Who is James Nunnally?

Nunnally is the second Gaucho recruit that TGM will profile (probably, horribly). First, his vitals are below.

James Nunnally, SF
Weston Ranch HS (Stockton, CA)
6'5/6'6, no weight listed

Nunnally was The Record's Boys Basketball Player of the Year last year. Below is an article about him.

http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070412/A_SPORTS09/704120324

Nunnally's older brother, Mike, happens to play at Pacific. In fact, most had assumed that Nunnally would commit to Pacific so that he could play with his brother and be close to home. Oh well, the Tigers loss is the Gauchos gain and we're happy to have him. Of course, what's great is that Coach Williams won't have to sell James to Gaucho Nation as the brother of Mike Nunnally (Like when Luc Richard Mbah a Moute's twin brother was signed under the premise of being his brother, which was quite laughable)

According to Rivals.com, he's a two star recruit. While I think these ratings are decent gauge of a player's ability, it's not the be all, end all. For those of you who enjoy football, the 49ers' rookie LB Patrick Willis was a two star recruit coming into Ole' Miss. Now, he's a Top 15 pick, probable defensive rookie of the year and going to his first Pro Bowl. I don't know (although I hope) that Nunnally will turn out to be our version of Patrick Willis, but I think there are good things in store for him. Check out the youtube video below to see some film of his playing in a recent tournament.



Obviously, he's pretty athletic. Although I don't know much about his shooting ability, his shot looks good. Even if his shooting percentage isn't very high, that form looks good and I think he'll be able to improve it drastically over four years. James needs to put on a little muscle and then I think he can be a force to be reckoned with restoring the Gauchos to their rightful spot atop the Big West.

Barring any transfers and any additional commitments (and/or de-commits), UCSB loses Pajevic, Alex Harris and Ivan Elliot after this year. However, if the trend continues, Coach Williams will lose one or two more players who transfer this year. I believe Nunnally will have ample opportunity to compete for a starting position, and, at the very least, playing time in the rotation.

All in all, I'm excited to see him in a Gaucho jersey and I hope you are too.