Jack Nunge inspires with his incredible strength and courage
By Pat Harty
IOWA CITY, Iowa – Iowa junior forward Jack Nunge had just been taken out of Thursday’s game against Western Illinois late in second half when Luka Garza approached him at the start of a timeout.
Garza stuck out his chest and gave his teammate and close friend a congratulatory chest bump in the team huddle.
Nunge then smiled, which he has struggled to do since his father, Dr. Mark Nunge, passed away suddenly and unexpectedly on Nov. 20 at the age of 53.
Nunge missed Iowa’s first two games while he grieved with his family back home in Indiana.
He returned to Iowa City Tuesday evening and then practiced on Wednesday for the first time since his father’s death.
Nunge had a great practice, according to Iowa coach Fran McCaffery, and it carried to Thursday’s game as the 6-foot-11 Nunge matched his career-high with 18 points during third-ranked Iowa’s 99-58 victory at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
An emotional Nunge then addressed the media on a zoom conference shortly after Thursday’s victory. Somehow, he found the strength to talk about the circumstances surrounding his father’s death.
“It’s just kind of an insane situation,” Nunge said. “I talked to my dad on Friday night, and then I got the call that nobody wants to get the next morning. I knew I had to go home, be with my family, be with my mom and be strong for them, because it’s something nobody wants to deal with.
“It’s been really difficult, I’ve got to be honest. But my mom is strong, my family is strong, my siblings are all strong. We’re going to get through this, that’s something that we’ve all talked about. I think being able to play a game gave them a distraction for a night, and that was really good for my family.”
Basketball will continue to be a distraction for the 6-foot-11 Nunge as he copes with the overwhelming sadness of losing his father under such shocking circumstances.
Jack Nunge had no time to prepare for the loss of his father, and each day is a struggle to move forward.
But he has two strong and devoted families by his side, and both will play a key role as Nunge tries to move on without his father. He has his mother and siblings and other relatives to lean on for support, and he also has his Iowa teammates and coaches to help him persevere, and help with his suffering
Nunge and Garza were in the same recruiting class at Iowa, and they share a special bond, partly because of that.
And while the 6-11 Garza has become a star, Nunge has dealt with more than his share of adversity, including suffering a season-ending knee injury in the fifth game last season.
“His strength is so inspiring,” Garza said of Nunge, who was the first player off the bench for Iowa in Thursday’s game. “I think that was the biggest thing is just (I was) so excited to get on the court with him again. Obviously, we came in together, we were roommates freshman year. That’s my brother. He’s so responsible for the development of myself and my game, just pushing me in the summer. When you have to go against a guy like that every single day, it gets you so much better.
“I’m just so proud of him and his ability to push through everything him and his family are going through. Obviously, we all have his back here and we were ready whenever he decided to come back.”
Nunge showed incredible strength while facing the media after Thursday’s game. It certainly helped that he played well, but that still didn’t change the horrible circumstances.
Nunge nearly broke down while talking about his father’s death, but he stayed with it and finished the interview.
And staying with it is what Jack Nunge is all about.
He barely has played over the last two seasons due to the knee injury and because he was redshirted during the 2018-19 season.
So in many ways, Nunge still is adjusting to the college game.
His size and versatility will be useful on the frontline as defenses try to contain Garza, who scored 35 points in Thursday’s game, including 30 in the first half.
The competition will improve considerably in the next two games when third-ranked Iowa faces North Carolina on Tuesday and Iowa State next Friday, with both games at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Garza will definitely be a marked man, but he now has Nunge by his side to help and to inspire.
The fact that Nunge had a solid performance is reason for optimism, but his impact on this team will go far beyond statistics.