Notre Dame men's basketball is looking to fill out its roster for 2023-24 and the Irish staff have shown interesting former Division II Player of the Year RJ Sunahara.
Sunahara has one year of eligibility remaining after spending four seasons at Nova Southeastern. He technically only played three seasons for the Sharks due to the 2020-21 season being canceled for COVID-19. He also redshirted his freshman season at Fairmont State under current Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla in 2018-19.
In his three seasons at Nova Southeastern the 6-foot-8, 210-pound forward scored 1,579 career points (No. 2 in school history) and started all 92 games. He finished with career averages of 17.2 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. He's a 38% shooter from the 3-point line and the all-time leader in blocks for the Sharks with 172.
The Bay Village (Ohio) Bay High native won the NABC Divison II Player of the Year award last season after helping the Sharks to a 36-0 record and Division II national championship. He was also named the Sunshine State Conference Player of the Year.
Sunahara entered the transfer portal last Friday and communicated with head coach Micah Shrewsberry and associate head coach Kyle Getter last weekend.
"I got a direct message from Coach Getter on Twitter and from there got in contact over the phone with him and Coach Shrewsberry," Sunahara told Inside ND Sports. "I think the thing I liked most about the staff is that they seem to really care about making their players better on and off the court."
Sunahara said he's heard from over 20 schools including Notre Dame, Georgia, Loyola Chicago, VCU and West Virginia. Sunahara said he's prioritizing play style, coaches, teammates and immediate playing time in his recruitment.
He said he plans to speak with Getter over the phone today and schedule a visit to Notre Dame. He wants to make a decision soon.
"Notre Dame is such a storied program and they are high on my list," Sunahara said.
Sunahara has one year of eligibility remaining after spending four seasons at Nova Southeastern. He technically only played three seasons for the Sharks due to the 2020-21 season being canceled for COVID-19. He also redshirted his freshman season at Fairmont State under current Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla in 2018-19.
In his three seasons at Nova Southeastern the 6-foot-8, 210-pound forward scored 1,579 career points (No. 2 in school history) and started all 92 games. He finished with career averages of 17.2 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. He's a 38% shooter from the 3-point line and the all-time leader in blocks for the Sharks with 172.
The Bay Village (Ohio) Bay High native won the NABC Divison II Player of the Year award last season after helping the Sharks to a 36-0 record and Division II national championship. He was also named the Sunshine State Conference Player of the Year.
Sunahara entered the transfer portal last Friday and communicated with head coach Micah Shrewsberry and associate head coach Kyle Getter last weekend.
"I got a direct message from Coach Getter on Twitter and from there got in contact over the phone with him and Coach Shrewsberry," Sunahara told Inside ND Sports. "I think the thing I liked most about the staff is that they seem to really care about making their players better on and off the court."
Sunahara said he's heard from over 20 schools including Notre Dame, Georgia, Loyola Chicago, VCU and West Virginia. Sunahara said he's prioritizing play style, coaches, teammates and immediate playing time in his recruitment.
He said he plans to speak with Getter over the phone today and schedule a visit to Notre Dame. He wants to make a decision soon.
"Notre Dame is such a storied program and they are high on my list," Sunahara said.
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