visited Bloomington for Hoosier Hysteria last fall, though he doesn’t yet have a Division I offer.
Led by Nunge, Castle should be a team on the rise. Payton Mills (5.7 ppg) and Brandon Eades (3.3 ppg) also saw key minutes last season as sophomores.
“I need to keep working on my post game before next season,” Nunge said.
Columbia City’s Hazen has a Big East offer, range of interest
Other recruiting notes:
• If you missed it, Mr. Basketball Caleb Swanigan reopened his recruitment on Thursday. My opinion is that his pledge to Michigan State never seemed solid, and not just because he hadn’t signed the letter of intent.
• Tech point guard C.J. Walker picked up another offer on Thursday, from Kansas State. The 6-foot Walker, formerly committed to Purdue, recently tweeted that he’d cut his list to five soon. He also has current offers from Ball State, Butler, Cincinnati, Illinois, LaSalle, Florida State, Iowa, Memphis, Missouri, Penn State, Pitt, Richmond, Texas A&M, Western Illinois, Wichita State and Xavier.
• Southport guard Paul Scruggs (2017) picked up a big offer on Friday, from Michigan State. The 6-3 Scruggs, who already lists offers from Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Purdue and Xavier, is ranked No. 31 in the 2017 class by Rivals.
• Warren Central guard C.J. Hardaway has committed to Division II St. Joseph’s. … Roncalli’s Jimmy King made it official and has signed his letter of intent with the University of Indianapolis. … Lawrence North’s Kevin Easley, one of the top 2018 prospects in the state, added a new offer from Bradley. IUPUI, Indiana, Purdue and Temple had previously offered the 6-6 Easley. … Grant Leach, a 2014 Hamilton Southeastern grad, has committed to UMKC. Leach spent this season at the Air Force prep academy. … Seth Towns, a 6-7 forward from Ohio, was offered by Butler this week. Towns is ranked No. 61 in the 247sports composite rankings. He has offers from a long list of schools, including Michigan and Ohio State, Purdue, Xavier and others.
